First, please take note that we used the word “file” and not “document” in this blog title. It’s true that less orders, correspondence, contracts, etc. are being memorialized on paper or a “document”. However, there is still a “file” being created that looks just like the paper document only its PDF or JPG. That PDF receipt is a document and is the buyer’s proof of the transaction so they want it.
The receipt gets emailed to you (system #1) but then you forward it to an accounts payable system for processing (system #2). Later, that same file is sent to a co-worker who had a question about it. Maybe that was sent as an attachment in an instant messenger system like Slack (system #3). Or that file was pushed out to Box as…
Optimism sends a good message
We recently sponsored and exhibited at two technology focused trade shows. As most companies participating in these shows know, it’s a good way to see existing clients and to meet new prospects. But its also a good way to stay informed about industry advancements and news, however optimistic. There can be lots of very optimistic talk and presentations in the tech community.
Here’s the thing, however optimistic some people or companies might be, some of those plans and ideas probably make good sense and will someday become the standard. Of the current crop of hot technology topics, such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, bots and robots, we are optimistic about…
Yes, we are optimistic about some of these technologies, namely AI and bots. A bot is essentially a digital assistant. You’ve…
Don’t forget to lock the front door
Information security continues to be an important topic even if there haven’t been any newsworthy breaches recently. That could be due to the nature of proper security, which involves continual effort and therefore top of mind. Annual penetration tests, monthly vulnerability scans, scheduled password resets and authentication of new devices are a few recommended policies to stay secure.
Security was much easier when the ability to share was more difficult and the potential for inadvertent release was much lower. Back when paper documents ruled the world, locked file cabinets or a managed file room with in/out tracking satisfied the requirements. With digital documents, your systems need to be hardened and so do your users. Data can leak through the back door or the front door.
System hardening, as mentioned above, involves policies and procedures that help…
Tag and push is not a playground game
Companies, large and small, have procedures or rules that employees are supposed to follow to complete certain tasks. Each company determines the most efficient methods or methods that meet regulatory or compliance requirements. These rules can be written in a manual, part of a checklist or built into software applications.
Rules incorporated into the code of software applications are relatively easy to build and highly effective. One of the most difficult procedures to successfully implement, however, is document archiving. When is a document the final final version and where should it be archived? Making this decision and process easy should be every companies goal, but where to begin?
The first step is to make sure you simplify and standardize the archive hierarchy. Consolidate the silos of documents into one, organized repository. This should be separate and…
I admit, machines are smarter than me
Machines are smarter than me, at least after some smart people have told it what to think and since it is continually trained to get smarter. Maybe that computer really isn’t smarter than me, but it certainly has a better memory. In the context of our current lives, that translates into not forgetting passwords and never forgetting where I saved that file on the network.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are all the rage in most industries, including the document management industry. There is a convergence of systems offering auto-classification and indexing of your files. Tagging the file with information that someone can use to find it later and dropping the file in some deep folder structure and forgetting where that was might go away. That seems like a smart approach…
Support your local decision maker
Hard as we all try, we are human and we make mistakes. When these mistakes take the form of data entry errors, it can range from being an annoyance all the way to a full-fledged disaster. Products get shipped to the wrong address, billing errors occur, critical dates are missed and so on.
Data entry into a “system”; an accounting system, CRM, ERP or any type of database or spreadsheet, feeds information to many users. Therefore, it is important to do whatever it takes to ensure accurate information is captured and the wrong information is not magnified across many decision makers. Here are some simple methods to support those decision makers and help them avoid costly mistakes.
Where possible, you can require double entry of key information and the entries must match to confirm. This is…
And the answer is…
Here’s a situation that is probably familiar to many. The company you work for has a database or some type of online application that contains information on your customers; CRM, accounting system, ERP, etc. The customer calls and has a question. It appears that some information was entered into the “system” but from experience, you know to double check.
The double check usually involves pulling up the original documentation. This lack of trust is not entirely unfounded nor irrational. There are many unintentional mistakes made when doing data input or possibly mis-interpretation of terms. What is the best way to ensure your employees always find out what the real answer is?
Steps in the right direction
Here are some tips for getting your company or personal electronic files and documents better organized in 2019. These tips will really make life easier if you are currently storing your company files and documents on a network drive or you use a document management system but never really configured it for your business.
- If you have a document management system, don’t let files and documents get uploaded without a minimum amount of meta data (descriptions) being associated with each file. This goes for folder based systems as well where users just drop files into the folders. For instance, have all client folders auto-generated based on a list from your accounting system or all prospect folders auto-generated from your CRM. Don’t let users create their…
We feel guilty about tiny workspaces
The open office concept is all the rage, both at work and on Wall Street. It is not only being executed in corporate offices but there is a booming industry of shared office space startups that take open office to a whole new level. These spaces do have some intriguing features like comfortable common areas to gather and in the case of shared office spaces like WeWork, beer on tap.
However, we have also seen the demoralizingly small workspaces at some companies and we hear the grumblings of workers about a lack of privacy and inability to focus. We are not owners of office buildings, nor space designers. We are, however, somewhat responsible for this phenomenon because we provide the tools that have enabled this to happen – workflow…
Try doing less, it really works
It is usually with good intentions that a project is tackled with extreme attention to detail. Every possible variation of input and output are considered and analyzed. Focus groups are put together to gather information from all interested parties. The process is time consuming but can result in some good data being gathered and a successful project outcome. It is the right way to do things.
Now the hard part is trying determine how users will find that data if they need it again. The data that was gathered may have dug up some minutia but also large sets of data that will be used every day. The trick is to provide the everyday user with the ability to find information in a few clicks…