One of the most frustrating problems in the business workplace emerges from complications with document versioning—specifically, inconsistencies between different versions of documents and the difficulties involved in correcting these inconsistencies. Such corrections can eat up valuable time, focus, and energy that workers could better direct towards more essential duties, reducing efficiency and productivity. Effective document management software, however, can provide lasting solutions to this exasperating and wasteful problem.
According to a 2013 survey by Harris Interactive, Inc., a major market research firm active until 2014, 83 percent of information workers across the United States and United Kingdom lose time on a daily basis to document versioning complications. 57 percent report frequent confusion over whether or not they are working on the correct version of a particular document at any given time, and nearly half report having sent the wrong version of a document to a colleague, client, or supervisor. 56 percent of information workers must merge disparate document versions manually, searching for changes made in one version but not the other. Such painstaking cross-referencing amounts to a needless time-sink.
Effective document management software, such as that offered by Biel’s, provides valuable information that can prevent versioning issues and eliminate inconsistencies. By showing when and by whom a document was changed, such software helps knowledge workers to keep track of changes and updates to documents. Consequently, a knowledge worker can always know whether he or she is working on the most up-to-date version, and both senders and recipients of documents can be sure that they are receiving correct versions. A software system of this kind also allows access to older versions of documents, permitting workers to find information that may be missing from newer versions. To eliminate the frustration and waste of manual document merging, document management software provides automatic merging.
If your business struggles with versioning troubles, document management software can provide you with effective tools to bring consistency and accessibility to your critical documents. Please contact us with any questions or for more information.