A document management system is one that is used to track, manage, and store documents. Today the term is synonymous with document management software as documents today are mostly digital, and even physical or hard copies of documents are captured and stored digitally to reduce paper. Printing every little document on paper is outdated. Going paperless is a new way that is much more efficient, much faster, and has countless benefits that you just can’t say no to.
Using a computer system for the management of all the documents in any organization would, of course, require some kind of software. These software not only provide the functionalities for storing and managing these documents but also provide advanced features like version control. Organizations that make the smart move of going paperless today completely rid themselves of paper by moving even their existing physical records into digital formats. This is achieved with document capture.
Document capture is an important step and feature provided by any DMS. It uses a scanner or other similar technology to capture and store paper documents in a digital format. Advanced technologies like Optical Character Recognition (OCR) are employed to search the scanned documents for keywords which enables for easier and faster searching of such documents later on. It also takes into account electronic or digital documents whether received over a network or created locally. Document capture enables any organization today to go truly paperless which is the better and smarter way. After all, data is easier and more securely backed up digitally rather than physically.
Benefits
A document management software brings countless benefits to any organization where it is employed.
Go Paperless
Going paperless alone is a huge benefit that cuts down costs, drives efficiency, and gets rid work of tedious paperwork management processes.
Security
Data security is more important than ever today for each company as they are also held responsible for it by law. Manual processing of documents provides opportunities for theft and third-party viewing, all of which can be eliminated with the use of technology when your documents are managed digitally.
Regulatory Compliances
There is a need enforced by law for companies to make information available and that is made easier if all your documents are stored and managed digitally.
Increased Productivity
When all paperwork and needed information is available to your employees digitally, it makes them easier for them to compile all content needed for their jobs in one place so that they can be more productive instead of searching and filtering for documents.
Manage Storage and Space
While paper documents require physical space to be stored, electronic ones do not. The size of information is only bound to increase over time. Storing all your documents digitally saves space.
Manage Access
When all your information is stored and managed digitally, access levels are easier to design and implement. Employees can be restricted to accessing documents relevant to their work and nothing else.
Effortless
Many document management software provides the facility for automatic importing of documents right when they are created or received, requiring no additional effort from you.