Enterprise Content Management: 5 Ways to Boost Business Efficiency

Regardless of the industry or size of your organization, there are many reasons why Enterprise Content Management (ECM) software is important to your business. By implementing an ECM  system, you can streamline all of your day-to-day document demands. From efficiency, security and collaboration, smart content management will allow you to improve each, so you can spend less time sorting through documents and more time doing business.

Here are 5 ways ECM software can boost productivity at your organization:

1. Visibility into Daily Processes – Maintain control over your business processes with greater visibility into workflow. With built in workflow analytics, advanced ECM software provides the capability to track the progress of document processing, enabling business owners to have more insight into which departments are struggling, while also increasing effectiveness. Automating document processes instantly boosts productivity while ensuring your business maintains control over content and the actions of working with that content. Furthermore, a complete audit trail of everything related to a document allows business owners to keep track of a document’s lifecycle. You’ll have instant access into who made changes and when. 
2. Intuitive Search and Retrieval – Powerful Enterprise Content Management systems can index documents automatically so that they can be instantly found. Now you aren’t only improving productivity, but also customer service. With instant search functionality, employees can provide better service to customers by answering more questions live. Folder-based filing systems easily fall into chaos as multiple people utilize and shift the order of documents. Having a document management strategy in place will allow you to organize all your files – email, documents, electronic media, etc. – in a way that makes finding them simple and fast. 
3. Scalability for Business Growth – The right ECM software will support your expansion as a company. With extended functionality beyond its default capabilities, your business is never held back. No longer needing to worry about updating processes, content management software will adapt as your needs change. Additionally ECM software offers multiple levels of security, enabling you to control who can access, delete, or edit documents, both internally and externally. Having these security checks in place can help to comply with internal regulations, while setting customers’ minds at ease about the sensitive information they’ve entrusted to you. 
4. Mobile Optimization – Advanced content management software offers mobile optimization, automatically tailoring desktop views of your document database for different devices from laptop to tablet and smartphone. Employees are granted with untethered access to their business documents and workflow functionality, no matter where they are. No snowstorm can stop your employees from getting their work done! Additionally, when users are on site with customers, documents pertaining to the client can be instantly accessed for improved consultations. 
5. Document Sharing and Collaboration – Sending documents to coworkers and clients is an everyday occurrence and sending them via email is fast and simple. However, if a sensitive document is sent or forwarded to the wrong person, there is no “undo” button. Collaborating on documents is another perk of using enterprise content management software. Instead of emailing documents back and forth and trying to keep track of all the edits, notes, and versions, content management software maintains the document in a shared environment so everyone can work on one file. Smart document management software will keep track of all versions of the document in a single place so when you access that document, you can be assured you are working on the correct and latest version.

Enterprise Content Management software allows business users to be in better control over critical documentation, ensuring that both document processes and workflow are streamlined for improved productivity. A strong content management strategy can produce immediate benefits. Learn more today by contacting Square 9 at 203-789-0889.