If you are a long-time user of scanning and document imaging technology, think back to when you first saw a piece of paper move through a scanner and end up as an image on the screen. That was pretty cool! Then you added a digital sticky note and sent the image and note to someone else in an email. You were on the leading edge of technology and the official 'most tech savvy' person in the office!
When is the last time you texted a photo to a friend? The same capability that your company probably spent close to $100,000 or more for in 1995, lives in your pocket andwe hardly think about how amazed our 1995 selves would be with such a gadget.
We’ve seen amazing improvements in technology over the years and as a result, our expectations of what technology should provide have also changed. We expect more! We expect faster! We expect reliability! And we should. With that in mind, it's important to recognize how technology has also changed in the software that your business relies upon. Here are a few questions to consider when evaluating whether an upgrade to your ECM is needed:
- Are you on a current and supported version of your software? If not, get there. The upgrades to current versions are often included in your support contract (services may be extra). If you are paying maintenance you are entitled to the current version. If you are on older versions you may end up paying a maintenance premium if you don’t get current!
- Are there features or functionality you wish you had? If something seems exceedingly complex in your current system, chances are there may be a better way. There could be a new feature release or a new solution that has the functionality you want. Many legacy ECM customers are looking for mobile applications, electronic form, and enhanced/automated data capture as examples.
- Are compatibility issues impacting your other IT initiatives? Cant upgrade your ERP system because it would break the integration with your ECM system? Can’t move to Windows 10 because older systems aren’t compatible? It happens! If your software version and compatibility is restricting your ability to modernize IT systems such as server operating systems, database versions, or others, it may be time for an upgrade.
- Are you having frequent support issues? one of the central reasons manufacturers release a new version of a particular software is to fix problems discovered in earlier versions. If you are spending too much time on support calls and the technician hasn’t already suggested, ask them if upgrading will help.
These are just a few of the factors to consider when deciding on whether to upgrade a software application. If you are considering an upgrade or migration to your ECM system, we'd be happy to help you further evaluate the choice. We have developed a core component evaluation which is a 3-hour deep dive into your system to help determine whether an upgrade is required, recommended, or simply something to consider moving forward. There is no charge for the evaluation; should you need to upgrade we can also help you with that.
