Madrid, Jul 13, 2023 – In today’s business world, there is no doubt that document management is essential. Without exceptions. All companies, regardless of their size and industry, handle digital documents and content.
Along with human capital, their documents are their most valuable asset, since they contain all business information and knowledge. That is why many companies have opted for document software to design, store, publish and process electronic documents, whether scanned or digitally created from scratch.
However, changing business requirements have forced Enterprise Content Management solution providers to apply a new comprehensive approach for all processes involving information and documents.
The main objective of this innovative approach is to boost automation through the advancement of new technological solutions and the development of artificial intelligence. This is the quantum leap that needs to be made. This is what will make the difference between winners and losers.
Companies must use artificial intelligence to search and classify. In particular, natural language processing and image recognition help automatically classify documents and extract relevant information. By implementing artificial intelligence techniques such as smart indexing and metadata extraction, the ability to search and retrieve documents can be improved, thus saving time, and enhancing accuracy.
ECM: Automation to save time
The saying goes that time is money, so the evolution of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) softwareinvolves spending less time managing documents. However, document work has become more diversified and sophisticated.
Add to this the fact that increased information is being handled, and the only way to combine the sharp increase in the volume of documents with the need to spend less time managing them manually is through automation. It is vital to reduce user workload while maintaining efficiency and quality levels.
Process automation solutions also allow defining workflows and business rules for content management. This helps automate repetitive tasks, such as document routing and report approval and generation. Automation reduces errors, speeds up work cycles and improves operational efficiency in content management.
Four drivers fuel this need for automation:
- New ways of working: In the wake of the pandemic there is no talk of anything else, the work paradigm has changed and gone are the days when we all went to the office every day. And they are unlikely to come back. In this new context, a high percentage of company workforces are subject to mobility policies.
- Collaboration: In a hybrid environment such as the one caused by the pandemic, all players in the business ecosystem (suppliers, customers, contractors, etc.) must work hand in hand.
- Proliferation of digital content: It is estimated that by 2050 the volume of digital content will increase 50-fold.
- Cloud infrastructure: Most of the content already resides in the cloud.
Three fronts where time is saved with new ECM systems
The evolution of Enterprise Content Management software brings radical improvements over traditional document management that are basically reflected in time savings:
- Time spent manually entering metadata is completely eliminated: Some tasks that were previously performed manually by users can be automated, such as extracting data from the document and using it to identify, describe and differentiate it.
- Time spent classifying documents is not needed: Users no longer have to identify the type of digital asset and save it in its location.
- Less time is wasted searching: Software solutions search for documents and content in the same way as a person would thanks to semantics.
But beyond the automation provided by artificial intelligence and the resulting time and cost savings, there are other ways to solve traditional ECM problems.
Implement cloud-based content management solutions
Cloud computing offers scalable storage and flexible access to documents, facilitating collaboration and real-time information sharing. Cloud-based content management solutions also provide greater security and automatic data backup, reducing maintenance tasks and enabling more agile access to documents from any location and device.
Install electronic record management systems
These systems ensure retention and compliance of business documents and enable retention policies, version control and document auditing. In addition, integration with electronic archiving and compliance tools helps maintain record integrity and meet legal requirements.
Improve user experience
Usability is a key factor for the successful implementation of an ECM system. It is important to use intuitive and customizable user interfaces that facilitate navigation and interaction with documents. Integration with other business applications and systems should also be considered to facilitate seamless access to documents from different work contexts.
Establish policies and best practices
It is advisable to define clear policies on content management and promote good practices across the company. It is also wise to teach employees how to use Enterprise Content Management solutions effectively, promoting compliance with policies and ensuring proper adoption of new technologies.
In conclusion, the evolution of comprehensive document software and ECM systems is not limited to storing, retrieving, and distributing documents, but aims to reduce and optimize users’ manual work and offer global solutions to the most important challenges related to document and information processes.
The crux of the matter lies in applying automation and artificial intelligence to enjoy spectacular time and cost savings. The first step, however, is to accept that it is necessary to implement far-reaching changes and tackle a digital transformation that some companies may be reluctant to undertake due to a lack of knowledge, resources, or trusted partners to accompany them along the way.
About DocPath
DocPath is a leading enterprise document software company that offers its international customers the technology that allows them to complement their ERP and implement advanced Document Output Management, Customer Communications Management and document software pooling processes.
Founded in 1993, DocPath is based in Europe, USA and Latin America and is present with its Solutions in companies around the world. Among its customers there are prestigious banks and top-tier corporations, facilitating the difficult and complex task of designing, generating and distributing their business-critical documents. DocPath keeps a strong commitment to R+D+i, an area to which it allocates a large part of its revenues, and in which lies one of the keys to its success.
For more information, visit: www.docpath.com.
Legal Notice: DocPath is a registered trademark of DocPath Document Solutions. All rights reserved. Other trademarks mentioned herein might be the property of their respective owners.