Many new words have been banded around over the last couple of months. One of those is “The New Normal”. How will “The New Normal” impact businesses and the tools companies use in their daily routine?
We have started using more online meetings, not just for social gatherings, quiz nights and party nights. Businesses have taken on the platform more in the last two months than ever. Zoom’s daily active users jumped from 10 million to over 200 million in three months. That figure could see some drop-off, but more companies will see the benefits of online meetings saving in travel time and travel expenses. As “The New Normal” makes us work more efficiently.
With more staff working from home (where possible), there has also been an increase in the purchase of additional laptops, printers, webcams and audio devices. All this allows staff to continue working away from the office. Forbes reported that some companies had seen a 47% increase in worker productivity, which may be surprising for some of us.
Having the correct tools to allow staff to work at home is essential, not just with the hardware but also with the software available. The software can be a mixture of remote access to desktop-based software, cloud-based software or even cloud-based software located on the business’s servers.
When working with small to medium-sized businesses, it is clear that one of the stumbling blocks when working from home is access to the documentation in the office, mainly if paper-based. If there is no structure for documents that staff access daily, completing the required tasks can quickly become frustrating.
A document management system is a solution. One is that the user can create filing cabinets with the required basic search information. A solution that can have documents added manually from a folder or downloaded from online storage locations such as DropBox, Google, OneDrive, and, of course, from the good old scanner. Having local cloud-based access so staff could access documents from any remote device would make things even more efficient. Ensuring digital documents are encrypted, and only certain employees can access allowed filing cabinets is also required.
This level of functionality would typically put it beyond the reach of small- to medium-sized businesses, even on the monthly cloud per-user rate. PDi Document Management solution has all the above functionality and more. Additionally, it is within the price range of small-to-medium-sized businesses.
PDi Document Management is a stand-alone system with a local cloud-based viewing software module. As well as the above functionality, documents can have reminders attached and can be uploaded to your cloud storage devices for general access if required. If the business uses the popular Sage 50c Pastel Partner accounting software, documents can also be linked to Customer, Supplier, Inventory and GL Codes. However, it is not a requirement for the software to function.
Integration with PDi CRM is also available, allowing the staff to view documents linked to customers and suppliers from within the CRM software. The functionality gives the user the information they require to complete their tasks, makes them even more efficient, and seamlessly integrates them with the documentation in the office.
Even if you are not using PDi CRM or Sage 50c Pastel Partner, the application still improves efficiency. Giving staff the ability to store and retrieve the documentation needed to complete daily tasks. In its simplest form, a photo of the document can be taken and uploaded to cloud storage or a folder on your server and then retrieved and assigned to the relevant depository. At that point, it is available to all staff with access to the document’s location.
The cloud-based module is your cloud; the application and all the digital documents remain on your server. You have complete control of your documents; they are only stored on cloud storage if you use them to pass documents. Cloud solutions will also have the issue for a small-medium sized business that the digital records remain on another server. What happens if you stop using the service? What happens if the service ends? Do you have enough time to retrieve all the uploaded documents? With the PDi Document Management system, you don’t have to worry; everything remains on your servers.
PDi Spirit wants to make “The New Normal” as easy as possible and increase your efficiency. We believe in building a relationship with our client base, not just selling software and moving on to the next sale. We listen to our user base and add functionality from user requests or suggestions.
For more information, contact your PDi Spirit consultant or dealer or contact us directly.