There is no doubt that document control systems have changed a lot over the years, but when you stop to look back over the many changes, it shows that perhaps there are still many more changes to come.

Way back in the good old days, before the advent of computers, the internet and other sorts of technological wonders, business folk had to rely on hard copies. Not just that – they had to devise a suitable way to store those hard copies, and manage edits and revisions as well.

Of course, this was not an easy feat at all. Luckily, things slowly began to shift in the world of document control.

How Has Document Control Changed Over the Years?

From filing cabinets to the cloud, the past two hundred years or so have certainly changed the way that we work. In fact, it’s only when looking back at the early versions of document control that we can fully appreciate just how far things have come. Just take a look at these major milestones that have shaped the present (and future) of document management…

1. The Filing Cabinet – invented by Edwin Seibels in the late 1800s, the filing cabinet was the very first proper organization of paper documents, which would change the way that we stored, found and accessed files, folders and various other documents. It also led to a number of job opportunities for decades after that point (even if these were not the most inspiring positions).
2. The Server – it took a very long time after the first innovation, but eventually, servers came into our world. The main need for such things, especially in terms of document control, was that hard copy documents took up a lot of room. Paperwork is quite messy too, especially when there are piles of it all over the place. Servers began with central mainframes, and soon evolved into client servers that could store documents electronically.
3. The Computer – of course, computers were the next logical step, and not a very big step up from those early servers. At first, computers were connected to a LAN (local area networks), with information also stored in a shared system. But soon, it was possible to store data on computers, while also creating and editing documents with ease. There was still no simple, organised way to keep data secure without a lack of structure though.
4. Document Management Software – before long, the document control systems that are used today came into being. The original versions were clunky, not very secure at all, and often not easy to use either. The cloud brought new features, while technology paved the way for a central system that could be accessed from any computer, anywhere in the world.

Of course, there is far more in the story from that point onwards. The cloud developed, smartphones came into everyday life, and computers changed too. But while it is true that document control will continue to evolve, it will always be in huge demand for just about everyone who uses documents.

Unless you work in an industry that has no customers at all, chances are good that you know just how important customer complaints management is in the working world.

You should know of course that unhappy customers equates to decreased business. You should also know that the opposite can be said too, in that you can increase business with happy customers.

But if you like to see things in terms of actual numbers and statistics, you may soon realise that far from being purely important, customer complaints tools are downright essential.

Let’s take a look at some shocking figures that were discovered recently during a customer service survey.

The True Impact of Customer Complaints Management

Ever heard the saying, “bad news travels fast”? In the world of business (and certainly within customer complaints management), this is sadly a straight up fact. An organisation called Zendesk surveyed 1000 people to find out how much customer service affected the attitude that shoppers have towards companies after having a good or bad experience.

Here’s what they found out…

• The big spenders are far more likely to boycott companies after a bad experience

A total of 39% of the survey group stated that they would avoid vendors for 2 or more years after bad service experiences. Of these, the highest percentage fell into the higher income group, at 79%. The next highest percentage by group is Generation X (aka the savvy tech generation), at 54%.

• Customers really like to talk about their experiences – especially the bad ones

A massive 95% of people surveyed stated that they share their bad experiences with people they know (including on their social channels). But only 87% people share their good experiences. It may not seem like a big difference, but it is still enough to show that customer complaints software may just come in handy.

•  Having a bad experience with a company affects sales directly (and negatively)

55% of the people surveyed stated that they would switch to a different company for that product or service after having a bad customer service experience with that company. And over 40% started that they tell others they know to avoid that company’s products or services too.

• Having an online platform to vent complaints is good news for customers, bad news for companies

Close to 90% of the people surveyed stated that they have read and been influenced by online reviews on Facebook, websites and other platforms during the decision making part of a purchase. Basically, that means that most people will not buy if they read bad things. It doesn’t stop there either – 45% started that they had shared negative experiences on their social channels, while just 30% shared the good experiences.

Still not entirely sure that these statistics can prove that you can indeed put a price on customer service issues? We came across a tool that actually calculates the direct costs (in real, actual income) of complaints, poor service and other customer related problems. Click here to work out how much that botched order process set you back a few months ago.

That, along with these rather surprising insights into how shoppers think, should be a very good indication of the value that can be found in customer complaints management tools.

You may think that document control is more of a handy tool than an essential security measure, but with the continued risks of data in cyberspace, it may be wise to take a closer look at just how secure your documents really are right now.

For companies who do not have a formal procedure that relates to the management of documents, this process is often handled in a more casual way. Many store documents on a shared server or network, while others prefer external drives as a ‘safe’ option. Cloud based backup systems are also becoming quite popular too, and while these are marginally safer than the manual backup route, they still leave a lot to be desired features-wise.

So, with that in mind, how does document control software fit into all of this?

Is Your Data at Risk Without Document Control Software?

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While there is no doubt that companies all over the world are embracing the document control revolution, there is still a bit of confusion in whether or not this should be ruled by a procedure based system, or whether the process itself is sufficient to bring about real changes.

First, it’s important at this juncture to point out that there is a difference between procedures and processes – it may not be a huge difference, but it certainly comes into play in these circumstances.

A process is a task – focused on actions, steps, goals and deliverables. A procedure meanwhile could be seen as a set of guidelines (or rules, if you must) that govern those processes.

So with that in mind, why is it then important to draft up some sort of procedure when you begin a document control system? And how do you go about putting this procedure together when the time arrives?

Document Procedure 101 – The Basics

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While it’s common knowledge that document control tools apply to typical desktop computers and even laptops, what about mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets?

As technology makes everyday life that much easier to integrate, the way that we do access information, files and documents also becomes easier. Back in the old days, data would have to be backed up and managed via disc (once upon a time, even floppy disks!). Then, there were flash drives and external drives.

These days however, the cloud has opened up a whole new array of possibilities – both for document control software and for information storage, access and management on a broader scale.

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