What Can Enterprise Content Management Do for You?

Large enterprises and small and mid-sized businesses both face challenges with ineffective, poorly organized content process.

In many ways, delivering the right content to the right people in the right place and at the right time seems to be one of the biggest challenges they face. On the other hand, every organization has at least some form of content infrastructure; however, is it bringing value to business?

Is the content a business asset?

According to AIIM International,

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is the strategies, methods and tools used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver content and documents related to organizational processes.

It is an ongoing process that evolves constantly given it sees the creation and publication of the information, and its archiving or disposal. The information, accordingly, can be in the form of a paper document, an electronic file (text form or multimedia files), a database, an email.

Collaborative process is in the focus of content management among those who create, edit, and publish that information and those who receive. Moreover, information is indexed from different sources and ECM applications are delivered differently: on-premise software, software as a service (SaaS) and the combination of the two.

But why is enterprise content management so important for businesses?

Data is the most important asset for a company.

Thus, what can Enterprise Content Managemenet do for your business?

#1 Time management

 By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. (Benjamin Franklin)

If 15 % of all paper related to businesses is lost (according to Delphi Group) and 30 % of employees spend time trying to find lost documents (The Boston Globe, 2006) the importance of time management is evident.

Four years ago, organizations were losing around $1,250 per user because of time spent dealing with spam, $1,800 on unnecessary emails from co-workers, and $2,100 - $4,100 in annual productivity due to poorly written communications (ITBusinessEdge.com). Moreover, office workers today are interrupted seven time an hour and 80% of those interruptions are considered trivial, according to time management experts.

The goal of ECM solutions is to find, administer and archive information quickly, reliably and efficiently – whenever. Traditional techniques for locating information bring profitability loses and hinder the company’s ability to stay competitive.

Ensuring that data is available to everyone who needs it, increase the effectiveness of work.

The connection between the right ECM tool and time management is all about being able to deliver information at the right time, to the person who needs it and in the right context. 

# Control, risk and transparency

Knowin our risks provides opportunities to manage and impove our chnaces of success. (Rorger VanScoy)

When there’s less risk in business, there’s more control. With the right ECM technology, companies control and maintain access to data, and automate the distribution of content. Automation is one of the biggest benefits of ECM technology, allowing companies to eliminate unnecessary tasks and procedure, while using their resources more effectively.

By minimizing risks, companies are enforcing to their security policies because they are able to track all accesses and activities. Control and automation foster security, while, at the same time, improve transparency of work: there is no more expiring contracts or forgotten invoices.

#3 Operating costs and ROI

Know what you own, and know why you own it. (Peter Lynch)

When you store and capture your content digitally, one of the evident benefits of ECM technology is elimination of the costs of printing, shipping and storing paper, in general, energy consumption. Having been able to access data from anywhere, including mobile devices, instant access ensures more productivity if you make the right investment in technology.

The consolidation of information is the key benefit of this technology by achieving an infrastructure that optimizes costs and resources.

#4 Customer service

The customer experience is the next competitive battleground. (Jerry Gregoire)

ECM technology, in the first place, provides real-time visibility into transactions, orders and status of requests. End-users should present the driving force behind successful business. When an employee has information readily available, without having to search in multiple locations, one can easily create a good communication ties with clients and customers.

Building stronger customer relationship means an increase in the number of deals closed, and creation of a stronger customer base.

#5 Collaboration and relationships

Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success. (Paul J. Meyer)

To emphasize - Communication plays the key role in the success of any workplace program or policy, according to the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program. With good business communication, companies can create effective marketing campaigns, productive interpersonal relationship and successful customer service.

Enterprise content management technology empowers interaction between employees, and fosters their services through better management. To sum up: Good communication means good business.

Finally, Enterprise Content Management makes it easier to comply with government regulations and industry mandates. A wide range of regulations require companies to meet specific retrieval policies and ECM technology offers easier way to control access and provide detailed documentation.