How to Create a Document Management System for Small Businesses?

In simpler words, Document Management is the process of how information is shared, organized, and stored in a company. A good document management system ensures that all the files and documents are stored in an appropriate manner, which makes it essential for all the companies’ be-it large, medium, or small businesses.

For proper working and operations, your company’s document management needs to be effective and up to date. All companies want to store their documents in an organized manner with high security and be able to access theses documents easily and in no time. There are a lot of solutions for document management ranging from physical solutions to digital and software.

A Quick Guide on Creating a Document Management System for a Small Business

Regardless you create your own system or outsource records management, a company’s document management system needs to be effective and smooth. The following important areas should be considered when you are planning to get a document management system for your office.

Create an Initial Plan

The foremost area that needs your attention is to create an initial document management plan for the company according to your needs. For this, you need to take a closer look at all your documents and its types that your business handles daily. For example, how are your documents created and stored? Do the employees use a common filing method and how much time it requires to retrieve a file?

Similarly, you also need to consider different types of documents that are being shared and through what channel. For example, how many people need to be given authorized access to the management system where confidential data and files are secured? It will help you ensure the security of your sensitive files and facilitate compliance with all the rules and regulations.

After working out these details and creating initial plan, you can work towards implementing your document management system.

Storing Documents

Document storage has two aspects; the physical storage of the documents and the archive. The first aspect of physical storage involves a lot of factors like storage, the time required, etc. Physical storage comes with a lot of costs like an offsite storage facility and the time spent by your employees in filing or retrieving physical documents. For small businesses, this loss in productivity is costly.

The second aspect is the document archives. How will the company archive documents? For example, when it comes to digital files, you can easily organize them and delete the old files and create folders for new documents. When it comes to physical documents, the main idea is how to deal with outdated files in the document management system. There are a lot of solutions as provided by xerox Dubai, which offers automatic filing and archiving old documents.

Document Retrieval System

One of the major aspects of a document management system is how to make document retrieval more simplified. Time wasted looking for important files or documents has a very high cost. However, a good archiving system in place can help you avoid this problem and save time. For example, if all the employees follow strict guidelines regarding names and categories of the files, it will be much easier to find.

When creating a document management system, make sure to create a list of files and their location on the system. Make sure to include the specific location of documents and whether the file is on the computer system, internal server, etc. Similarly, shared folders on the cloud should also be labeled according to the documents and content.

Document Security

The first step to ensure document safety is to physically protect the company assets and facility. There should be a security system installed even at home offices. There should also be general security procedures for all the electronic devices and the document management system. Ask your employees to regularly back up their documents on the system and hard drives. 

Also, consider storing documents offsite for protecting data from any mishap. Similarly, consider restricting network access to a few users and make sure all important documents are password protected. A good document management system will offer data security and protection. You can also consult xerox Dubai to find the right document management solution for your company.

Running your Document Management System

Once you have set up your document management system, your entire office team will follow the same process for creating, storing, and retrieving essential documents daily. Once your entire system is up and running, don’t mistake that everything is done. No. Your document management system needs regular checks to identify potential issues and checking the workflow. Make sure to educate your employees about the detailed working of the system for its successful implementation.

Similarly, you need to ensure that everyone at the company is following a universal rule regarding storing and creating documents. Even a small mistake or carelessness can throw off the entire document management system.