Implementing or upgrading to a strong document imaging solution can significantly improve a company's overall productivity and accelerate overall growth. However, the integration and implementation of such solutions is often complex and can lead to engineering errors, costly delays or even project abandonment. That is why working with a reliable and experienced imaging vendor can eliminate the risks and get your company up and running on time just by following a few easy guidelines.
Know your business needs and what you want to accomplish. Review and analyze your current workflow and processes with an imaging expert, let them recommend changes that could increase productivity and save time by implementing imaging solutions. Work with an imaging expert to establish which solution will best meet your requirements and then review a range of imaging solutions and components that meet the criteria. This will ensure you have the best suited tools to fit your new streamlined processes.
Know what you're working with. List and review all the formats (proprietary, non-proprietary or specialized) that you will be working with. Then consult with the potential vendors of your imaging component to determine if they offer universal viewing for both your proprietary and non-proprietary formats, and the ability to display multiple formats or any conversion/merging tasks that you have in place or wish to implement. This allows the vendor to know all the possible uses for the application ahead to ensure all your bases are covered.
Know your Environment. Choosing a platform for your document imaging system can often mean extending your current platform. It is important to involve your vendor in this process to ensure you operate on the best platform to meet not only your current needs, but possible future needs as well. The applications and systems already installed, especially any kind of document repository or management system, must be considered when integrating any document imaging component. Determining how these applications will work together is not something you want to address without the valuable input of your document imaging vendor. Also be sure to consider things like 3rd party software that is either in use or will have to be implemented with the imaging solution and/or security requirements that may already be in place.
Know you will need help. Make sure you budget for a maintenance and support program. This will not only allow you the latest releases and upgrades, it will give you access to the imaging software vendor’s resources; valuable tools that can help and guide your engineers or 3rd party contractors that may not be familiar enough with the system to perform detailed maintenance, upgrades, or general troubleshooting when problems may arise. Things like new features or changes to the existing application can often be confusing and difficult to work around. Your vendor's support programs are a valuable resource that will ensure you always have someone to turn to for help.
- Ed
Comments