Document capture occurs in every organization. Without a document management system, the document is pushed through the mail, routed to the appropriate person and then filed away, typically in a file cabinet or storage room. With electronic capabilities, this process can be much more efficient. Documents are scanned into the system and from then on, used and processed digitally.

Scanning documents into the document management system will capture them as digital images that can be viewed from an online portal. The files can then be viewed as PDF documents, or many other formats are available as well. Different formats work best depending on the type and size of the document. TIF format is better with documents with larger volumes, such as large contracts. However, if the contract was created in MS-Word, and the PDF was created directly from Word, the image would be better quality than a scanned document.

You also must remember that not all of your business documents may be black or white. Many different departments collect a large amount of photos as exhibits, evidence, properties, etc. These may be scanned in as TIF documents, JPEG files or even other formats. You must find out which format works best with the type of documents you have.

Document capture is not simply just the process of scanning paper documents, but electronic documents are also a part of the process. With an electronic document management system, it is also easy to keep and store the original documents, such as that initial document you created in MS-Word, by importing electronic documents.

One of a document management system’s greatest benefits is the ability to tie all documents together. All related paper and electronic documents are stored in one central location, with easy access.

You may not want to import all of your electronic records into the document management system because they belong in the accounting system, or some other system. You can do this and still have the ability to tie the information together with document management.

You could always link the accounting system to pull data from these records. Or better yet, the accounting system can link to the document management system so that when needed for supporting documentation, you can view your information through the document management system. But continue doing your work within the accounting system.

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