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Document Management Systems Are Key to Remote Work

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Some industries have taken advantage of document management systems — a digital tool to track, manage and store documents — for years. Businesses that operate on swift deadlines and thrive on collaboration understand the importance of having digital workflows. Organizations that host many appointments with customers or patients use form solutions to gather information. Companies with remote workers know that digital archiving is paramount to protecting sensitive documents through remote storage.

However, other businesses who have been forced to adapt workflows and connect remotely with both employees and customers may find document management solutions key to continuing business operations. Collaboration and secure storage can benefit any workplace, whether your organization is temporarily pivoting or intends to have remote workers as part of your workforce into the future.

Digital Workflows

Most businesses have faced shifts in operations throughout the first and second quarters of 2020. Your employees could be faced with more work, cumbersome processes and other difficulties while working remotely. Additionally, your business could be facing an increase in demand for certain products and services.

Document management systems offer digital workflows, which allow managers and employees to measure a volume of work and understand where projects stand in the process of completion.

These digital workflows can increase productivity by automating content-based tasks and create computer-aided work models that complete repetitive jobs quickly and accurately. That doesn’t mean you have to leave these tasks completely in the hands of the digital workflow. The program allows you to be as hands-on or hands-off as your work requires.

Digital Archiving

As employees are working remotely, they’re accessing company networks through potentially vulnerable internet connections. Additionally, everyone is working through the trials of life at home where computers and laptops could be damaged. Document management systems provide digital archiving, keeping your company’s documents and data secure in the face of cybersecurity risks or potential hardware damage. On-site and remote storage options, automatic backup and structured or unstructured organization methods keep you covered so you never have to worry about your files disappearing or being unavailable if your server crashes.

Not only do document management systems provides a secure way to store documents digitally, most systems come with customizable administrative controls so managers can restrict access to sensitive information or share documents selectively. Storing documents digitally also makes it easier to search for and find data.

Forms Solutions

For businesses that rely on form completion for collecting data like customer history, inventory tracking or client invoicing, a document management system can cut down on an unwieldy process. The amount of resources consumed by creating multiple duplicates, forwarding information and making it available for reference by employees can translate to a convoluted and time-consuming paper chain.

Forms solutions can help your organization control and enhance this exchange of data through automatic file routing, work prompts and progress notifications that streamline manual processes and eliminate additional data entry. These forms also can be accessed from anywhere.

Document Management Systems: The Filing Cabinet of the Future

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Do you remember when businesses first began to use email? It revolutionized how we communicated and conducted business. Workers and customers no longer had to wait days for a response to questions or comments. Employees could share information in seconds, even copy others into an email thread. Spam and junk filters added extra security, ensuring that suspicious emails or unnecessary notices were cleaned out of the inbox.

Businesses have been using email for decades to send and receive notes and documents, but they’re likely using outdated technology to store them. If you’re storing your documents on a single computer drive — or worse, a filing cabinet — you may want to consider a document management system for your company.

Here are some benefits to using a document management system to store, track and manage your regular documents.

Storage

Digitally-archived documents are more visible and easily accessible than files lounging in manila envelopes in filing cabinets, said John McGill, solutions engineer at Infomax. Searching for a document by keywords or dates is much easier electronically in a document management system than leafing through papers. Additionally, if one paper document is damaged or destroyed, your business could lose priceless information for good. Digitally archiving documents through remote storage and automatic backup ensures that disaster won’t destroy them.

Security

Consider how easy it would be to lose a document in the dregs of a filing cabinet or how difficult it would be to keep track of a document multiple people take out of a file. Even if employees store their documents on their individual computers, those files could be destroyed or compromised if a computer is damaged or hacked or if a computer file is deleted.

“If two people work in the same office, only one of us can see the document at the same time in a paper world,” John said. “There also could be documents in an office that not everybody should see. There’s nothing stopping from me from going to that filing cabinet and looking at it.”

With a document management system, you can set permissions so only some employees are able to view documents. The system can also track who checks out or edits a piece.

Forms solutions

Businesses that work directly with customers may benefit from digital forms solutions that allow clients or customers to fill submit forms. The system will then convert forms and input data directly into the company’s management program. The document management system cuts down on clutter and archives forms for future reference.

Digital workflow

Not only do document management systems provide necessary storage and security, they also allow employees an easy system to keep track of tasks. Documents can be edited by different employees and departments. They system will notify another user when the file is ready for their input.

To learn more about our document management system and how it can work for your office, contact us today at 1-800-727-4629.

Why Your Business Should Implement a Document Management Solution

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Just about every business deals with documents in one form or another. Managing these documents can be a serious headache, and most businesses don’t keep an archivist on staff to keep things organized. In the best-case scenario, paper documents are stored in file cabinets. Worst case, they’re piled up haphazardly wherever there’s room in the office. Read more

Creating a Document Management System for Your Small Business

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A document management system will track, manage, and store all of your documents in an effort to streamline your business processes and reduce the amount of paper in your office. Creating and implementing a document management system is essential to efficiency in the modern small business. Let’s take a look at how to best go about adopting a document management system that will fit the needs of your company and seamlessly integrating it into your workflows. Read more

Make Your Forms Paperless with Document Management

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Every business—no matter the industry—deals with its fair share of forms on a regular basis. Purchase orders, invoices, HR forms, sales contracts, and expense reports are just some of the forms that are part of our workflows. Document management can help organizations streamline their processes into a paperless approach that will improve customer service, increase efficiency, and optimize the experience of the end user.

The many benefits of paperless forms technology
By turning to a document management solution, the hassle of dealing with paper forms is completely eliminated from your workplace. Web-based forms are perfect for instantly capturing information and pushing that data to your back-end business applications. The distribution of HR forms is a great example of how web-based forms can make life easier for your employees. Timecards, benefit elections, and reviews can easily be completed online and distributed with a few clicks of the mouse.
Purchase orders can also be completed through a web-based platform. This streamlined workflow makes it easier to process approval requests and will help ensure your accounts payable department is always in control of your company’s spending.

Eliminate headaches for your customers
Paperless forms simplify tasks for your customers. The convenience and simplicity of web-based forms allows your clients to complete forms online without jumping through hoops. There’s no longer a need for them to print, mail, or fax in information. The hassle-free experience of completing a web-based form will make your customers more likely to collaborate with your business.

The power of an electronic signature
Many businesses are hesitant to go paperless for the fear of losing the all-important signature. Fortunately, with modern document management technology, obtaining an electronic signature is easier than ever. E-signature technology can be easily integrated into your forms to allow authorized users to sign off on any necessary digital documents.

Document management enables you to experience a whole new way of conducting business through paperless forms. Contact Infomax Office Solutions today to learn how this revolutionary technology can be implemented into your business.

Go Paperless with Document Management

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With today’s advancements in office technology, going paperless is now easier than ever. In addition to the simplicity of a paperless approach, it’s an affordable option with benefits that no business can pass up. By digitizing your documents, document management will drastically improve your daily workflows while cutting your costs.

Let’s take a closer look at how going paperless can positively affect your business.

Cut your costs
The impact document management has on the ‘bottom line’ is the driving factor behind many of the decisions that a company makes. Fortunately, going paperless is an easy decision to make when you realize it results in reducing costs. Locating and processing your documents will be significantly faster, reducing your operating and labor costs. Your printer, ink, and toner needs will also decrease, saving you money on all of those costly maintenance fees.

Save time and space
Document management provides businesses with the ability to quickly locate and process documents. Using indexing and search functions, employees can quickly track down documents without sifting through boxes of paperwork. No more bulky file cabinets and shelving units to store all of that paperwork. Everything can be easily archived electronically, streamlining your document storage into one online location for all authorized users to access at will.

Secure your documents and minimize risk
With document access controls, you can be sure to protect the critical assets that make up your business. Your business will have full control over what documents can be accessed by particular individuals through user permissions and access rights. These security features are included on mobile devices as well, maintaining security while your employees are on the go.

Go green for our environment
There’s no question that going paperless will reduce costs and optimize workflows. An added benefit of this approach is the positive effect it will have on the environment. Today, more than ever, businesses across the county are going green to reduce their environmental impact. With less need for ink, toner cartridges, and other printing supplies, a paperless office reduces waste that will burden our landfills and potentially harm the environment.

For more information on how to go paperless in your workplace, contact Infomax Business Systems today to learn about our document management solution.

The Link between Document Management and a Green Office

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It’s true that little changes add up, but reusable mugs and water bottles only take you so far. The best way to lessen your environmental impact, particularly when it comes to your company, is to go for a major business component revamp—like transitioning from paper to electronic document management. Read on to learn about the link between document management and a green office.

Paper Loses Purpose
With an electronic document management system, you no longer need to print every piece of information—in most cases, sharing and collaborating is simple and friction-free. You can share, email, review, and even sign digital documents in a centralized system. Document management eliminates the need to print separate copies for every department; you can all work from one central, up-to-date file.

Raw Material Madness
You’d be astounded at the amount of raw material you conserve when you move to digital document management. Less printing means less toner used and fewer cartridges manufactured. When you consider that manufacturing a single toner cartridge requires three liters of oil, it’s clear that curbing your printing habits can have a major impact. Your local landfill will thank you, too.

Storage Strategies
Document management can completely transform how you deal with documents once they’re out of primary circulation. It’s true that compliance regulations necessitate some hardcopy files, but it’s important to examine how much of what you’re printing and storing is actually required. Instead of dozens of cabinets filled with paper files (the vast majority of which will never be accessed again), you can store your documents on a tiny hard drive.

Poisonous Power
Until we’re running on 100 percent clean and renewable energy, more office equipment means faster draining of limited resources and the release of toxic pollutants. When you manage your documents digitally, you can cut back on the machinery required to run an office smoothly. Cut back on wattage by eliminating printers, reducing copiers, and consolidating multiple devices—like printers, scanners, copiers, and faxes—into a single machine. You will use less power to keep your office humming and will need less energy to control your climate.

Document management is a powerful way to improve your company’s green credentials and lessen your impact on the environment. To learn more about the big benefits of document management, contact Infomax today.

What to Look for in a Managed Services Provider

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It’s important to work with technology partners who can manage your services efficiently and effectively. You must find a provider that is trustworthy, reliable, and able to meet your company’s specific needs. When looking for a managed services provider to partner with, here are a few important considerations for your search.

● Reputation — Talk to companies similar to yours and read reviews for potential partners. Ask to speak with a current customer for a reference.
● Goal Orientation — Look for a provider focused on impact, not the status quo. You want a partner that’s actively looking to improve performance, boost productivity, and lower costs.
● Analysis — Your provider should be data-hungry, offering dashboards, reports, and analysis of cost and performance.
● Workflow Expertise — Look for experience and expertise in managing and optimizing systems. You want a partner who can bring something extra to the table.
● Growth Potential — This isn’t a one-time encounter, it’s a long-term relationship. Will your partner be able to help you grow, change, and adapt in the future?
● Security — Your partner should be well-versed in encryption, access controls, role-based permissions, and monitoring.
● Vendor Neutrality — Your partner should support and service any and all brands you work with. A vendor-neutral partner will look for the best solutions for your business, not just the ones they sell.
● Integration — Make sure your partner supports any third-party apps, services, or tools you utilize.
● Clear SLA — You should have a good understanding of your service terms and responsibilities (including performance, response time, and uptime). Make sure there’s an exit clause should things not work out.
● Cost Clarity — Service partnerships are typically custom solutions designed to meet your specific needs, so your capacity, quality, services, and workload will all impact the bottom line. Understand your costs and how they change as your needs change.

When searching for a new partner in managed services, carefully consider your options and the capabilities of potential partners. You’re building a long-term relationship, so find a partner that has the skills and expertise to meet your needs and help you reach your goals. For document management, information technology, and print services, contact Infomax Office Systems today.

4 Document Management Best Practices

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Document management is a powerful tool for removing excessive paper handling from your organization’s workflows. By keeping in mind the following best practices, you’ll reap the maximum benefit from your document management system.

1. Prioritize system automation  
Take a moment to look at your current operations and determine where you want to invest your time and energy. Is the productivity of one specific department at the top of the list? Or are client-facing processes your priority? Consider a customer service document search that currently takes up to 48 hours; utilizing digital document management for that process can change your business’ response time from days to minutes. Focus your automation efforts on the area or tasks that will make the biggest impact and go from there.

2. Rethink paper-based workflows 
When moving to digital document management, rethink your approach to the paper-based processes involved. With document automation, rules and algorithms can do much of the work that used to require human management. So, as you transition to document management, do more than just replicate your paper-based processes—redesign them. With some strategic thinking, document management software can transform your business workflows.

3. Index data strategically    
Indexing is about capturing the document information that your users and programs will interface with—keywords, client names, dates, and more. When selecting document data to index, make it practical and useful. How will your end users be looking up the document? Choose fields that frame documents in ways that make the most sense for your business, and you’ll avoid bogging down the indexing process.

4. Track key metrics 
This is a tree-falling-in-the-forest issue—you’ll only know how well document management is working for your business if you track the numbers. Understand what your goals are for digital document management, establish baselines with your current system, and track your progress toward these goals. With regular data reviews, you’ll learn exactly how much time is being saved by automating a given process, and whether or not you have further streamlining to do.

Document management can be transformative for your business, so be sure to follow these best practices to get the most out of your system. To learn more about document management, or for help optimizing your existing system, contact Infomax Office Systems today.

Document Management Can Help Green Your Business

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In the search for sustainability, it can often feel as though we have to choose between the planet and profits. Fortunately, new technologies are making environmentally friendly choices both smart and cost-effective. Document management is a perfect alignment of efficient technology and good corporate citizenship.

Whether the data you manage starts as digital assets or are scanned from paper originals, document management is about using software for the storage, searching, sharing, and tracking of business information.

Read on for a few ways document management systems can help your business go green while saving green.

Reduce printing needs – By going digital, your use of consumables like paper and toner can drop dramatically. Digital forms and customized routing of electronic documents eliminate the need for burdensome duplicate and triplicate forms and prevent the need for copies of copies for sharing purposes.  Document management can also reduce your carbon footprint and printing budget with the implementation of page caps for individual team members, ensuring your business is always printing smart.

Eliminate storage expenses – With document management, piles of paper are turned into streams of ones and zeroes—the language of computers. Instead of filling costly office space with rows of file cabinets, digital documents can be saved on DVD-ROMs, servers, and hard drives, using a tiny fraction of the space needed for physical documents. How would that space better serve your business once all those old paper files are shredded and recycled?

Improve access efficiency – Digital documents can be indexed and searched right from your desktop. This improved efficiency saves your business money, as your employees can easily access files that once took them hours to find in filing cabinets. You can retrieve records from a designated date range, pull up the order history for a specific vendor, and even search the content of documents for keywords. A well-designed document management system makes accessing your data fast and intuitive, whether it’s for daily customer service or infrequent archive searches. This improved productivity means you’ll be going green while saving green—it doesn’t get much better than that!

Document management is a smart and easy way to green your business. It’s kinder to the environment, faster for your staff, and better for your bottom line.

Contact us today to learn more about document management solutions and how Infomax can help you implement this green strategy.