Today we discuss the need for best practices in document solutions. In a recent article in ImageSource titled Top 10 Industry Trends, authored by John Mancini, the President of AIIM, outlines what he believes to be the top 10 drivers within the DMS space… Let’s continue our discussion with the number 7 influencer in the DMS space this year:

7. An accelerating need for quantifiable best practices in the user community.  Why does every implementation seem to sound like it is starting from scratch? Haven’t we all collectively learned something that can be documented and shared without paying some consultant a ton of money? Is there some role that a magazine like imageSource can play in helping to aggregate all these end user successes?

John strikes on something very near and dear to my heart… Well, John I hate to break it to you but the simple reason there are very few (if any) published best practices is the simple fact that many solutions providers (formerly copier dealers) are sales driven organizations. Does the motto, “Let’s sell the solution first and figure out how to make it work later,” ring any bells?

Without being funny, there is some element of truth in this. Many solutions providers are still trying to figure out just how to sell a good solution that works and makes them money. Let me tell you, it was tough just to get a network survey to connect a copier. Can you imagine trying the change to the culture necessary to facilitate a well conceived and executed discovery process?

About the closest person I’ve seen to having the secret sauce is Darrell Amy, over at Dealer Marketing Systems, with his ProSolutions Bootcamp. I know there is the stigma of a high-priced consultant, but with all of the “dealer community” still trying to get their hands around document solutions it’s tough to come up with the entire process overnight. Darrell has some good talk tracks to tie some disparate sales processes and solutions processes in place. However, it’s still up to the dealer to come up with the installation and support processes. It might be possible to look to a vendor/manufacturer, but often times they do not hold your customers as dear as you might.

Most solutions providers are still struggling to get things going, and may even be in their first year of selling document solutions. The pain is tremendously high and the returns are not yet realized. Many will fall by the way side, but I have hope that John’s vision of a common collective of information might yet be available. I do wonder though, as protective as the dealer community is with it’s information, would this utopian vision of knowledge sharing become available?

Interestingly enough, I must say I’ve been impressed with the overall amount of knowledge sharing the community is willing to offer. Everytime I have asked for advice or information it has been offered quickly and happily. Of course, I’m not in direct competition with the those I’m asking either.

Here’s what it will take to achieve the knowledge share John references:

1. Higher level of maturation within the solutions provider ecosystem.

2. Established and/or dominant players at the provider level.

3. Consolidation of CMS/DMS vendors, thus providing a standardization of sorts.

4. A panel of representatives willing to organize the information (build and they will come).

The reason it feels like every implementation is starting from scratch is we have not yet even scratched the surface of the proverbial solutions path. With these four things, it might be possible to finally create some type of knowledge sharing system. Only time will tell…

Tomorrow we discuss number 8 on the list, the blurring lines of technology in the solutions arena.

Tags: best practices, EDM, John Mancini, knowledge sharing, Solutions Provider