Are you buying this?

Or this?

There’s a little “secret” in the world of software that, while most people intuitively understand, is often overlooked when actually identifying a solution. This secret is also very applicable in the document capture world.

What’s the secret you ask? You mean you don’t already know? Here, let me tell you: the time and cost to implement that software you just purchased (or rented) will probably cost three times the price you paid for the license itself…if you’re lucky.

Think about it. When you’ve brought-in a software solution, how many staff were assigned to implement it? Integrate it? Configure it? How long did it take?

The reality is that a lot of software out there is just a “bucket of features”. And if you make your purchasing decisions based upon a feature list, there’s a big chance you’re going to experience major headaches.

Even software-as-a-service offerings often end-up being the same features, just delivered within a browser. They still drag-along much (if not all) of the complexity save for the requirement to find your own servers.

True, most document capture solutions are made-up of very common capabilities. Scanner drivers, zone templates, data entry, quality control, administration, and literally hundreds more features. You should always know what capabilities you need and what you’re getting. But few RFPs I’ve seen or customer inquiries I’ve responded to ever consider the effort it takes to implement a solution. While many ask if certain timelines can be met, none of them ask a few simple questions: “What is the effort to process XYZ document?” or “What skill sets are required to install and configure the solution?”

Frankly, any company should be able to assign a staff member to design a basic form capture workflow, test it, and implement it without undergoing an intense education or certification, or learn a new computer language.

So remember, there is more to document capture than features. In most cases, it is more important to understand how the features will be applied to your specific problems and how complex is the effort? Ask to see how a document capture process is configured. Ask what skills are required. Ask to see your particular document in a demo and ask how long it took to create the demo. Trust me, you’ll save a lot of extra dollars and sleepless nights. 

Learn more about document capture software.