As the editor of the premier document imaging newsletter, Document Imaging Report, Ralph has a unique perspective on the trends within the document imaging and management industry.
We spoke with Ralph to discuss important issues surrounding document management.
Q: What are some common issues you've seen with businesses transitioning between software?
There are a couple of things. UI is important – an evolution we’ve seen in the market has been the increasing integration of document imaging with third-party systems.
John Mancini from AIIM and Paul Carman from Xamcor have talked about how enterprise content management is really developing into a utility – and many times it’s becoming part of a bigger process. Content management is part of an accounts payable process; it’s part of an HR management process; it’s part of a healthcare practice management system.
The ideal situation is to find software that you can integrate within the interface of your line-of-business system – the system your users are accustomed to working in every day. This way, there’s nothing new to learn.
The issue is that some organizations end up asking people to do more work when they install document imaging. You want to automate as much as possible and make processes as simple as possible. You don’t want to add five minutes to the workflow in order to add a document to your system. Any time you make a switch in applications, there’s going to be disruption. But if you’re upgrading to a new document management system, the goal is to make the UI as intuitive as possible.
An example I like is what Apple did years ago with the iPod. They asked people to adopt something new – a new paradigm and new user interface – but once people used their iPods, they only needed about 10 minutes to realize that it was better than what they had before. And they were happy with it.
If you can do that with a document management system – even if you’re transitioning from something your users have used for 10 years – make sure whatever you’re bringing in has a user interface that’s better than what you were using. There will be less grumbling if you can bring your users something more intuitive and with better features.
When this is the case, they’re going to embrace it and not complain about the change. They’ll forget about the old system.
Q: With so many specialized software systems, what should you look for in a document management system for a smooth integration? What are software red flags?
One of the first things to look for is integration with line-of-business systems. Has the vendor previously integrated with the systems you use? Do they have a module for working with your ERP system? Have they done so successfully? Can they work with your HR management system? Can they work with your practice management system? Every company has APIs for integration, but there are different levels.
The second component is whether there is a path to running in the cloud. I talked about the low adoption of cloud computing in the ECM industry to date, but people are looking for hybrid systems. Even if you’re still planning to use on-premise software, you want to know how smoothly you’d be able to transition to a cloud document management system. You want to consider how big of a disruption there would be if your IT policies evolve and internal changes call for a move to the cloud.
As for a red flag, if a software company is not staying on top of current trends and developing the kinds of features we’ve been discussing, you have to wonder if they’ll support their product in the long term. You want a vendor that’s vibrant; they should be looking into the current market and keeping up with current trends. You don’t want to worry about switching to new products, licensing and support plans in a few years.
Q: For companies first researching a document management system, where do you recommend they begin looking and what should they look for?
You must ask yourself what you want to do with this document management system. What do you want to use it for? What’s the main paper-laden process you’re trying to automate? What’s your biggest pain point?
After you’ve answered these questions, go out and find case studies within your vertical to determine how different solutions can help solve your problems.
You can go to trade shows and look for vendors that have had success doing what you’re trying to accomplish. There’s a lot of document management technology out there, but much of it has been honed for various vertical and horizontal markets. Each vendor’s solution has different specifications.
Start by looking for vendors or resellers that have solved your problems before, and even when searching on the internet, be specific to your market. You may want to look at industry publications first to find the types of case studies and articles you’re looking for.
Q: Could you discuss some misconceptions around document capture and indexing that might affect a business’s software search?
There are misconceptions on both ends of the spectrum. There are people who think automated indexing will be 100% accurate, and then there are people who think it won’t work at all.
Really, the whole purpose of OCR and automated capture is to reduce labor. It’s not going to eliminate it. It’s not magic and it’s not a black box, but it does work. You can get 80-90% field-level accuracy with certain confidence levels. While certain information can go through without needing review, a certain amount of inspection will always be needed. Automated capture can reduce many data entry tasks, but you’ll always need checks and balances.
Realistically, you need to determine if the investment is going to be worthwhile. Will there be significant labor reduction? That’s often the case, but labor elimination? Absolutely not.
Unquestionably, automated capture will speed up the time it takes to enter data, and it will require fewer people. However, you must balance your expectations. There will be a ramp-up time. You will have to make an investment and train your team on the software. But realize that, if you do this correctly, there are real paybacks associated with it.
There are always bumps in the road when adopting software, and you will have to have patience to train people on the system and ensure that everything is working. But once it’s in place, it can be very effective, and very much a cost-saving technology.
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