There is an endless list of all the software you could potentially use to manage your small or medium sized business. It can be easy to get lost in all the options- each one claiming to help your business in some way. You need to ask, “what do I really need to run my business properly?”
Start with the goal in mind. Plan your strategy first and see where all these tools might fit into the mix. In this article, we will break down the various types of software that exist, and focus in on how document technology and specifically business document software for small and medium sized businesses can fulfill many of the essential needs of your business.
What Types of Software Are Common for Small Businesses?
There are several types of software that can prove useful for small businesses, including software that addresses accounting, human resources, scheduling, and document management. Popular accounting software tools include QuickBooks and FreshBooks. Human resources can be streamlined with Zenefits or sumHR. Scheduling can be tackled with Booker and Genbook.
These applications are impressive – but your company may not need to outsource accounting, human resources, or scheduling work. Perhaps the most commonly used software by small businesses is that which addresses small business document management.
What is Business Document Software?
Business document software is, essentially, a document management and output management system that keeps your company’s documents organized and easy to deliver. All businesses need structure to thrive. If you often find yourself faced with hundreds of forms and scores of missing documents, business document software can bail you out.
Document management systems can capture, store, secure, and retrieve important company information on a day-to-day basis. Using document software, you can pool digital and paper files into one location, including text files, spreadsheets, images, presentations, checks, business cards, and more. With document output management, you can easily add dynamic data to documents and deliver those documents to the correct location securely.
What Are the Essential Components of Document Software?
Any advanced document technology software should include a security system, version control, audit trails, an indexing system, a classification system, simultaneous editing capabilities, document storage, a search function, and retrieval/delivery functionality. In other words, it should give you the ability to store, edit, view, and print/deliver your documents whenever you’d like.
What Are the Benefits of Using Document Software?
A strong document management and document output management system can help your company go paperless – lending a helping hand to the environment. There are business bonuses too, including:
- Added Protection
Have you ever worried that your files, presentations, or contracts will land in the wrong hands? With document software, your private papers will remain safe from wandering eyes, protecting by a cloud-based management system that serves as a central location for all documents pertaining to your small or medium business.
- Easy Access and Collaboration
You, and your employees, will be able to access documents from anywhere at any time. No more searching through filing cabinets for extra forms. No more running to the copy room. Instead, collaboration will become effortless.
- Improved Organization
There’s nothing more unprofessional than a business that can’t seem to get organized. When you choose to utilize a document management system, your business organization will improve – seemingly overnight. This will save time and money in the long run.
- Reduced Storage Needs
Using business document software will reduce the need for storage space in your office. Your stored documents aren’t subject to floods, leaks, fires, or other natural disasters. Having trouble with one computer? Just move to another. Your information is stored in the cloud for safekeeping.
- Simplified Regulations
You’ll find it easier to comply to regulations when you choose a sophisticated document management system. Find paperwork with keywords and categories, rather than sifting through boxes of old papers.
How Can Business Document Software Help My Company?
Whether your company is focused on sales, marketing, groceries, souvenirs, or something else entirely, a proper document software system can make a significant difference in the way your small or medium-sized business functions.
Document technology, when tailored correctly to the needs of your company, can help with a number of business operations, including small business printing solutions and employee collaboration. Software also makes it possible to personalize your files for clients and employees alike, eliminating the need for cookie-cutter management.
How Do I Choose the Right Software for My Company?
Choosing the right document technology for your company can be challenging, but not impossible. The following tips should help guide you toward the perfect match:
- Think Simple
Simplicity is the way of the future. Complex systems that bore users and complicate an already bloated process will ultimately prove useless to your company. Choose software that you find easy-to-follow. It may help to ask employees or managers which software they find most appealing in terms of design and usability.
- Consider the Vendor
This choice isn’t based solely on software. You need to think about the vendor you choose to trust with your documents. Any company offering one-size-fits-all solutions at low prices is likely too good to be true. Compare the offerings of the vendor with your list of needs. Insist on speaking with a representative. This will help you gauge how much the vendor values your company.
- Prioritize Integration Capabilities
If you have current business document software, you’ll need a management system that integrates with your current system. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself inundated with management and communication mistakes. Some portions of your system may not work at all. Again, a vendor representative can help you choose the right software for your business.
- Focus on Collaboration
Many business owners choose to invest in business document software because staff members need access to documents that are otherwise difficult to sift through. The right software will allow your employees to catalogue changes, suggest revisions, and save several versions of the same document.
- Ask About Support
If a vendor doesn’t offer adequate support, proceed cautiously. You might not have any questions now – but you could be racing a deadline next time. Make sure you, and your employees, understand the support system of your chosen vendor before integrating the system with your own.
- Make Backup a Requirement
It doesn’t matter if you own a large, medium, or small-sized business. Losing documents and data can cost time, money, and manpower. Make consist backup a requirement for your business document software.
Kevin Fortier
DocPath Freelance Consultant