Document Management vs. Content Management: Which Is Right For Your Business?
Large, complex organizations use many systems of record to maintain and manage information. As new documentation enters a company, it must be processed in an efficient manner to ensure that business is fluid and revenue is trending upwards. Invoices, sales orders, employee files, bills of lading…the work of processing documents is never done. Fortunately, there are software-based solutions to help make this workload more manageable. For most companies, it comes down to document management vs. content management, but what exactly are the differences between these two solutions? And which one is right for your business?
Document Management
Document Management leverages electronic documents to streamline workflows. Whereas paper documents must be manually reviewed, transferred, and filed, electronic documents can be dealt with from a desktop or mobile device. It utilizes a secure, digital repository to ensure that all documents are available to permitted users at all times. It’s more secure, it speeds up processing, and it helps simplify the process of bringing new users into the fold. It can be used to manage all paper and electronic documents, including emails, faxes, and more. The secret to Document Management is the process of tagging and indexing documents, which ensures they can be retrieved instantly to be edited, escalated, or otherwise.
Effective Document Management is predicated on a number of factors, including:
- The ability to retain documents electronically
- The ability to view the history of how a document has been handled
- The ability to add notations to documents
- The ability to recover lost documents
- The ability to search and retrieve documents
- The ability to issue natural language prompts instructing the user on what to do next
Before we move to the other side of the Document Management vs. Content Management debate, it’s important to note that Document Management Software (DMS) must integrate with your core Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and any other systems of record that you utilize to ensure your business can eliminate information silos across the enterprise.
Content Management
Content Management, or Enterprise Content Management (ECM), takes all of the features of Document Management and adds additional processing capabilities through the use of workflows, automation, and machine learning.
In plain terms, Document Management falls under the umbrella of Content Management. Therefore, the Document Management vs. Content Management (DMS vs. ECM) debate is an easy one to settle if you focus on your organizational goals. Do you want to simply go paperless? Document Management will help you get there. However, if you want to go paperless and automate business-critical processes like Procure-to-Pay (P2P) and Order-to-Cash (O2C), you will need the added capabilities only found in an ECM system.
Enterprise Content Management vs. Document Management System: Settling the Debate
Whether you choose to invest in Document Management or Content Management, you will be providing your organization with a valuable tool to help it achieve an operational boost. Your team will thank you because their jobs will get easier and less manual. Your customers will thank you because you will be able to deliver excellent experiences that show them you care. And your organization will thank you because you will be increasing your bottom line and giving your business the stimulus to grow and flourish.
