In the old days businesses relied on filing systems and file cabinets to find the document they were looking for.

Today file cabinets are quickly fading away as more and more companies turn to digital documents. The benefits of digital document clearly outweighs the benefits of old fashion paper documents.

While businesses are quick to make the transition from paper to digital documents, many businesses do not know how to properly manage and access the digital documents. They have the scanners and databases to create and store the documents, but they lack the right type of document management software.

Document management software allows you to easily archive and access digital documents. This type of software improves efficiency and collaboration as people in your business can easily access the digital documents.

Finding the right type of document management software can be a little overwhelming. There are so many document management software providers out there. It can be tough to find the right one for your company.

To help your business find the right software, here are some things to look for in document management software.

Function/Needs

There are tons of different types of software out there to help you manage your documents. The first thing you want to ask yourself is: What are the functions/needs of the documents?

As you know, there are all types of documents, financial, marketing, sales, etc. Figure out what type of documents you will be managing before you purchase any software.

Sales and marketing software will have features that allow you to incorporate documents with your customer relationship management software whereas financial document software will focus more on tax filings, audit trails etc. You may need the financial document software to integrate with financial programs such as QuickBooks.

Sometimes you will need a company to create custom document management software for your business. It all depends on your needs.

Features

Once you have established the functions/needs of the software, you can then explore features. You want to find software with features that benefit the overall productivity of your office.

Here are some questions you should ask any of the document management software providers before purchasing any software:

Can the software use any brand and model of scanner?

This question will help you determine if you have the equipment necessary to get the job done. Sometimes you may have to rent or purchase another scanner.

Can the software organize documents in a way that they can be shared across the company?

This is a very important question to ask. You want everyone in your company to be able to have easy access to the documents. This helps improve productivity.

Can the software support multiple file formats such as PDF, JPEG, Excel and Word files?

Like the previous question, you want software that will allow for easy access. This is especially important if you are sharing documents with clients or business partners. You want to have support for several file formats for easy access.

Can you see who is accessing and changing these documents?

This is another important question to ask. Having an audit trail allows you to see who has accessed and changed digital documents. This is especially important if someone makes changes a sensitive document.