Despite the fact that enterprise content management (ECM) solutions are proven to help organizations increase processing speed, reduce error rates, control costs, and improve client satisfaction, you may still encounter people in your company who are opposed to your ECM initiative. And while their objections might seem on the surface to have some merit, the actual real-world outcomes of ECM implementations tend to put their criticism to rest.

Here are some examples.

Objection: “ECM implementations are too costly.”
Outcome: It’s not just talk that ECM implementations are an investment in more efficient operations. The minute you go live with your new system, the dividends start accruing. Very quickly the cost of the project recedes while the benefit of managing your digital content more effectively is apparent every day. Analyzing your productivity, efficiency, and operating costs before and after the implementation will help your organization see the positive results.

Objection: “An ECM system won’t necessarily solve underlying business issues.”
Outcome: While it’s true that ECM is not a panacea, the process of designing, preparing for, and implementing a content management solution definitely shines a bright light on existing operational challenges. And awareness is the first step toward resolution. Plus, although business process automation isn’t a fix in and of itself, it does free up resources that can then be directed toward correcting the underlying problems.

Objection: “People in our organization just won’t ‘get’ what the benefits of an ECM solution are.”
Outcome: The last thing you need when making a significant change to company operations is a bunch of “yes men” (or women). It’s much better for your project and for the company if there are those who question what you’re doing. Their skepticism forces you to continually assess whether you are doing all you can to make the initiative a success. In other words, your critics are some of your best allies!

Objection: “ECM systems require ongoing modifications to keep up with continually changing business processes and content.”
Outcome: Getting complacent is never a good thing. The need to keep your procedures, content, and ECM system in alignment is actually great incentive to stay on top of changes in our organization and your industry so you can react quickly.

Objection: “Having to learn new ways of interacting with our organization will lead to customer dissatisfaction.”
Outcome: People respect a company that is actively working to enhance its operations, and they understand that sometimes with progress comes a little pain. When they see the positive improvements that have resulted from your ECM implementations, they become some of your most vocal advocates.

Getting to the (Better) Bottom Line
In business, as in life, we tend to oppose things we don’t understand. The more you can do to educate your peers on the advantages of advanced content management practices, the easier they’ll find it to make the transition.

About the Author

Charles Weidman is the President and CTO of Buddha Logic. Charlie has over two decades of experience in the design, development and implementation of content services and business process management solutions. He is also an expert in robotic process automation. Charlie founded Buddha Logic with the idea that well-architected digital document capture and management processes are both beautifully simple and powerfully logical. Find and connect with Charlie on LinkedIn.