Integrating Copiers with Document Management Systems: A Game Changer for Fairbanks Offices

Document management systems, or DMS, have become a key tool in the modern business era. As more and more people are changing to paperless contracts and digitized documents, a DMS has become just as much of a staple in today’s offices as, well, the stapler. But like any piece of software, integration is essential to use your DMS to its fullest potential—and that means integrating it with all other equipment tasked with handling documents, including your office copier. By transforming your office copier into a seamless connection between your physical and digital document workflows, you can improve productivity, reduce costs, and future-proof your document-handling processes. Keep reading to learn how you can integrate your DMS with your copy machine in Anchorage, AK.

The Evolution of Modern-Day Copiers

Office copiers have come a long way from their early days to what they are now. Once upon a time, copiers were only that: a machine to make copies. Gradually, more functions were added to these machines, first combining printers and copiers into one device, and then adding scanning and even faxing into a single platform. As technology advanced, more features were added to improve usability and functionality, and copiers were integrated with cutting-edge software to become a centralized hub for capturing, distributing, and managing your office documents.

Modern copiers (or, more accurately, multifunction printers) act as the critical connector between traditional paper workflows and modern digital systems. With embedded connectivity for Wi-Fi, cloud, and local networks, they can and should be a frontline tool for digitizing and routing documents in your office.

The Advantages of DMS Integration

Integrating multiple pieces of technology is incredibly convenient in all areas of our lives. Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine your email account not syncing across all your devices, or your smartwatch not syncing with your smartphone. A printer that’s not integrated with your DMS is just as inconvenient. Here are just a few advantages of taking a little bit of time to integrate these 2 parts of your office document workflow:

1. Enhanced efficiency and cost savings: Integrating your copier with your DMS removes steps in your document management processes, so you can save time on digitizing and organizing your documents and, therefore, save money.

2. Streamlined document digitization and retrieval: Modern copiers can scan physical documents directly into your DMS, and even have advanced capabilities like optical character recognition (OCR), barcode separation, and metadata tagging for fast, automated indexing. (Plus, optical character recognition makes it even easier to search for documents or specific information within them, rather than having to read through all the scanned images yourself.)

3. Improved security and compliance: Your DMS records who accessed or modified documents and when, which is essential for businesses with regulatory requirements. By integrating this with your copier’s user authentication abilities, you’ll be doubling up on document security for even more protection.

4. Improved collaboration and remote work capabilities: After integrating your copier and your DMS, you can directly scan to platforms like SharePoint, Dropbox, and OneDrive, so documents are immediately available to your remote workers.

5. Environmental sustainability: By making it easier to digitize and organize your documents, you’ll find yourself digitizing them more and more often, which helps cut down on paper waste and protects the environment.
   

Best Practices for Integration

Now that you have a firm understanding of how this type of integration can benefit your company, let’s get down to brass tacks and talk about how it’s done. Here are a few best practices you should ensure you follow during the process:

1. Select the Right Device: If you don’t already have a copier, or you’re considering an upgrade, make sure that you take the time to evaluate your office size, document output, and exact printing needs so you can find the right device for your space. Prioritize devices with duplex printing and copying, a high paper capacity, user authentication capabilities, and, of course, cloud and DMS integration.

2. Have a Clear Workflow: You don’t want to start digitizing documents willy-nilly, so before you even set up the ability, map out the lifecycle of a document in your office. For example, the lifecycle of a received invoice might be something like this: capture, index, route, approve, archive. Make sure you have structured file naming based on this lifecycle and use templates to improve consistency for all users.

3. Set Up OCR and Other Tools: Configure the software used during the digitization process, like barcode separate, clean scans, and OCR. Make it a part of your process to have users verify key data (dates, project names, etc.) when the document is scanned; OCR isn’t perfect, and you want to make sure that the most important information is properly recorded.

4. Sync Your Preferred DMS: Now, use the display screen on your scanner, along with the user manual for your device, to sync it with your preferred DMS. There should be clear, simple prompts for enabling the ability to scan directly to whichever platform you prefer, so you can avoid having to scan to an email and then organize the documents manually.

Get the Right Device from Arctic Office Products

Integrating your copier with your DMS is an important step in bringing your business into the modern era. However, it can be nearly impossible to do if you have an outdated device. If your copier isn’t able to integrate with your DMS, we encourage you to call or stop by Arctic Office Products today. We carry some of the most cutting-edge office equipment available, and can help you find office copiers and printers in Anchorage, AK, to make DMS integration simple, easy, and convenient. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff can even help you with the integration process. Give us a call, or stop by our showroom to see what copiers we have in stock.