The Datamax Thinking Blog

Typical organizations have anywhere from 20 to 40 documents required for onboarding a new employee. By going the paperless route, HR professionals can find better traction toward tasks and engagements that truly matter to their internal constituents.

Lewis Carroll, in his famous book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” writes “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” It’s a reminder that when you lack a clear goal or direction, any path you take may seem valid or justified... no matter how inefficient or mistake-prone it might be.

Without a thorough assessment, there’s a higher risk of content management system inefficiencies, misalignment with organizational needs, and wasted resources.

The "technology tipping point" refers to a crucial moment when a business realizes it's spending more time managing documents, content, processes, and technology than focusing on its core operations. It serves as a wake-up call and an opportunity for transformation. It's a chance to step back, identify inefficiencies in day-to-day operations, and regain focus on what truly drives your business or organization.

According to Deloitte, HR automation can improve process efficiency by up to 60%, allowing HR teams to focus on strategic tasks rather than repetitive administrative work.

American businessman and author Gary Vaynerchuk recently posted this nugget on his LinkedIn page: “Speed is 4 billion times more important than perfection.”

For Finance Departments, Document/Content Management could mean working smarter, faster, and more securely, clearing the road ahead for you and your organization.

A Finance Department is a major thoroughfare for any organization, serving as a central pathway for financial activities and resources moving at top speed. Just like a major highway connects parts of a city, this department links various departments and operations by managing budgets, processing transactions, and ensuring the financial health of the organization.

According to a report by Skynova, 66% of businesses say processing invoices takes up more than five days per month. Additionally, almost half of all businesses require two to three people to approve an invoice. Great... so what if at least one of those three people are on vacation for a week?

Are your documents in disarray? Is it affecting how well your team performs?  

Documents are the vessels of everyday business workflow environments. They are the means of distributing key information on every aspect of your business operations at large. Likewise, “unstructured” documents like images, videos, audio files, and emails play a key role in disseminating and sharing information. Workplaces are at their best when these documents, records, and content are easily accessible, well organized, stored appropriately, and fully secured.

Does your project manager maintain a comprehensive overview of project aspects? Can your contractor pull up plans easily when a client is balking on site? Does invoicing take too much time, physically pinging from desk to desk?

You wanna hear a good construction joke? Hold on, I’m working on it.

Jokes aside, a contractor’s work is never done. He or she must be in multiple places at one time. Long hours, ongoing site visits, and a flurry of projects move through every workday, with dozens of invoices, plans, contracts, change orders etc., tagging along with them to ensure the job moves forward.

For organizations aware of the power that comes with digitally accessing, tracking, and securing a multitude of documents in one system, the next choice becomes a tougher one: Cloud or on-premise? What's the right path for you? 

It’s been said before that The 3 C’s of life are choices, chances, and changes.

When it comes to document workflow, the chance to improve slow, ineffective, and error-prone manual document workflow processes necessitates change. Changing to a digitized business process via a Document Management System (DMS) can impact productivity and your customer's overall experience. For a growing number of organizations today, DMS is undoubtedly the right path for the road ahead.

Workplaces perform at their best when operations are efficient, and all business-critical files are easily accessible (to the appropriate people) and fully secured.

Our hallway closet was in shambles.

Embracing the out-of-sight, out-of-mind methodology, the space had become mostly avoided all together, serving more as a receptacle for any miscellaneous item that desperately needed a home. Books. A mismatch of clothes. Retired running shoes. Old laptops. Mementos from the early 90s. The collection of junk stacked up on one another, dangled from shelves or absorbed dust on the closet floor. 

As your SMB heads into Spring Training, and you analyze your current technology roster - from document workflow to network infrastructure - what are some fundamental moves you can make to better your 2019 season forecast? 

The first glimpse of spring has arrived.

As my beloved Texas Rangers report to Surprise, Ariz. for Spring Training this week, it’s a time when baseball enthusiasts’ minds drift from the bone-chilling winter months and begin romanticized forecasts for their favorite team and the sunny April days ahead.

Those who embrace change in the way they conduct business every day, across an evolving digital landscape - from automating tasks to taking a firm stance on data and network security – will produce measurable business value and soar ahead of the flock. 

Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch once said, “change before you have to.”

Innovative leaders understand well the idea of change as the rule rather than the exception. In mid-flight, they do not hesitate to travel beyond the flock of the industry companions around them, even if it means flying solo.

Technology plays an intimate role in the potential innovation of businesses, particularly in seeking a competitive edge and a notable advantage in productivity. Those who embrace change in the way they conduct business every day, across an evolving digital landscape - from automating tasks to taking a firm stance on data and network security – will produce measurable business value and soar ahead of the flock. Assuming, of course, they do so strategically and with a partner that understands and thoughtfully considers their core business objectives.