Another year in the record books. It is hard to believe that 2016 is coming to a close, so before we ring in the New Year, let’s take one more look back. We were very fortunate to be honored by FileBound, as their Partner of the Year for our work with their Professional Services team. We also had the opportunity to install new systems, upgrade existing ones and meet a lot of great people. What makes what we do so gratifying is all of the people we get to interact with, day in and day out. And how the technology makes what they do easier, faster, and saved them money.
When I reflect on the systems we have installed and or enhanced, a few things come to mind. First, the majority of our new systems are focused on Accounts Payable workflow. This seems to be the hot application at this moment. This is most likely due to a couple of factors. First, the capture technology is getting better and better. This allows us to more accurately extract information from incoming invoices in an automated fashion. Second, the technology has become more mainstream for small to mid-sized organizations. And finally, the price point has settled to a point where is has become affordable to the masses.
The second trend that I have noticed is, that the vast majority of our clients are expanding the use of their existing system; no one particular application, but rather many creative uses. Everything from Accounts Receivable documents to contracts and agreements to personnel files to capital expense requests to … well you get the picture. The point being is that organizations now understand the tremendous impact that storing information digitally can have. Not only does it save space, but people become more efficient and ultimately it helps relieve employee stress. Ask any company that has gone digital and they will tell you that they could not imagine going back to paper.
Finally, and maybe the most significant thing we have heard is that the use of document management and workflow have become mission critical applications for most of our clients. They simply could not run their company without it. This resonated with us in that our responsibility to our users has changed. We need to provide exceptional support, both in a proactive and reactive fashion. It is our duty to help our clients create a reliable system and to respond quickly when things do not go well.
This brings me to one last point. Enterprise Content Management has the ability to touch virtually all departments within an organization. To realize the full potential of the technology, however, you need to strategically think about the many ways you can use it. Make your ECM strategic discussion part of all of your process planning. You have a very powerful tool, make sure that you take full advantage of it.