What is Document Management?

The basic tools through which organizations and businesses get everything done today are documents. Be it their official contracts, their previous work histories, ongoing project details, email correspondences, or any other kind of information, it needs to be efficiently managed to provide quick and easy access to employees when needed. Hence today organizations are increasingly dependent on document management systems to conduct business. Since many types of content are being produced today at an exponential rate, companies are now looking for fast and AI-based solutions to manage and control their documents. 

Why Document Management is Essential Today?

A mismanaged document storage system can pose very high risks and threats to the business or organization. Scattered, outdated, and unsecured documents can result in a major loss of productivity, and can become a risk for compliance or cause legal problems for the organization. Information falling into wrong hands owing to a mismanaged document management system is a very serious risk, and companies tend to avoid it these days at all costs.

Hence, Salesforce being one of the leading CRM platforms of the world today has come up with an exact solution that companies need for efficient document management and better workflow throughout the organization. Salesforce Document Management is a ready-made solution that ensures reliable access to all documents across different users and systems of the organization. With the salesforce document management system users can also get a full overview of all business transactions at any point in time. 

How Document Management for Salesforce Ensures Better Workflow

Transparent Folder Structures

Salesforce document management system enables users to file and find information quickly and efficiently. With different team members working on the same data sets, it is essential to provide the same data to all stakeholders at all points. The Salesforce document management system ensures that all team members always have access to the most updated work files. Through the Salesforce document management system, documents are stored in predefined folder structures that cannot be modified without permission and access by team leads. This ensures that every employee knows where to find relevant information and enjoys complete trust in the information being shared as the latest and updated one.

Powerful Search Functions

The document Management system by Salesforce comes with powerful search functions. Users can search for relevant files by attributes, combined searches, and full-text searches. Search queries can be limited with date preferences to quickly access the required files, also these queries can be created once and saved for later callouts, saving time and energy at the users’ end.

Data Protection from Unauthorized Manipulation

The Document Management Salesforce offers attribute-based access permissions, which can prevent any accidental or intentional leak of sensitive information. Modern audit requirements today is to be fully convinced of the document control of any organization, Salesforce document management if implemented in its true sense can fulfill the expectations of any such audit. Attribute-based permissions also ensure that only the concerned persons, who are eligible to read or write any document has the access to it.

Features Offered by Salesforce Document Management System

Following are the easy-to-access features of the Salesforce document management system:

Files Home

In the Files Home area documents can be uploaded by a user, then can also be shared with team members for common use. All users with access to the files can always view or customize these files.

Salesforce CRM Content

This tool allows users to create several documents of different types, work on them collaboratively with team members, and later to have shared them with external users.

Salesforce Knowledge

Salesforce Knowledge is a space for sharing information for knowledge transfer. These can 

Documents Tab

The documents tab allows the storage of Visualforce files such as logos.

Attachments

Attachment functionality can be used to attach files of all types to data records for example contracts, quotes, email correspondence, etc.

Functions Offered by Salesforce Document Management System

Once files are stored in the Salesforce document management system, many document-level functions become available to further utilize the management system:

Viewer

The viewer function only provides viewing access to the concerned person, no other changes or modification can be done by a person who is only authorized to view the document.

Download

Download function for all kinds of files is also available owing to the available access to do so.

Share

Through share function, documents can be shared with internal Salesforce employees.

Public Link

A public link can be generated to share a document with people outside Salesforce.

File Details

This function can be utilized to add some metadata to the document, title and description are the default details, but other details can also be added for quick recovery and Third-party Salesforce Document Solutions

Follow Function

For files, with multiple users working on activity logs can be viewed using the following function. It enables tracking of which changes are made by which user, and at what time.

Third-party Salesforce Document Solution

Since Salesforce offers all the basic requirements of a document management system, it can be further modified or excelled with the help of third-party Salesforce document solutions. There are several third-party plugins available that make it easier to manage documents than in the standard edition of Salesforce.

In the Salesforce AppExchange document management AppExchange, there are many apps available that can be used to extend the features and functionalities of the Salesforce Document Management System. The following features can be accessed using these apps:

1. Connections to established third-party apps from DMS manufacturers can be established
2. Files can be stored in the external S3 storage system
3. Document collaboration in MS office can be done

Apart from these many other advanced document management features can be enabled on the Salesforce document management system, using third-party apps.

Summary

Companies looking out for effective document management solutions should consider their primary requirements as well as the additional features critical in running their business for example the size of files they work with, the level of security they need, and any audit-specific requirements for their industry. Keeping all of this in mind will help them to choose the best solution for document management while integrating the Salesforce document management system with any other third-party app.

For smaller startups and mid-size businesses, the default functionality offered by the Salesforce document management system would be more than enough and can fully be utilized to make efficient use of time and resources.