Explanation of User Experience Features of Document Management Systems

After installing a document management system (DMS), you want to enjoy every minute using it. This means that accessing, sharing, and other file management operations should be seamless. So here is the explanation of the main user experience features of a DMS.

• Drag & Drop

To make using document management systems easy, your staff should be able to add more documents to the system easily. Drag and drop is a user experience feature that allows you to simply add the document into the DMS repository. You simply need to have the document in a place such as desktop of my documents of your computer. Then, using your mouse, drag it and drop to the targeted point.

• Gamification

Gamification borrows from video games where teams handle virtual challenges and contests together. Gamification is used by adding features that encourage and promote collaborations when working on documents. Individually, you can work on a good document, but when you collaborate as a team, the results will be more awe-inspiring. Gamification can be applied in many parts and components of document management systems, including chats, emails, sharing, among others. You could even set rewards for good team players.

• Document Automation/Assembly

This is a design of organization workflows for creating electronic documents. It can be a logic-based system that utilizes segments of pre-defined data to define new documents. With automated document automation, your organization can enjoy the following benefits:

1. Minimized data entry.
2. Reducing the time needed to proofread documents.
3. Reducing human error related risks.
4. Helps to save time and cost from reduced paper handling.

• Search

Any document management system should come with simplified search capabilities. Search helps employees to easily identify individual records, whether for read-only purposes or other actions.

• Customer Service

Like other types of solfware, it is not uncommon to have issues develop when using the system. Customer service is provided by the software developer to provide help to users in case they get stuck or do not understand a component of DMS.

• Onboarding Features

Onboarding are features designed to help new document management system users get used to it. These may include guides, tutorials, and videos showing how to use various components. Even other users can refer to onboarding features to learn how to use features they are unfamiliar with.

• User Interface Customization

Just like an email, the document management system’s user interface allows for customization. This means you can set the UI to optimize your work. For example, a customer care staff can bookmark the search portal that she uses most of the time to pull documents and answer clients’ questions.

• Supports multiple languages

Having multiple language capability is crucial when dealing with people from diverse backgrounds. For example, if your enterprise is in tourism and handles data or deals with clients from various nationalities, it is prudent to have a system that allows users to select the preferred language. Make sure to set the languages based on targeted users.

• Bulk Document Upload

Bulk document upload is used when you have many documents to add to the document management system. By using this feature, you use less time to upload the documents into the system.

• Document content and meta data search

Document content and meta data search are used to identify stored documents based on the information they contain. The common method used for document content and meta data search is meta tags and descriptions.

Explanation of Document Processing Features of Document Management Systems

Document management systems (DMS) is a software-based solution that simplifies capturing, storing, retrieving and security of documents. You will never again have to take hours searching for a document or risk losing them. To help grasp the applications of DMS and select the best for your organization, here are the key features and how they operate.

• Version Management

Version management, also known as version control feature is designed to help track and control changes to related entries in a DMS. It is one of the most used source codes for tracing and controlling changes made in DMS.

• File-Type Conversion

As the name suggests, this feature is used for converting files to different formats. If that document stored in the DMS is in .dox format, you can easily convert it to other desirable formats such as PDF or .doc, among others.

• Universal Format Support

This is a file format that was designed by the Structural Dynamics Research Corporation (SDC) for standardizing transfer of data, especially between computer-aided test (CAT) software and computer aided design (CAD) software.

• Workflow Individualization

Workflow individualization is a feature used to streamline components of specific office systems by removing unnecessary tasks while automating the remaining ones. It is preferred in DMS for creating a single environment for managing complexities of multiple office automation.

• Workflow Automation

Workflow automation feature is the design, implementation, and automation of organization based on pre-defined rules.

• Document Input (Scanner, Mail, Manual, Upload)

To use any document management system, the first step is capturing them. The document input is used to add your documents to the DMS. Some of the methods used for document input include scanner, mail, direct upload, and manual addition.

• Document Storage

Once your data is captured in a document management system, it needs to be stored securely. Storage includes managing these documents, where they are kept, and hierarchical migration.

• Document Archiving

This is a process where documents in a DMS are kept over long periods. Some of the reasons for archiving might be legal compliance or when information in documents is likely to be used again.

• Process Management

This feature is used for managing how you store, manage, and track the documents stored in the electronic format.

• Optical Character Recognition

This feature is used for recognizing and converting handwritten, typep, or printed text into machine-encoded texts.

• Indexing

This feature is used for associating the information with a specific file for searching and retrieval purposes.

• Revise Documents

This feature is used to allow authorized people to access and revise documents in a management system using inbuilt documents editors.

• Inbuilt Document Editors

This is one of the most important features in a DMS because it allows modifying documents by editing their content.

• Online Forms / Forms Management

This feature used for managing distributing, completing, and processing forms in a paperless manner. An office in your organization can approve a document and pass the form to the next stage for further action in an electronic form.

• Electronic Signature 

An electronic signature is a feature used in document management to allow you to digitally sign documents.

Explanation of Availability Features of Document Management Systems

Any good document management system should make it easy for staff in your organization to access different documents. If you have teams working from different locations, they should be able to access the documents and run different tasks. So, which are the different availability features in document management systems?

• Offline Access

As the mane suggests, offline access means that you can access documents when not connected to the internet or without WiFi connection. The method is mainly preferred because it allows you to work without worrying of data loss in case of network failure. Further, the risk of file integrity is low because you are not operating on the internet.

• Own cloud / On Premise (Opposite of Cloud)

If you have a small organization or do not have branches in different locations, own cloud or on premise document storage and access would be preferable. When using own cloud, you can give different employees varying levels of permissions. For example, some such as customer care support staff can be given access only while other at the higher managerial level can be allowed to change the documents.

• Reduced Physical Storage

Your company handles a lot of documents every day, from invoices to staff records. If you pool all the documents together for a couple of moths and then years, storing those documents can be herculean. Online storage, such as cloud, is preferred for helping to reduce physical storage.

When selecting a document management system, it is advisable to go for the model that offers optimal storage space. It should also have a system increasing storage if the need to store more documents arises.

• Cloud Access

Cloud document storage and access is considered the ideal solution for document management systems. It is particularly recommended for organizations that need access to documents via multiple locations. For example, if your organization has branches in New York, New Jersey, and Miami, Cloud Access makes it easy for all members to operate in harmony. For example, you can share, edit, and work on documents in real-time, just like people who are in the same office. Cloud access comes with unique benefits, including:

1. Easier collaboration between teams.
2. Faster scalability.
3. Synchronization is simpler.
4. Document access is easy and cheap.

• Remote Document Access

Remote file access is pretty what the name suggests: being able to access, share, and work on files from anywhere. The system uses the internet to make files accessible to users with the internet on their laptops, desktops, and smartphones.

Some of the most popular remote document access includes the use of virtual private networks (VPNs). VPNs are preferred because they help to provide employees privacy when working online. Other methods of remote document access include desktop sharing, privileged access management, and vendor privileged access management.

When selecting a document management system, it is prudent to think about the documents availability and access. Go for the system that allows you to store more documents and also makes access, whether offline or remotely, easy.

Explanation of Collaboration Features of Document Management Systems

One of the goals of installing document management systems is to make collaboration between different people in an organization seamless. The following are common features that are used for collaboration.

• Forward, Move, Share Documents

When working on active documents that need action from different people in an organization, each needs to have his/her turn with them. For example, a tender document might originate from the general manager’s office, but require input and approvals from accounts, legal, and chief executive officer’s offices. To make this seamless, there are three features that can be used for collaboration:

1. Forward or Move documents: This means pushing the documents that you have worked on to the next office. You can forward it to one person of multiple persons in the organization.
2. Share documents: Another method of collaboration is sharing the documents with the targeted persons. This method is preferred because several people can work on the same document simultaneously.

• Collaboration / Chat

Collaboration is a continuous process, right? So when you work on a tender document for supplies of the production unit and the accounts office want a clarification, the person in charge does not have to send back the document. Instead, he can use the collaboration features on the document management system to engage with different parties.

The collaboration tools such as chat allow for instant communication between different officers in an organization. Notably, the chat is not just used when working on documents, but also for wider consultations on other areas. See, no need to leave your office to talk to other officers. You could even chat with different people in the organization.

• Task Management

When you are working in an organization, success can only be possible if you are properly organized. One of the best methods of achieving this is using the document management system to manage your tasks.

Depending on the DMS you have, it might be possible to schedule your work for more effective management. For example, you can queue the documents to work on in order of priority. You can also set the DMS to send signals when a document is taking too long in our stage.

• Time Tracking

When running an organization, everything is set to run in a specific manner. For example, documents that are worked on every day have to originate somewhere and then flow through different departments getting approved or changed. This is achieved using time tracking feature. For an organization that is dealing with different documents, from invoices to applications, the management needs to be able to know where they have reached.

If a supplier calls enquiring whether the invoice has been cleared, the customer support will be able to check on DMS using time tracking and say it has reached the accounts office and could be cleared in the next couple of days.

Another use of time tracking is checking how documents are flowing to gauge the effectiveness of different employees. This means it is an important tool for evaluation to gauge the overall productivity of staff.

No matter the type of document management system that you use, it is prudent to ensure it has strong collaboration features, including the time tracking, task management, chat, and document sharing.

Explanation of Compliance Features of Document Management Systems

One of the benefits of using document management systems is helping organizations to comply with law. For example, regulatory regimes like Sarbanes Oxley and HIPAA are very strict on data handling. So here are some of the features for compliance when using document management systems.

• Tracking Compliance

Tracking compliance feature in a document management system is used for tracking and managing documents. The focus is on keeping track of records of different versions of documents, including the modifications. For example, when you buy a used car, it is easy to track all the people who had bought and sold the vehicle using the documents in the registry. Tracking compliance is critical, especially when dealing with some industries such as health, transport, and security.

• DSGVO Compliant

DSGVO (General Data Protection Regulation) is another compliance feature relating to data privacy. DSGVO is a data protection law that applies to any data that is collected from clients anywhere in the globe. The law provides citizens control on their personal data so that it cannot be used without their consent.

The DSGVO feature is used to ensure your organization engages in lawful and transparent processing, does not process data outside its legitimate purpose, and the details are correct. This might include the need for correction, deletion, and transfers of personal data. The feature also helps to ensure personal data is only used with consent and also records every data breach.

• Compliant document retention

If you are in the health, legal, or financial industries, having compliant document retention is very important. This feature is used to address the ever-looming identity theft and helps you to comply with the following laws:

1. HIPAA was passed in 1996 and is used to regulate personal health details. It requires every organization to install in place systems to protect patients’ records.
2. FACTA (the Fairness and Accurate Credit Transaction Act) is a legal requirement for all businesses that require them to shred personal details before throwing them away.
3. Red Flag law is used together with FACTA to assist in identifying and curbing identity theft.
4. GRAMM LEACH BLILEY ACT was passed in 1999 and requires businesses in the financial niche to give their clients written privacy notices that detail their info-sharing practices.

The compliant document retention feature is so important because it can help your organization avoid incurring hefty fines for non-compliance to the above laws.

• Archive Documents

Depending on the industry that your business is operating in, archiving documents might be necessary. For example, in the financial and legal niches, the law clearly defines how you should store the documents. Using the archive documents, you can easily comply with different laws on how to keep store an accumulation of historical records. For example, what records about your employees do you maintain in the organization’s lifetime?

Before starting an organization, it is important to think about compliance with different laws. Using the right document management system with the above features is one of the best ways to operate legally and avoid conflict with the law.

Explanation of Security Features of Document Management Systems

One thing you must get right when working with document management systems (DMS) is security. You want the assurance that all documents will be safe all the time. To achieve this, here are the main security features of a document management system.

• Simple Updating Process

To keep your system secure, one of the best simple methods is ensuring you have the latest updates. Updates come with the latest security components that help to keep your system secure. A simple updating process should allow users to simply update to get the latest version of the DMS.

• Data rescue

Data rescue is a feature used for recovering data in the vent of a loss. This feature is very important for recovering documents that might have been deleted accidentally. Therefore, you can always relax knowing that no document, including those deleted from the system is out of reach.

• Automated Backups

Automated backups are used in document management systems to ensure you will never forget to update the system. You can set the system always to check when new updates are available or to update at a specific time of the day, week, or month.

• Document Security

Document security is a method of storing and backing documents, and preventing undetected access, alteration, or use by unauthorized people. To achieve this, the documents can be converted to read-only modes or access limited to specific people.

• User Access Management / Permissions

In any organization, different people have varying roles in daily operations. User access management is used to enhance the security of the documents by ensuring that only a few people are allowed to access documents. This access can further be broken into two. One, the system can provide permission to specific staff to simply access the documents. For example, a customer support staff might be given permission to simply access and read the information in a company’s document management system.

The second type of permission is where staff is allowed to access and edit documents. This type of permission is crucial, especially when you have documents that originate from one point and require modification along the way. A good example is a tender document that might require input from the accounts office, operations department, and CEO’s office.

• Supports SSL

Today, there is no denying that online operations put data into serious risk. But the security of the documents will be greatly enhanced if the document management system supports SSL (secure sockets layer). This is a standard security technology that creates an encrypted link between a server and client.

• Reporting / Analytics

Reporting and analytics are intelligent features that are designed to note actions, threats, or malicious codes in your system. Then, they report immediately so that the management can act immediately to address it. For example, if the system detects a hacker trying to get unauthorized access, it will notify the management.

The analytics is also used for analyzing the document management system for security lapses. This means that you can easily analyze the security system of your documents management system with a view of identifying gaps or improving it. It might also be useful for decision making: is it time to look for a better document management system?