If you ever see people placing items they no longer require into large bins, or drive by landfill sites you’re more than likely going to see an old filing cabinet or document storage system. Businesses these days rely on electronic means to store documents as physical filing systems have been replaced through technology advances. Aside from reducing our impact on the environment in regards to cutting down trees, investing in an electronic document management solution comes with a bunch of advantages, especially if it is cloud based.
“I don’t know how you could run a dealership without it” – Paul Davies, Dealer Principal – Melville Holden
The automotive industry, in particular, relies heavily on the use of paper. Whether a business has a focus on new and used vehicle sales, servicing or parts, there is a paper trail with a potential to be reduced and efficiency increased. This is where the advantages of reducing the paper trail speak volumes and as Paul Davies previously mentioned, the difference in implementing a proven solution is a significant step forward in improving business performance.
The first of many benefits is creating a central repository for all your important documents that can be accessed, viewed and shared with colleagues instead of searching through physical folders to find a single document. Those heavy, space consuming and awkward filing cabinets are replaced with an electronic document management solution which can allow you to file documents based on invoice number, order number, customer information, date or even barcode.
If you choose to run an electronic document management solution in the cloud, documents can be automatically backed up meaning in the event of a catastrophe the damage is minimalised. Documents can also be accessed from anywhere at any time which is something we would like to challenge those using a physical storage system to replicate.
The word compliance is no longer associated with spending countless hours of time thinking and locating the relevant documents. Advanced reporting can be used to readily reconcile that required documents have been scanned on a timely basis. The increase in productivity means through storing, indexing and filing documents in an electronic format your business becomes more efficient and most importantly, more profitable. Whilst the automotive industry has much to desire when it comes to paper handling, the benefits of an electronic document management system are applicable to many industries.
The concern for many people is the technology is too advanced or complicated and the retrieval of documents is quite difficult. The truth is, file retrieval is logical and intuitive. Using the DocuSmart Archive electronic document management solution, users can drill down the search through the document hierarchy with the powerful and built-in filters. User security allows the restriction of each user to see only drawers that are specifically assigned to them, with index security allowing even further specific restrictions if required.
We’ve only scratched the surface of the advantages of using a proven electronic document management system. For more information and to increase the efficiency of your business, complete the below contact form.
