8 Excuses for Not Implementing an Enterprise Content Management System When You Know That You Should

1. There are too many ECM Systems on the market today. I will never be able to find the right one that fits my business needs.

   There are many ECM Systems on the market today. And trying to find an ECM System that will fit your business needs at the right cost can seem like a daunting task. While this may be true, finding the right ECM System starts with understanding your underlying data and document management challenges and needs and then mapping those core needs to a system and vendor that solves those needs for you.

   Although it is probably best if you can do your own analysis since you know your own business better than anyone else, if you feel strapped for time or knowledge, then you always have the option of using an outside consultant who can help you.

2. My department or company doesn’t have enough money to buy an ECM System.

   The cost of ECM Systems is all over the map. But with the number of ECM Systems on the market today, there is an ECM System price point for almost every business. The cost can range from less than $1,000 for out-of-the-box ECM Systems that provide very basic scanning, capture, and content management capabilities to over $100,000 for systems that not only provide workflow capabilities in multiple languages and on distributed networks but which will also almost brew your coffee in the morning. It really depends on your needs, current infrastructure, volume, and the number of users, to name a few.

   But the real question to this excuse that you don’t have enough money to buy an ECM System is -- can you afford not to? In many cases, a return on investment can be easily calculated and will show that for many businesses the ROI for an ECM System is quite rapid (less than 12 months in many cases, although it could be less or more depending on the cost of the system implemented and the costs savings obtained).

3. Implementing an ECM System, including any document conversions or back scanning that has to be done, is too involved, and we don’t have the resources to either implement the system or convert our existing documents.

   For many businesses, the number of documents (either stored electronically on hard drives or stored in paper format) that need to be converted or back scanned when implementing an ECM System can seem insurmountable. However, if you don’t want to tackle this challenge yourself, there are vendors and service bureaus that can either help you by providing conversion services or help you to back scan your documents into your new electronic ECM System. Yes, there is a cost involved, but the cost is less than you probably think when compared to your own time or the time of your business’ resources. And as you free up storage space and reduce your time for filing and searching for documents, your ongoing costs will decrease, and your efficiencies in how you handle existing and new documents will increase.

   

4. Learning how to use an ECM System is too complicated for our end users.

   Change management is always considered challenging, whether the system implementation is small or large. But change is also constant, and in reality, with the changing pace of technology and business processes, an organization can’t afford to not keep pace. Implementing an ECM System will introduce change to an organization’s processes. There is no doubt about that. But if end users are shown the benefits of the change in relationship to the end results, if proper expectations of the change are set by management, and if good training is not just given but also repeated, then change can be accepted and even embraced. If end-users are included in the ECM implementation and their voices heard, then they will be more receptive to the change that will inevitably occur.

5. We have many other applications in our business, and we don’t know if we will be able to integrate them with an ECM System.

   Ah, yes, the dreaded word -– integration. Just mentioning the word ‘integration’ conjures up thoughts of annoying technical design work, project scope creep, sleepless nights, and a lighter pocketbook. But it does not need to be that way. Many ECM Systems now offer straight forward back-office connectivity and extensibility through easy to use application programming interfaces (APIs). Integrations are not always easy, but with the right application programming interface (API) and knowledge of the two applications involved, integrations don’t have to be feared.

6. We have too many other initiatives that we need to implement first before we would even consider an ECM System.

   “I have too much to do already” is always a good excuse for everything that we have to do, whether at work or at home. And there is no doubt that we all do have a lot on our plates and conflicting priorities within our organizations. But are we working on and doing the right things? That is the question that has to be answered. For instance, are you working on projects that will ultimately improve your department or business through more efficient processes and less manual labor? Are you working on projects that will provide your employees with more job satisfaction? Are you working on projects that will reduce costs and make your business more profitable and competitive in the long run? If you install an ECM System, then the above questions are answered with a ‘yes.' Can you say the same for your current projects?

7. We don’t have the infrastructure in place to be able to maintain an ECM System.

   With the proliferation of data centers, Software as a Service (SaaS) providers, and cloud computing, the notion of a business having to internally support applications, like ECM, and the associated hardware has become a thing of the past. You now have a choice. You can install and service the application on your own hardware, or it can be installed and serviced through an outsourced service provider. The costs versus benefits of the two options will need to be weighed, but the excuse of not having the internal infrastructure in place to implement an ECM System should really be a moot point.

8. We actually enjoy shuffling our documents and papers around the office and storing them in filing cabinets or offsite. We think that implementing an ECM System would take that fun away.

   No one that we know of likes copying, carting around, filing, or searching for documents – either electronic or paper. An ECM System eliminates your need for those boring and inefficient activities. With an ECM System, access to your documents is at your fingertips, and your documents are securely stored in easily backed up electronic media or servers. Through metadata and search criteria, documents can be easily located, while functionality like workflow means that documents can be easily routed from user to user. Additionally, access to documents is controlled, information can be redacted, and audit trails can be put in place to make sure that only resources which should be allowed to view certain documents or data will be able to view them.

Taking all of these factors into account, companies are running out of excuses for not implementing an enterprise content management system.