Restricted access to data, difficulties in meeting compliance guidelines and inadequate cooperation between departments – you can overcome these challenges with an ECM. An ECM implementation offers solutions for tedious and time-consuming work processes, saving resources and ensuring that your company adapts to modern market standards.
2025-04-17 – Christian Mennrich-Ketelsen
The advantages of ECM mean that companies want to integrate the system into their business as quickly as possible. This often results in the implementation being carried out carelessly. The introduction of an ECM requires planning. It is therefore worth having a look at the potential difficulties of ECM implementation:
Companies often rush to introduce new software solutions into their work structure in order to reap the benefits as quickly as possible. This leaves no time to train employees adequately.
The system works with the requirements you specify. Your company should clearly define the needs that the ECM is intended to cover in advance, otherwise the system will not serve your business purpose.
With a new ECM, you need to rethink your approach, as it creates a new work structure in your company. Sticking to familiar work processes hinders the productivity of the software.
Implementing new software requires a strategy that the entire company adheres to. An ECM is constantly evolving and therefore needs a roadmap that clearly defines the objective.
Gathering information for the introduction of ECM is essential in order to be prepared for the costs involved. If this preparation is insufficient, costs may arise during implementation that exceed your budget.
The implementation of new software must be legally compliant. Failure to meet compliance guidelines can result in fines or lost customer trust. Therefore, consider compliance requirements when selecting a provider.
Proper planning is essential for the smooth integration of ECM software into your company. Be clear about the requirements that the ECM must meet, the long-term goal of the implementation, and the risks involved.
Successful integration requires a needs analysis. It is important to involve all affected departments in the discussion and work together to identify the requirements that the ECM system should meet.
Clearly define how the ECM should support your company and how you will benefit from the software in practice. ECM supports you in digitising documents, automating manual work processes and monitoring adherence to compliance guidelines.
Intensive onboarding and training of your employees is important when introducing a new system. Users should be involved in the development process to ensure they are able to use the software confidently. An ECM changes your work structure and shapes collaboration within your company.
The integration of your ECM begins as soon as you introduce your software. To access the data and documents managed in your existing programmes, you need to connect your ECM to your existing systems.
To get the most out of your ECM, check the system regularly and keep it up to date. The software is a living IT system that is constantly evolving. That’s why it’s important for your company to grow with your ECM. Regular training courses for employees support correct use and increase efficiency in your company.
Shareflex ECM Online is the intelligent solution for document-centric business processes with Microsoft 365. Whether file and document management, contract management, document control or complaint processing in quality management or incoming invoice processing – Shareflex offers you standardised and ready-made solutions for your individual challenges.
Many employees in companies without an ECM system complain about inadequate IT infrastructure that makes their work unnecessarily difficult. Manual data exchange, mountains of paper in the office and time-consuming work steps hamper sales and reduce productivity. Successful companies depend on fast and efficient workflows and benefit from ECM – regardless of their industry.
ECM supports document management in hospitals and medical practices. Sensitive patient data such as medical reports or image files are stored in patient files. An ECM digitises this data, selects it from different sources and stores it in one place. The software can be combined with common healthcare standards such as HL7, IHE, DICOM, xDT, SAP ArchiveLink or CMIS, enabling easy integration into familiar work applications.
The ECM system automates many business processes and takes care of contract management, invoice processing and mechanises audits. It scans, organises and archives content in a cloud. This ensures more efficient working methods, saves time and reduces the workload for employees.
ECM centrally consolidates important documents from construction projects in a digital construction file. Construction projects are often confusing due to the large number of people involved. To ensure that a project is successful, ECM supports planning with an automated construction log in which important data such as evaluations and calculations are recorded in one place.
There are many ways in which an ECM system can be used in your company. Once you have decided to implement one, it is important to prepare carefully in order to make the most of its features. To avoid mistakes, we recommend comprehensive consulting to support you with the integration of the software. An ECM saves both time and money. It standardises digital work processes and increases the productivity of your employees.
If you already have a Microsoft 365 strategy, Shareflex is the right ECM for your company. It integrates seamlessly into your existing Microsoft 365 environment, giving you full control over all your data and documents at all times. You also benefit from comprehensive compliance guidelines and have access to the entire M365 infrastructure, new features and AI functions.
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How long does it take to implement an ECM system?
The technical installation of an ECM system usually takes between 15 minutes and an hour. However, it can take several weeks until the system is fully integrated into a company. This is also necessary to ensure proper use of the software.
How do I find the right ECM system for my company?
To make it easier for you to decide which ECM is right for your company, clarify in advance what requirements you and your company have for the system. During the consultation, make sure that the system suits you and your expectations.
Which departments should be involved in the implementation?
Before implementing an ECM, intensive discussions within the various departments of the company are necessary. The versatile areas of application of the software mean that it must be ensured that the ECM system can be used effectively in almost all areas of the company.
How do AI and automation contribute to ECM?
ECM can simplify manual tasks by automating them with AI. For example, you can categorise documents and capture metadata by having AI recognise and understand the content of the documents. This reduces the workload for employees and saves your company a significant amount of time and money.
Hamburg, 17 April 2025
Author: Christian Mennrich-Ketelsen
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