Document Management: A Paperless way towards Productivity
COVID19 has made the world open its eyes in the face of a panic which it wouldn’t have witnessed in the absence of this pandemic. We are shaking hands less and washing hands more. Meetings have gone virtual and signatures have gone digital. Nevertheless, the show must go on. Work scenario has taken a turn since the outbreak, with remote working being the new normal. New tools and practices are being introduced to manage work and productivity well. One such facet is document management without handling physical documents.
Paperless work is being encouraged in the face of the pandemic where touch is an absolute no-go at the moment. The question remains: how to effectively manage productivity through document management? Let’s find out.
# Value addition
The COVID19 scenario has created a work environment wherein any task is rendered fruitless if there is no value addition. While earlier, documents were filed and meetings were held mindlessly, resources are being used in a better and mindful manner now. Thus, documents are only filed physically now unless absolutely important. Otherwise, paperless document management or managing document virtually is the way to be.
New tools and practices that add considerable value to the organisational productivity are being added to the equation.
# Waste minimisation
An increase in productivity is two-fold; value addition and waste minimisation. While value is added via the addition and escalation of newer tools and services, another way of document management which can increase productivity is by minimising the waste generation or minimising the wasteful documentation that has been a norm till now.
If no wasteful document is generated, it will lead to accurate filing processes and increased productivity.
# Safety consideration
This is yet another extremely crucial point. Safety of the employees is an important face in the current scenario, where the virus may spread by mere touch. In the times when most of the organisations are working from home and the rest are trying to restart the business with minimum workforce and maximum precautions, the safety of the personnel is extremely important. A healthy employee is a productive employee; a basic and humane tenet which none workplace should ever ignore. Document management is an important task here. Paperless documentation which is not wasteful or futile in nature will contribute to the employee confidence, thereby increasing productivity. One major reason for this is the fact that when there is no cause to worry about the health, owing to the lack of physical documentation, the employee focus would not waiver from the task. Also, this is a safe form of document management.
Apart from employee safety, documentation safety is another facet to care about while looking into effective tools of paperless document management.
There should be adequate means of password and safety keeping, especially if there are payments involved.
# Enhanced communication
Another aspect to look into while considering maximising productivity via document management is purchasing or creating a system wherein communication is seamless. Documentation can go awry if there is a lack of communication, or worse, miscommunication. Thus, be it a tool or a system, it should be such that there is a scope of effective communication.
Good communication practices contribute towards higher levels of productivity.
# Eco-friendly option
One cannot ignore the environment-friendly aspect of going paperless. In a world where preserving trees is of utmost importance so that we leave behind a green legacy for the upcoming generations, if an organization goes paperless, it’s a huge step on the sustainable path. Creating virtual folders and storing scanned files, using emails instead of written messages and fax, are some of the most basic ways to do it.
Creating copies of virtual files is a better option rather than duplicating it via photo-copies and wasting further paper.
# Space management
Another big advantage that the organizations can avail via going paperless with document management, is by saving up on space. The older the organization, the more the documents. From the registration work, to its subsequent renewal, to further procedures with respect to each and every employee and client; this requires paperwork which can take up a lot of space, often leading to rooms being rented and dedicated for it. The organization can save up on all that space, and instead, bring it on a virtual platform via a good document management system.
A good document management system not only provides a good and protective storage option, but also adequate space management.
What are the paperless forms of document management?
There are numerous tools and services available for effective paperless documentation which contributes favourably towards employee productivity. However, one also needs to know as to what are some of the most popular forms of document management, so as to step towards the right kind of tools and services. Take a look:
# Electronic signature
Perhaps the oldest form of paperless document management, digital signature or e-signature has taken an upward turn during COVID times. It is a way to sign any document from anywhere in the world and is legally binding. A good DS tool should provide you with services such as the facility to add signees and arrange their order of signature, the ability to review signatures, etc.
# Electronic scanners
These eliminate the need for physical scanning and documentation. Portable scanning applications further remove the need for physical machines by using cameras as scanning devices and converting the targeted document into various formats, the most acceptable one being PDF.
What should be the features of a good document management system?
Document management system is imperative in today’s world. Not only to avoid the pandemic panic, but also for a sustainable tomorrow, when we survive this tricky time. A good document management system should have a few necessary features that make it stand out from the rest, and also from other traditional methods of document management. Here are a few:
# Metadata management
A document management system is one that links all the data across the organization in an effective and organized manner. A good example of this is the GCR Smart Management Document System where data is linked in a way that makes research and retrieval optimal and easy.
# Workflow management
A DMS should have a user-configurable engine that automates workflow across the management, in the organization.
# Signing experience
An effective document management system should come enabled with the facility of remote signing via digital signatures. It should also have the option of saving digital signatures, with multiple levels of security to prevent identity or document theft.
# Intuitive search
A very important but often looked-over point is that of providing a search option. While physical documents provide an option of searching in person, you will get lost and frustrated if you apply the same technique while looking for a digital document. An OCR option comes in handy here. Every DMS should have this option.
# Contract management
A new but important feature, contract management is an innovative technique which enables the DMS to remember when a contract is expiring and send in reminders for the same. Imagine the time and energy saved here!
# Notifications
What is a virtual system without enabled notifications. Reminders and other forms of alerts are an important part of any effective DMS.
A good document management system such as the GCR Smart Document Management System should have all the aforementioned features. Lack of any of the above can crash the storage system and hamper the documents.
A good document management system leads towards increased productivity even in the most testing times, with its seamless storage and other important features.
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