Document Creation Explained: How to Create, Send, and Store Documents In One Convenient Location
MHC Marketing 
Written: August 27th, 2019 Updated: February 17th, 2023
Why do something manually that technology can automate for you?
From creating and generating documents to the way you send and store them within your system, there is a better way to meet your needs.
Document creation software allows you to create, send, and store your documents from a central location.
Let’s look into the benefits of automated document creation, why your company should implement these practices today, and what you’ll achieve from doing so. Keep reading to make the most of your organization’s document management strategy.
WHAT IS DOCUMENT CREATION – THE BASICS
The first thing to determine is what you expect your organization’s documents to achieve. For instance, are you designing documents for internal communication and records? Or are you creating a receipt template to give consumers?
Take the time to be clear about your goals when it comes to document creation. It is in your best interest to include your other team leaders and employees in those discussions. They might give you valuable insight to optimize workplace operations.
Use document templates to ease the creation workflow with the assembly features of document creation software, it’s easy to organize and manage those templates. That way, you and your employees have easy access to them.
Making The Case for
Automated Document Creation Software
First, let’s look into why automation is a necessary component of running a successful business. When it comes to managing the sheer number of documents within your company, doing so manually leaves room for human error. No one is perfect and mistakes happen.
That’s why document creation software helps you make fewer mistakes during document development. It also prevents mistakes in the way documents are sent and ensures the most up to date documents are available to your customers or workforce.
Picture this. You have a document that needed revisions. You made those revisions and emailed out the new version. However, the old one is still in circulation.
Over time, some people end up using the new document but others still reference the old one. Maybe they misplaced the email or didn’t save the new version. At any rate, email is not an effective way of managing your company’s documents. Emails are too easy to overlook and lose.
To stay ahead of any market competition, optimize workplace efficiency. Be willing to make your document development process more efficient in the future by using automated document creation, which can save your organization a ton of time.
This type of software gives complete control to the users. Need to send hundreds of documents in bulk? Document creation includes assembly, a feature that enables you to build complex document packages. Do you want to edit your customer estimate form to reflect the new year? Just use your document creation software producing documents has never been easier.
MHC Document Automation Buyer’s Guide
Discover MHC’s document automation solution! Learn how to streamline the design, generation, assembly and distribution of business-critical communications with us!
The Benefits Of Automating Your
Document Creation Process
By automating the way you create, review, approve and send your documents, you save your company the time and effort it takes to manually do this task.
By having a wealth of information at your fingertips, you’ll also get information to customers faster, meaning better service and happier customers. Another consideration to make if you currently use manual processes is what to do as your business grows. If you create and send out documents manually, when you acquire more customers or employees this will lead to burnout quickly.
An automated document creation system should be scalable enough to grow with your business. As your business expands, the system will adapt to accommodate your changing business needs. Or, if you experience seasonal changes and increases in demand, it will support those without the need for extra time and costs.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A CENTRALIZED LOCATION FOR ALL DOCUMENTS
Rather than relying on email communications to send documents, a centralized location for your data will keep them in one place. It also makes revision control a part of the document management cycle.
You can keep other data, like logos and images, within the system so they’re easy to access.
By leveraging a document creation system to keep this information in a single location, you mitigate the risk of having multiple versions of the same document. You also avoid having those outdated documents distributed to the public or within your organization.
Look for a system that enables you to create document templates and keep them in a centralized location. These allow you to reduce the time it takes to draft new documents from scratch.
They also ensure that your documents are standardized, consistent, and align with the look and feel of your organization. Also, when changes happen, they are automatically updated across each document.
EASE OF USE WITH A DOCUMENT CREATION WORKFLOW
To simplify your document creation workflow, using templates is essential. These templates define the look and the data of the document. It takes branding, formatting (whether PDF, Word or other) templates for either electronic or paper, and other factors into consideration.
Some companies rely on the IT department for this task, but that takes time away from them accomplishing other time-sensitive, critical tasks within your organization. It also costs your business more money to have an in-house IT team to create new templates and then build them as needed.
Using document creation software makes it possible for the user to develop these templates without IT involvement, which frees this department up to do other tasks and eliminates the cost of IT involvement. You’ll save both time and money!
Read more about Version Control Software
SEND DOCUMENTS IN BATCH OR ON-DEMAND
Not only is the way you create and approve documents automated, but the way you send them is too.
You can use document creation software to run high-volume batch jobs to negate the need to individually send out these documents. Some examples of documents that can benefit from batch processing include invoices and company reports.
You can also send out documents on-demand as needed. For example, individual statements or customer quotes can be sent as needed when requested.
Find out more about Batch and On-Demand Communications
REVIEW AND APPROVAL WORKFLOW TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE
Once you have your templates created, you want to make sure they comply with your operational standards. With a document creation system, you get an automated review and approval workflow, which ensures that all templates will go to all necessary parties for approval before the template is available for use.
To make this task easier, a checklist is beneficial for streamlining the process and ensuring that you miss nothing in the review and approval stages.
FOCUS ON USER EXPERIENCE (UX)
Perhaps the most significant tip to remember when creating documents is prioritizing UX. Whether it’s yourself, an employee, or a customer, the user of your document needs to have a clear objective. This goes hand-in-hand with not putting unnecessary elements in your business documents.
You might even invest in focus groups to determine a more thorough UX of your business’s communication strategy. Optimizing your business’s documents can help profit margins stay on track for continued growth. Make sure they’re the best versions they can be.
Discover the Benefits of Customer Experience Automation Software
CONSIDER SEEKING FEEDBACK FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES
As you’re determining what to include in your organization’s documents, be willing to ask for help. After all, your employees and customers will be using these documents, too.
When you’re ready to start thinking about creating or updating your document template, develop a small survey. Pass it out to employees or customers to gauge their preferences and frustrations when interacting with your business. In fact, this strategy can help foster genuine connectivity with your consumers.
In addition, your employees will appreciate the chance for their voices to be heard. Seeking their feedback can foster loyalty to your organization throughout the future. That employee loyalty, in the long run, is going to be an invaluable asset.
Is there room for improvement on any of your organization’s existing document templates? With a modern document creation solution, you can update those with just a few clicks of a button.
Discover how Improving Employee Engagement Boosts Customer Experience
DOCUMENT AUTOMATION DEMO
Discover Our Document Automation Solutions
Enterprise organizations need effortless, reliable document automation solutions that work when and how they need them. Experience the difference with MHC. Get a free demo today!
Tips for Choosing the Best Document Creator
Using a document creator can help you achieve the 3 C’s: customer-journey consistency, emotional consistency, and communication consistency. Document automation can increase productivity, streamline document composition processes, and reduce human error. The company’s benefit relies on selecting effective document creator software. Discover the key features to look for when making your choice.
1. LOOK FOR HIGH-QUALITY TEMPLATES
Utilizing the same templates throughout your organization increases customer satisfaction. If expectations are not met, discord may result. Customers expect to receive the same service throughout a company.
Thus, it’s important to choose a document creator with well designed, high-quality baseline forms and templates. It must also come with a best-in-class, easy-to-use visual design tool to modify document templates, or to create your own. This will allow consistent form development and promotes your company’s professionalism.
2. MAKE SURE THE PRODUCT INCLUDES CENTRALIZED ASSET MANAGEMENT
All companies gain value by centralizing the control and management of assets. This ensures a consistent experience for customers across departments or locations. Yet, you must balance brand consistency with fitting into the local market.
For some industries, documents and templates contain links to precedented or regulatory information. In the legal sector, for example, documents need to contain current court precedents. Even in manufacturing, precedents such as VAT must remain up to date.
Ensure that the document creator software can create business-wide centralized control and streamline processes. It must also be flexible to meet the needs of various parts of the organization. Last, make sure that it can seamlessly update documents with current precedents or regulations.
3. ENSURE THAT THE PLATFORM IS EASY TO USE
To gain organization-wide buy-in, the platform must be intuitive and easy to use. This will decrease the time required for the changeover process. In turn, it will speed up your return on investment.
You must also be able to create a user interface that’s easy for the customer to use. The products should match the customer’s language, tone, and preferred medium. This enhances customer communication and loyalty.
4. CHOOSE AN AUTOMATED DOCUMENT ASSEMBLY TAILORED TO YOUR BUSINESS
Look for an automated document assembly solution that can be tailored to your specific industry. Once again, this will allow a quicker return on your investments and on-the-ground product applications.
Desirable document automation and assembly software allows documents to be generated automatically using intelligent templates. This technology can create complex documents in a fraction of the time. The intelligent automation also decreases human errors.
Find software that prompts the user to input information as the document generates. The user should be able to make choices about the final product as well. Also, make sure it can manage conditional branching and limit language according to user preference.
5. CHECK FOR CUSTOMER SELF-SERVICE FUNCTIONALITY
In some cases, you might want to incorporate client self-service functionality. For businesses that use a self-service element for third parties or clients, you must ensure that the document creator you choose includes this component.
On-demand or self-service features allow customers to access data, storage, software, and other resources at any time. Having a user-friendly interface allows your customers to find easily information and communicate with your business.
These business applications should perform high-volume repetitive processes in an automated environment. Examples include statements, invoices, or reports sent out monthly or yearly. You may even want to set limits based on your business environment.
6. EXPLORE THE PRODUCT’S ABILITY TO CUSTOMIZE
Digital document management systems can decrease the time and effort spent creating complex workflow processes. Look for a package that automates the workflow but allows you to customize it for your needs.
Find out if the software can create, assemble, and deliver documents to clients. Then, can it provide receipts verifying that packages were received in the desired format? Customers may want to print the package, access components online, or receive PDFs or emails.
These programs often assist in creating and enforcing business policies. Automated systems should collect and process data and review and approve submissions.
7. LOOK FOR PRODUCTS THAT OFFER FILLABLE FORMS AND PDFS
Provide access to fillable forms or PDFs increases customer satisfaction. No more printing, completing, faxing, or scanning forms for submission. The customer can simply go to the forms, complete, and submit them.
This decreases turnaround time for completing business services for all parties. Forms do not get forgotten or lost. It also ensures that you are providing customer data privacy.
8. PRIORITIZE SUPPORT
Migrating to a largescale and pivotal document creation and management system requires 24/7 access to tech support. If your business relies on this automated software to meet customer needs, there can’t be delays. When evaluating a product, ask about IT support responsiveness. Also, find out if they charge extra for support services or service contracts.
Make The Best of
Document Creation Software with MHC
To optimize productivity, your employees need sensible and effective document templates. That’s where a proper document creation software system can be of benefit. Your organization needs a way to store, manage, and design its documents with ease. It’s also worthwhile to make sure your employees are well-trained in this document management system. That way, they can continue to help improve workplace productivity throughout the future.
At MHC, we create software for companies striving to develop honest, one-on-one interactions with their customers. We are here to help you streamline document production. We offer a variety of document creator tools to meet your needs. By improving your business’s document processing efficiency, you will realize increased profitability. This will come through increased customer satisfaction as well as employee performance. Increased workflow combined with decreased processing time leads to increased revenue. To start, request a demo and try out our services for yourself!
