Small businesses can get more from document management

There are many reasons a document management solution is a boon to businesses of any size, but for smaller companies in particular, executives or owners may not realize the full value they provide. For that reason, it's incumbent upon any SMB decision-maker to look at their choices and determine which platforms – and the workflow options they provide – will be right for them.

The reason many smaller firms might shy away from DMS adoption is the start-up costs associated with such a move, according to IT Pro Portal. However, the long-term return on investment – in terms of the number of man-hours that get freed up and the easier collaboration these platforms provide – is more significant than they realize, especially because document management can work for both individual departments and across the entire business.

Digging into the benefits
Take, for instance, the story of a single document, the report said. It gets scanned into the system by, say, the legal department, but that digital file can be set so that it is accessible to professionals in the accounting and sales department, as well as the owner herself. From there, any changes or utilizations can be tracked and monitored as necessary, eliminating the need to keep careful tabs on the status of a single physical file or multiple printed-out versions.

Getting it right
The other issue to contend with, of course, is making sure whatever digital files a small business currently uses can be ported over to their new document management system with ease, according to the Oofy. As long as that's the case, the move to the new platform should be seamless and allow a business to take the next step in their growth without missing a beat.

A quick examination of the many document management options available to a small business could help revolutionize their workflows and bring greater efficiency to their overall operations, in terms of both human and financial resources.