Understanding the Document Management Process
With the growing popularity of cloud-based business solutions, documentation remains at the core of every firm. From practice management reporting and financials to customer reports and returns – plus the internal and external correspondence and emails that support this – documentation vitally supports the insights we bring to our client’s most challenging problems. It has never been more important to build a secure, easily accessible location for such valuable information.
Introducing the arrival of document management in the cloud.
Benefiting from the productivity of Office 365
For firms wanting to work anywhere, anytime, on any device – and those heading to the cloud with CCH iFirm Document Manager you will need the functionality of Microsoft Office 365 SharePoint. And when you move to Office 365, you’ll also get access to a whole range of other tools and applications to help you run your practice and improve efficiencies through enhanced collaboration.
When to Know that Cloud Document Management is Right for You
It is virtually impossible to function efficiently if your firm does not have a clearly defined document management business process – and the underlying technology infrastructure to unlock its true potential.
Cloud document management is a flexible, scalable and easy-to-use document control solution. It keeps pace with your firm as it grows – plus it securely stores your data in an off-site data centre, which will have extensive IT resources to manage the security, integrity and 24/7 availability of your most precious asset – your business information.
Benefit 1: Remote Accessibility
Document management in the cloud stores every piece of data you own in a centralised, web-accessible repository. It lets you set and manage security policies and access controls, enabling team members to collaborate from where ever they are, whenever they need to.
Benefit 2: Security and Compliance
A modern, cloud-enable document management process operates in a single system with clearly defined and measurable security policies and access rights. Cloud document management can track document lifecycles and undertake audits for compliance and security. When you integrate your document management solution with other business software solutions, such as Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint, your document management environment and highly configurable workflow is secure all the way through.
Benefit 3: Automating Efficiency
Today’s document management process automates a broad range of processes and removes the need to work with multiple systems. Everyone in the firm will have immediate access to the same information. At the same time, a centralised search function makes it possible to find any file relating to your firm in a matter of seconds. To streamline such processes even further, you’ll also be able to tag documents, set up notifications and maintain complete control over versioning. Digital templates are also an important part of a firm’s document management system. Templates deliver the tools to create consistent, accurate and compliant documents which look the same every time they are generated.
Planning a Cloud Document Management Implementation
There are multiple benefits for firms embracing cloud document management. Creating, storing and retrieving documents using a document management solution is a fundamental change to the work practices we are all familiar with. The enhanced collaboration outcomes will benefit your firm and you can enhance your relationships with staff and clients.
Top 10 Tips
- Have a clear overall plan of where you want to go, what you want to achieve.
- Involve your key staff in the decision making and planning processes and decide who is going to own the project.
- Set up a user group early on.
- Establish the infrastructure needs
- Clearly communicate your expectations of the outcomes to your team and bring them along on the journey.
- Break down the steps into manageable pieces.
- Have a realistic timeframe.
- Establish security and access policies
- Roll out when ready, stage your roll out into manageable stages if necessary.
- Train well
Request our free Beginner’s Guide to Document Management in the Cloud business white paper to find out more about how other firms are using CCH iFirm Document Manager and benefiting from document management in the cloud.
Steve Quan, Sales Director (Australia)
Accounting Segment, Wolters Kluwer
- The benefits of adding Document Management in the Cloud to your Practice - 22 October 2018
- How Wolters Kluwer CCH and Xero Solutions Work Together to Make Your Firm More Efficient - 13 September 2018
- Evolution of the Intelligence Practice - 12 July 2018
