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Top 10 Benefits of a Content Management System for SMBs

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is no longer just for large enterprises. More small and midsized businesses are recognizing the benefits of content management systems tailored to their company size and needs. Here are the key reasons you should consider an ECM system for your business.

Generate substantial ROI. Minimize paper usage, energy consumption and storage space. Decrease shipping costs and free up human resources formerly spent on paper-intensive tasks to do more important work that grows the bottom line.
Gain a competitive advantage. Nearly half of all new SMBs fail within the first five years. A content management system can set you apart from the competition by boosting your responsiveness to customers while also improving employee productivity and reducing costs.
Improve customer service. No longer will employees have to put a customer on hold while they search for documentation to address the customer's needs. A content management system puts information immediately at the employee's fingertips, saving time and saving face.
Comply with government and industry mandates. Regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley, HIPAA and ISO require companies to meet specific document retention and retrieval policies. Failure to do so can cost your company money in fines. Small businesses don't have the same resources to dedicate to regulatory compliance or document management as larger enterprises do. That's where an ECM system comes in. By controlling access, automating retention and providing detailed audit tracking, a content management system can help you comply with regulations and pass audits with flying colors
Find documents faster. Prevent bottlenecks and costly employee down time by finding a multifunction printer that's easy to operate. Check for intuitive user interfaces, minimal training requirements, and easily accessible online help and documentation. If you do need support, check that the product is backed by manufacturer-provided service and support coverage.
Access all content including paper. Much of a company's most business-critical information is locked inside paper documents. Consider the departments in which paper bottlenecks occur: accounting, financial services, human resources and contracts to name a few. A digital copier or multifunction product (MFP) can serve as the first step in converting paper documents to electronic files so you can store and access the information quickly and painlessly.
Allow simultaneous access while controlling versions. Most companies need to update documents frequently. It becomes costly to print and store so many documents. There is also the risk of printed documents becoming outdated quickly, or of multiple users emailing old versions of PDFs back and forth and acting on outdated information. An ECM system like DocuShare Express allows employees to easily review the latest document versions 24/7, from any location using a Web browser.
Avoid additional IT resources and costs. Most SMBs do not have a large IT staff at their beck and call. If you choose the right content management system, you won't need a lot of IT resources to implement it. An ECM suite with a central point of security and administration that is easy to deploy, use and maintain will reduce the overhead required to install it. For instance, DocuShare Express includes a "Quick Install" process that allows SMBs to begin using it the same day.
Go green. ECM software helps you dramatically reduce your carbon footprint, putting you in the running to be chosen as a "green" vendor or partner that can meet desired sustainability goals.
Invest in a system that grows with your needs. Rather than buy a content management system that you'll outgrow before you see the ROI, choose one with flexibility to meet your changing requirements over time. Don't just look for a large content repository for storing scanned documents. A truly effective ECM system, like DocuShare Express, lets you leverage proven, award-winning technology to store and manage a range of document types and content, such as scanned files, spreadsheets, Word documents, emails, blog posts and wikis. Plus, easy and affordable upgrades to DocuShare or DocuShare Enterprise allow you to add more advanced ECM and business process automation capabilities when you need them.