5 Best Practices for Combining Search and Cloud Document Management

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In the world of enterprise software, there’s a lot of talk about collaboration and integration. And for good reason—the ability to integrate different applications and services together can lead to big benefits in terms of cost, efficiency, and ease of use. But what does this look like in practice? How do you go about combining two software systems so that their combined power is greater than the sum of their individual parts? The answer is through collaborative workflow integration. Collaborative workflow integration involves integrating two or more software systems together so that users can work more efficiently on documents and files as they move from one system to another. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at collaborative workflow integration, why it’s important, and examples of how leading technology vendors are implementing it with cloud document management and search solutions.

What is Collaborative Workflow Integration?

Collaborative workflow integration is the practice of integrating two or more software systems together so that users can work more efficiently on documents and files as they move from one system to another. Collaborative workflow integration is often used by organizations that have employees who work remotely or with partners who are located in other locations. This is done through the implementation of an electronic workflow that allows users to send electronic documents back and forth between systems via secure connections. In the case of a cloud-based document management software solution, collaborative workflow integration is often achieved by setting up a link between the document management system and the workflow software. Once the link is set up, users can upload a document to the document management system and assign it a specific workflow step. The document can then be sent to the intended recipients either manually or via automated notifications. The recipients can then view the document in their workflow software and choose to accept or reject the document. If the recipients accept the document, the workflow software can automatically send a notification to the document management system to mark the document as “accepted” or “completed.”

Why is Collaborative Workflow Integration Important?

Collaborative workflow integration is important because it allows organizations to connect their existing software solutions together to create end-to-end workflows that improve business processes. This is especially important in the enterprise where complex business processes may require employees to share documents with each other and then track their progress through a series of steps. Collaborative workflow integration can help eliminate manual processes and improve efficiency.

Examples of Collaborative Workflow Integration

There are many examples of collaborative workflow integration. Some of the most common include: Send an electronic contract to a client, receive a signature, and send it back to the vendor : When a vendor receives an order from a client, they can send them an electronic contract. The vendor’s workflow management software can then send a notification to the client’s workflow software to let them know that the contract has been received. The client can then sign the contract electronically and send it back to the vendor’s workflow software. - Track the progress of a task : An employee works on a task and submits it to an enterprise project management software application. The employee can then assign that task to another employee who is working on a different project. - Send an email when a document is created : An employee creates a document in an office productivity software system like Microsoft Word. They can then configure the software to send a notification to an email address when the document is created.

Dropbox and Box: A Good Example of Collaborative Workflow Integration

Dropbox and Box are both cloud-based document management solutions that offer collaboration and workflow solutions. Dropbox has recently added an integration with Asana to its workflow platform while Box now offers an integration with Trello. These integrations are meant to allow users to easily create workflows between the two systems. With the Dropbox-Trello integration, for example, users can create a virtual board where they can add tasks associated with specific documents. Box users can then link those tasks to specific documents. This lets other users on the team know what needs to be done with the documents and when they need to be completed. As an example of a more advanced integrations, DocuSign and Microsoft Flow are now able to send and receive documents between the two systems. This integration allows users to create workflows that send documents from Flow to DocuSign, receive signed documents back from DocuSign to Flow, and track the progress of each document through the workflow.

Microsoft and DocuSign: A More Advanced Example of Collaborative Workflow Integration

Microsoft and DocuSign are two of the biggest names in enterprise-level software. And while both companies offer cloud-based document management solutions, they’ve also been working together to integrate their two technologies. You can now use Microsoft Flow to send documents from Microsoft Office to DocuSign. You can also create workflows that send documents from Flow to DocuSign to be signed before being sent back to Flow.

Summing Up

Whether it’s an integration with a workflow management application or a content management system, most document management vendors have added some form of collaborative workflow integration to their solution. However, the level of integration between vendor solutions varies greatly. It’s important for organizations to select a document management solution that offers the level of integration that best fits their organization’s unique business needs. Collaborative workflow integration is the key to unlocking the full power of any software solution.

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