WATCH THIS: Document Management Explained in 12 Seconds

There comes a point in every business' growth cycle when they encounter what we here at Cobb call the "document chaos" phase.

To best visualize this, minimize this window and look at your desktop. Does it look like a bomb filled with shortcuts and icons exploded? A messy combination of proposals, outdated Excel files and a picture of your dog?

Inevitably, without a strong document management system in place, companies can begin to embody that messy desktop. Efficiency is the first victim - a 2013 report by M-Files found that 50% of professionals spend their time at work searching for information. Additionally, employees spend an average of 18 minutes trying to track down each document. Unsurprisingly, these losses add up. Surprisingly, for knowledge workers like physicians, engineers, accountants and lawyers, the losses can add up to $19,732 per worker.

Is your company on the verge of document chaos? Here are a few signs that you should start to consider a document software solution:

The majority of your internal document exchanges occur via email.
Although email can be a great way to exchange non-sensitive information with prospective clients and other external entities, relying on an email document workflow for internal documents can raise a few issues. Cluttered email boxes can bog down your computers and servers, and multiple versions of a single document can lead to future collaboration mistakes.

Different versions of your AP, HR and Sales documents exist.
Nothing can be more frustrating for a team than multiple versions of an essential document like your sales proposal or new hire forms. If your team has resorted to saving specific files on their local server, this opens the door for, among other things, critical errors due to outdated information.

As always, be sure to put in the proper time to research before investing in a document management software for your team. There are hundreds of options to choose from, but more often than not there's only one that can fit your organization properly. If you're currently on the hunt for a new document management solution, we've got your back. Be sure to leave comments below or contact us directly - we'd be more than happy to lend our insights to help your organization overcome document chaos.