“Lose your records and you lose your business” – something that you hear from business consultants. Though it may sound a bit harsh, in reality it is the truth. If you value your time and effort that you have invested in your small/medium business then it is high time that you think about introducing an electronic electronic file management strategy for your organization.
As your business grows, the paper work will also accumulate. It then becomes mandatory that you employ someone who is ready to take up the responsibility of manual documentation of important resources such as faxes, invoices, forms and other vital documents. With time, there is a possibility of one hating the paper work; this can lead to misplacing or misfiling of the document(s). If you cannot retrieve the information on time, it is equivalent to losing the data.
Free Document Sharing made easy through Apptivo.
Why Electronic Document Filing is Important for your Organization?
Introducing a document management system for your organization will help increase the overall productivity of your business. Record tracking becomes easier, access privileges can be set for each document, and the same information can be accessed by various departments by individuals and remote employees. This will slowly reduce the usage of paper. Here are a few relevant points that are worth mentioning.
- Filing Flexibility – One of the advantages of electronic document strategy is that the same record/document can be filed under several references such as date, file name or document number. Remember, this is not possible if you are storing files on your computer or filing paper documents.
- Easy Retrieval – When there is flexibility in filing your document, the retrieval of information becomes easier and faster. All you need to do is type the filename or number and the information is there as compared to the traditional paper filing. In an online document system, there is no possibility of loss of data, unless the concerned person with all the privileges erases it from the database.
- Security of the Document Shared – Sensitive documents can be allowed access privileges at folder and/or document level for various groups and individuals. Online document management is more secure compared to traditional paper filing. The reason is reputed electronic document management systems provide an audit trail of who viewed the file and when. If the document is modified, even that will be displayed.
- Document Recovery – electronic filing system has a feature to back-up files. Replacement of lost documents is expensive and very time consuming. In case of any natural disaster, files can be retrieved with ease. Remember, creating back-up paper filing is not only expensive but there is a possibility of redundancy and these can also be vulnerable to accidents such as fire breakout, vandalism and theft.
- Professional Customer Service – The ability to share documents between various departments and individuals will drastically reduce the time required to resolve the customer related queries. You can provide accurate data and information to your customers without keeping them waiting or asking them to call back.
Ultimately, many organizations leverage electronic document filing for the substantial and tangible benefits which it provides. Say goodbye to paperwork and welcome to the era of electronic document filing.
