Custom document management software

Shared drives vs document management

Every business starts with a shared drive, and many never need more. Problems start when the folder structure depends on one person’s habits, when the same file exists in four places with different names, when nobody is sure which version is final, or when a client, auditor or inspector asks for every document related to one job and it takes a day to assemble.

Document management software organizes files around the things your business tracks, such as a client, property, employee, job or case, instead of around folders. It adds rules about who can see what, how long documents are kept, and which version is current.

What document management software needs to do

• Upload from web, phone camera, email and scanner, with documents filed against the right record.
• Document types and metadata, such as client, date, expiry or amount, so you can filter instead of browse.
• Full-text search, including text read from scanned documents.
• Version control with check-in, check-out and a clear current version.
• Permissions by role, team, client or document type, including external sharing with expiry.
• An audit trail of views, downloads and changes.
• Retention rules that flag or remove documents after a set period, with legal holds.
• Requests to clients or staff for missing documents, with reminders until they arrive.

Off-the-shelf document management vs custom

Microsoft SharePoint, Google Drive and Box handle storage, sharing and search well, and most businesses already pay for one of them. Dedicated document management systems such as M-Files add metadata, workflows and compliance features. Many industry products, from practice management software to property management systems, also include document storage for their own records.

Custom document management is worth it when documents are part of a process rather than just stored. Examples: a staffing agency that cannot place a worker until their licenses and forms are on file and current; a property manager collecting leases, inspections and insurance certificates per unit; a lender gathering a checklist of documents from each borrower. In those cases the value is in knowing what is missing, expired or waiting for review, and that depends on your own records.

What we build

• A document store tied to the records in your CRM, job system or app, so every file has a home.
• Required-document checklists per client, employee or job, with status and expiry tracking.
• A portal where clients or staff upload what you ask for and see what is still missing.
• AI document processing that reads incoming files, classifies them and pulls out key fields for a person to confirm.
• Review and approval steps for documents that need sign-off.
• Storage on secure cloud infrastructure, or integration with SharePoint, Google Drive or Box if you want files to stay there.
• Permissions, audit logs and retention settings that match your obligations.

Who needs custom document management

Accounting firms collect tax documents from hundreds of clients each season. Mortgage brokers gather pay stubs, statements and disclosures for every loan. Home health agencies and staffing agencies keep licenses, background checks and health records for every worker. Construction companies keep permits, drawings, inspections and lien waivers per project. In each case the documents arrive in pieces from outside the business, and the work is knowing what has arrived, what is missing and what has expired.

How a document management project works

1. Inventory the documentsWe list every document type you handle, where it comes from, who needs it and how long you keep it.
2. Model the recordsWe decide which client, job or case each document belongs to, and what details to capture.
3. Design the screensYou click through uploading, finding and reviewing documents before code is written.
4. Build and migrateWe build in rounds and move existing files from drives and folders, matching them to records as we go.
5. Launch and tuneYour team switches over, and we adjust document types, rules and permissions as you use it.