If you’ve made the decision to implement a Document Management Software (DMS) system for your business, you understand that it is essential for streamlining processes, improving operational efficiency, and safeguarding sensitive documents. A well-implemented DMS enhances workflow by allowing employees to quickly find, manage, and share documents securely. Here are six actionable tips that can help you maximize the effectiveness of your DMS, ensuring you’re getting the most out of your investment.
Tip 1: Organize Your Documents with Consistency
Consistent document organization is key to improving document retrieval and management. A well-organized system ensures that files are easy to find, reducing wasted time and effort. Some best practices for document organization include:
- Using consistent naming conventions: Optix by Mindwrap includes an auto-naming feature that standardizes file names based on document type, creation date, and other criteria. This saves time and ensures uniformity across users.
- Tagging documents using familiar terminology for efficient search and retrieval: In a traditional complex folder structure, there can be endless folders within folders. Documents can get misplaced, and finding the right document can be very time consuming. Your DMS replaces folders with a tagging system for a flat file view, allowing quick filtering to find what you need. Each business can customize their own tagging system, similar to how they would organize a traditional file cabinet.
If you are an HR manager whose company employs hundreds of employees, for example, in a traditional file cabinet you may organize files by employee ID, last name, location, etc. In your DMS, the tags you use should include this same familiar terminology. Below is an example of tags that may be required to store an HR document within Optix.
Tip 2: Train Your Team & Create DMS Champions
A DMS is only as effective as the people using it. Employee training may seem like an intuitive tip, however, many companies only put great effort behind initial training upon DMS company rollout. Even so, after that initial training, knowledge can get lost, especially if roles change or employees leave. Regular employee training on DMS features and best practices ensures that users can utilize the system to its full potential.
One tip for ensuring that knowledge gets transferred as employees come and go is by establishing a few internal DMS champions within the company. These champions can help onboard new employees and ensure that best practices are followed.
Tip 3: Leverage Search Functionality
One of the most powerful features of a DMS is its ability to search for specific documents quickly. Rather than relying on full-text search, which can overwhelm users with too many irrelevant results or not display the file you’re looking for if those exact search terms aren’t used within the document, document management softwares use tags and indexed fields to constrain searches and deliver more precise results.
Let’s think back to HR employee tags used in our previous example. Once the document has been tagged and stored within the DMS, users can now search using those tags. For example, if the HR manager knows the employee’s last name, they can use that as search criteria. There may be more than one employee with that last name, so the HR manager could add a start date to the search. The HR manager has now quickly located the correct employee document without having to sift through folders.
Tip 4: Automate Routine Processes
Automating routine tasks in your DMS saves time, reduces errors and ensures processes are followed every step of the way. Businesses can automate processes such as work distribution, document approvals, and notification for past-due work.
Here are some tips on how to implement a successful workflow automation project:
- Designate a singular process owner who has authority to change the workflow.
- Determine the primary objective of your automation project as well as the respective owner requirements, including what they want and need from automation.
- Gather information about how the workflow will affect individuals or different departments.
- Diagram the workflow.
- Measure the current process by including relevant metrics to establish a baseline, such as the labor time to complete a task.
- Test your automation through all possible sequences to ensure the workflow is meeting expectations.
- After going live with the workflow, monitor it for any issues.
- Measure your automated workflow process. If the baseline was accurately measured, the business can yield results such as the ROI improvement and labor savings after automation.
- Make any necessary adjustments.
Tip 5: Implement Role-Based Access Controls
Role-based access controls (RBAC) are crucial for maintaining security and ensuring that only authorized personnel can access sensitive documents. This reduces the risk of data breaches and ensures compliance with regulations.
When configuring your DMS, assign permissions based on user roles and responsibilities. For instance, HR documents should only be accessible by HR personnel, while sensitive financial information may be restricted to certain leadership roles.
Tip 6: Utilize Your DMS to Its Full Capability
Many companies implement DMS to solve a specific problem but fail to realize its potential across other departments or the company as a whole. A DMS like Optix can be utilized beyond document organization and used to automate processes across HR, accounting, and even warehouses. Optix also has document scanning features and can integrate with your legacy technology. Take the time to explore how your DMS can solve additional challenges throughout your organization.
Maximize the Value of Your DMS
To fully maximize the value of your DMS, implement consistent document organization, train your team regularly, leverage search functionality, automate routine processes, enforce role-based access controls, and expand your DMS usage across the company. By following these tips, you can significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your document management system.
Optix by Mindwrap can help optimize your document management processes and maximize efficiency across your organization. To learn more about how Optix can transform your work, request a demo.
