Do you ever wonder whether you should invest in a Document Management System (DMS)? A DMS is no longer a luxury, but a must-have in every organisation’s digital transformation. If you want to gain more insights from your data, have data stored in a structured way, and have information easily retrievable, then a DMS is the perfect solution. No more dealing with scattered data or spending hours searching for the right documents!
A Document Management System offers advantages not only in document management but also in teamwork, security, and accessibility. In this blog, we summarise the key benefits of a Document Management System for your organisation.
1. Efficiency and time savings
Let’s start with one of the biggest advantages of a Document Management System: increased efficiency in your workflow. A DMS automates time-consuming tasks such as searching, storing, and sharing documents.
Traditional methods, such as paper archives, outdated folder structures, or working with Excel spreadsheets, are inefficient and often lead to errors or duplicated work. Instead of wasting time searching for documents or handling manual processes, a DMS enables you to quickly and easily retrieve documents using advanced search functions.
With a more efficient workflow, you save a lot of time. A DMS saves an average of 20% of work time that would otherwise be lost searching for the right documents. With a DMS, you manage all documents digitally in one central location, allowing employees to access the necessary information faster. This does not only mean that they can spend their time more productively, but also significantly reduces the frustrating errors that occur with manual tasks.
2. Improved security and accessibility
Data security is a hot topic for many organisations. One advantage of a DMS is that it offers various security features, such as encryption, access management, and audit logs. With a DMS, you can control who has access to certain documents, helping to protect sensitive information. This means that only authorised employees can access specific documents, reducing the risk of data leaks or unauthorised access. The DMS also records who made what changes and when, allowing you to trace the full history of a document. Additionally, documents are centrally stored and automatically backed up, minimising the risk of data loss due to human errors or technical problems.
Another advantage of a DMS is that it automatically helps organisations comply with strict data protection regulations, such as GDPR. By building in audit trails and access control, a DMS keeps document management secure, which is a must for organisations that manage personal data.
3. Cost savings
While implementing a DMS requires an investment, it delivers significant cost savings in the long run. Physical archives take up a lot of space and can be expensive to maintain. By switching to a DMS, a company can save on paper, storage, and management costs. The advantage of a DMS is that by transitioning to a paperless process, organisations can reduce their operational costs by up to 40%. Moreover, digitalization minimises the risk of lost documents, which also saves costs in the long run.
4. Improved teamwork
A DMS provides employees with access to documents anywhere, at any time, as long as they have an internet connection. This is especially beneficial in today’s work environment, where the amount of people that work remotely steadily increases. Are your colleagues working from different locations? Then you are likely familiar with the risk of working with multiple versions of the same document.
The advantage of a DMS is that multiple users can work on documents simultaneously, making workflows smoother and speeding up project completion. Version control prevents multiple versions of the same document from circulating. Teams can easily collaborate on the same documents, with changes being synchronised in real time. This avoids miscommunication and ensures that everyone is always working with the most recent version of a document.
5. Environmentally friendly
Supporting sustainable business practices is another advantage of a DMS. With a DMS, you use less paper, reducing your organisation’s ecological footprint. This aligns with the growing demand for environmentally conscious business practices and upcoming new regulations. A DMS simplifies the digitalization of document flows, contributing to a greener future.
Digitising and organising with a Document Management System
A DMS offers more than just a digital storage solution for your documents. It improves efficiency, enhances security, saves costs, and supports sustainability. The advantage of a DMS is that it’s scalable, meaning it can grow with your organisation without the need for repeated investments in new technologies. Whether you run a small business or a large enterprise, a DMS can be tailored to your specific needs.
At Informed Group, we have the expertise to do just that. We work with you to review your existing technology and identify how we can enhance and optimise it – and make your organisation even more successful. Want to know more about the benefits of a DMS or how a DMS can improve your organisation? Get in touch with our experts today!