There are numerous ways to manage your organization’s documents, but this is still a task that companies struggle with every day. The war on document management is rapidly increasing in intensity as — through the use of computers that were supposed to get us to a paperless office environment — companies find themselves with more and more paper to manage all the time.
More than 40 percent of the workforce were born after 1975 and have grown up using computers. In fact, most of them couldn’t comprehend life without a desktop or laptop in today’s society. Because of this, document management systems need to change to keep up with the times and also to help these up and coming employees cope with the rapidly increasing volume of records to keep.
When paperwork is filed using a document indexing software system that can track file and document locations, as well as reduce the stress of losing documents and reorganizing files to make more room, not only would it leave space to file those newly added documents, but filing time would be greatly reduced as well.
With legal requirements that make it mandatory to keep some records for a certain period of time, or forever, older files that exist in paper form are typically archived to take up less space and make room for current files. The best way to maintain those archived files and make them easy to retrieve is with a computerized, indexed document management system that can label files as you specify and allow you to store them anywhere while still providing a way to find them when needed.
If your company chooses the right document management software, there could be a huge rise in productivity, without the need to increase one single hour of staff time, or add one single employee. This is true simply because document indexing can save hundreds or thousands of hours per year in filing and retrieving previously filed documents because of its uniquely smart process.
There are numerous reasons why computerized document indexing is winning the battle in the war on document management, and many benefits from its implementation:
• Staff morale will increase because employees are free to complete the more important tasks assigned to them when they don’t have to spend as much time filing and searching for documents they need.
• Staff members can attend meetings armed with all the pertinent information they need, so educated decisions can be made more readily regarding company procedures.
• And never again will a customer’s questions have to go unanswered because of a misplaced document.
Using an index filing system to manage your company’s documents means that all staff can have access to the same system. Everything can be filed correctly and uniformly so that any employee can locate needed information at any time.
This also eliminates the problem of file duplication and prevents the accidental loss or misfiling of paperwork. Desks remain free from excessive files and it’s much easier to get work done when you’re not buried up to the neck in paper.
You can move files from one location to another easily as well. Simply go into the document management software on your computer and change the location to where you will move your files and then just move the physical file to the new location. It’s that easy. This means you can archive files anytime they’re completed instead of waiting for a “free day” or “when you have the time.”
A computerized document management system can free employees for more incoming work, and allow them to better prioritize their work … a much easier task when they can actually see the tops of their desks!
When you keep a regularly updated, printed master copy of all your files, you never run the risk of losing your file management information either. Even if you have a power failure, you can still complete some work because you can access needed files and staff won’t have to just sit around waiting for the computers to be able to do something.
The document management war will probably last for a while, but introducing an effective and efficient document indexing system like The Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System to your organization, will make life easier for everyone, leaving your employees with more time to focus on growing the company, and taking larger steps toward reaching your corporate goals.
Tags: document management software, paper filing systems, The Paper Tiger 'Finding' Filing System