Documotive EDM integration management overview
Increasingly, traditional methods of handling paperwork and electronic files do not generally allow staff the speed of access to information that modern business practices demands. The vulnerability to misfiling, loss and destruction - accidental or otherwise - are also important catalysts in moving away from any reliance on paper records. Electronic Document Management (EDM) is the method by which a paper document (made electronic by scanning) or an existing computer file is indexed to a storage location and is then easily accessible over the network or internet using logical search criteria. The ability to handle large and sometimes complex flows of information quickly and efficiently can frequently be the factor that differentiates a successful housing organisation.
Civica Cx Housing now supports the retrieval of contact- and asset-related document files stored in the EDM solution, Documotive. The foundation of Documotive is based on the normal office environment and its established procedures. Documents initially arrive in electronic baskets that mimic the in-box on an end user's physical desk, and their journey is progressed in the normal way e.g. sorting the document into a specific basket, stapling or clipping them together, adding notes, comments, signatures and stamps. From these baskets the documents are stored in digital filing cabinets, forming the document pool. It is from these 'cabinets' that Civica Cx Housing is able to retrieve the relevant documents using a standardised referencing convention. The Documotive solution manages the storage, flow and accessibility to all types of documentation within a housing organisation, providing an intelligent repository to maintain the content and necessary folder referencing values. It also supports flexible and offsite working through the provision of remote access to all such documents held in an EDM store. As many housing organisations seek to continue to deliver more for less and increase their efficiency, Documotive enables staff to eradicate unnecessary journeys to the office simply to retrieve documents that can now be made available remotely.
The sharing of documentation between Documotive and Civica Cx Housing is achieved through the configuration of a dedicated Integration Management service. This service defines the controlled touch points between the two systems, enabling end users with appropriate access privileges to configure all forms and action buttons from where externally-held documents can be retrieved. Specifically, the View Documents button, accessible within Contact Details, Asset Details and the Asset Summary form will retrieve directly from Documotive all stored content that matches the unique reference for an entity record in current focus.
Separate help articles have been created for each key aspect of Documotive EDM integration management, including: