Creating a Home for Your Information:

Getting the Most from Your ECM Investment

You could compare buying an ECM solution to buying a house. You carefully plan and research the options, evaluate the narrowed down choices, and finally make the purchase. Though it may be "move-in" ready, to get the most from your purchase, it requires maintenance, support, and future upgrades. And as exciting as the process is and vision can be, it can become overwhelming at times.

Though purchasing an ECM solution can dramatically improve your processes, keeping efficiencies high takes attention and resources – including both staff and financial – and good vendor-client relationships. Make sure you're housing your information in a way that will set you up for the future. The article, "SMBs: Solutions for Common Challenges that Will Help Keep Your EDM and Workflow Projects Manageable and On Track," talks about these three key pieces of the process:

Planning — When you're purchasing a home, you not only look at the house, you look at the community you'll live in. Choose an ECM vendor that will not only be there for the purchase but will be there to help when your overworked, or non-existent, IT staff needs a hand. Ask about the customer community – request site visits and inquire about the roles and activities associated with the customer advisory panels. And choose a pricing point and payment method that you can afford – subscription pricing, hosting and upfront purchases all have their benefits.

Implementation — It's time to move in! But before you do, take a look around and see what needs done first. Get the right people trained on using the software so you can get the most out of it. Then evaluate your staff's readiness for the technology, examine your processes for potential efficiencies, consider leveraging existing technologies to expedite work, and TALK TO YOUR PEOPLE about the changes.

Maintenance and Support — It's inevitable that after so long, the window will jam, the floorboards will squeek, the kitchen is going to need remodeled, and what about that addition... Choose a vendor that has not only been around the block a few times, but is going to help you get the most from your investment. Maintenance packages keep your software running smoothly. And a good support team can not only get you started on a system, but guide you through upgrades, adding modules, and improving processes.

Bottom line:

You wouldn't buy a house for your family just because it looked good on the website. Choose your ECM solution on similar merits – a good foundation, supportive community, and a bright future. Read more about it by clicking here.

Talk with us:

If you have questions about getting the most from your investment and how DocFinity can exceed your expectations, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . We’ve been working with companies to manage their documents and files since 1986. We can help.

For more information or to schedule a demonstration, please Contact DocFinity now.