Virtuoso Partners Article
The cloud is no longer some unknown entity hanging above us. It’s now an integral part of how we manage our businesses and our lives on a day to day basis. With employees no longer tied to their desks, remote workers on the increase and the average person using 3 or more connected devices across their work and personal lives, there aren’t many people who aren’t connected to the cloud. And while this technology has helped us make huge advances in the way we work, it’s also presented some challenges in terms of document management, Documentation can now be found everywhere, both in paper and digital form, and if businesses don’t keep close track of it, it can be a disaster. But the cloud has a fix for that too – a streamlined electronic document management solution that integrates seamlessly and embraces the true advantages of cloud technology.
Instant Access, From Anywhere Did you know that in a paper-based system, you could spend up to 51 minutes a day searching for the right documents? That might not sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but that adds up to 4.5 hours a week, 17 hours a month and 204 hours a year doing nothing but search for documents. That’s an awful lot of wasted time, and if those delays are happening when you’re trying to handle a query or complaint, or if a salesperson is trying to close a deal, it could cost your customers.
But one of the great things about the cloud is that there is no one place you can access it from. It’s everywhere. That means that keeping on top of your document management doesn’t have to be done from the office. If you’re on the road or working from home, you can still access your electronic document management systems using a secure portal. By storing your data in the cloud, you and your team can find and open the documents they need in seconds, no matter where they are or what device they’re on. Overall, this means less frustration for staff, and better service for your customers. It’s a win-win.
Reduce Your Costs
On the face of it, it’s easy to see how implementing a new IT solution would cost you more than sticking with your trusted filing cabinet, folders and in-trays. And in a lot of cases, you would be right. Bespoke IT solutions usually aren’t cheap, especially if you’re looking for something to fit your exact needs and scale when you need it.
But a cloud-based solution is different. Instead of paying upfront for installation and space, you only pay a low monthly fee for the rental of someone else’s equipment to store your data. Cloud-based document management solutions provide the perfect mix of ‘out of the box’ and ‘bespoke’, giving you all to functionality you need at a fraction of the price of a custom infrastructure build. Plus, thanks to its versatility, it’s possible to get a fully cloud-based document management solution up and running in as little as 15 minutes.
Improve Security Across The Board
Security is a hot topic right now, particularly around confidential data. With GDPR in force and large-scale data breaches happening what feels like every other week, businesses are more and more concerned about how safe their data is. This is one of the reasons that cloud-based document management solutions have become so popular. Not only are they more flexible and cost effective, but they are more secure than their on-premises counterparts – particularly in the event of a disaster. Cloud-based electronic document management allows you to quickly recover your filed when you need them, with the added bonus that only your pre-approved personnel can access them. We understand that businesses data is critical, so our document management solutions are designed to provide more security than open sourced programs and basic document repository software like Google Drive and Dropbox. This helps your company remain compliant with Data Protection laws and enjoy the benefit of added security featured such as secure document sharing and easy to follow audit trails.
More Efficiency With Automated Workflows
One of the biggest advantages electronic document management solutions have over traditional document repositories is the ability to create electronic, automated workflows for everyday tasks. This could be anything from filing documents in the right places, labelling document types to gathering data from documents and putting it into a spreadsheet. By investing in a good document management solution you will gain access to a set of tools which will allow you to automate elements of your day to day workflow. In reality, that means you can free up a lot of your time and energy throughout the day, and focus your time on more efficient tasks. For example, document growth control and management is one of the more challenging parts of a business to manage, since the number of documents just keeps growing and growing. Managing that manually by cross-checking creation dates and physically deleting or shredding documents can take a huge amount of time. But with an electronic document management system, workflow tools would be able to automatically manage the lifecycle of your documentation, archiving or purging them from the system when they reach a certain age (pre-defined by you).
Other common examples are automating email flow. For example, a customer may email to let you know their address has changed. Your easy workflow tools help you to read that email, acknowledge receipt for the customer, update the system with the new address and respond back to the customer letting them know it has been completed, all within a few seconds.
As the world continues to move towards a more digitally focused workforce, the way businesses handle their documentation needs to evolve with it. Accessibility to information from anywhere has never been more important with a large remote workforce, and document automation has the power to enable that, creating a more efficient and secure working model. At Virtuoso Partners, we help business owners understand their needs when it comes to document automation, and create bespoke, cloud-based solutions to address those needs and more.
To find out more or to book a free demo of one of our bespoke solutions, contact one of the team on 0843 289 1054, email us at: sales@virtuoso-partners.io