How to Successfully Implement Document Automation Technology

How to Successfully Implement Document Automation Technology

So, you have decided that you are ready for document automation. Congratulations! For those just starting out on their journey, there are several things to consider for a smooth and efficient implementation process. But remember, more than anything else, the best path to successfully implementing your new technology is to stay curious, keep learning, and continue experimenting to experiment on what works best for you and your team. Here are some steps to put you and your team on the right path:

1. Start with simple, internal processes - It can be tempting to start your implementation process off by choosing big projects to automate. However, starting small eventually leads to bigger wins later, by first building confidence, skill and knowledge for creating new automation processes. For example, a common starting point with document automation begins with NDA generation, given its routine nature and ability to create quick and immense benefits to save time and decrease risks. For Air New Zealand, document automation took just four weeks to implement, to which they were able to immediately see the benefits by saving up to 60 minutes of work per NDA and turned legal into a powerhouse.
2. Test your solution early & often – After you have identified your automation project, it is important to test your new workflow frequently and share with your target users, even if your solution is only at the minimal viable product stage. Even at its earliest stages, it is critical for target users to provide feedback so you can keep iterating to accelerate them towards perfection. Additionally, it is important to identify or validate a document automation technology that is allows greater maintainability and is responsive to changes of all scale, without the reliance of IT, consultants or the vendor itself to step in each time you would like to implement a change.
3. Keep your end users in mind – Creating applications for your target end users is key to automation implementation success. The goal for starting the automation journey is to provide a better user experience to your organization’s stakeholders, so purposefully including them throughout the application development process, from design to deployment. Solution templates for document automation, review and approvals can be easily used to help map a sample user journey, guiding users through a streamlined document creation, approval and signing process from beginning to end.
4. Identify who will be your automation experts– There will be people on your team who will become the designated builders for your automation solutions. Identifying early on who your early adopters, experts and champions are will speed up the time it takes to implement the new software successfully. These individuals will be the subject experts of your new automation software and will be the developers who create new business solutions. The earlier you find them, the sooner you can get started.  
5. Work with IT to reach your goals faster – Even though automation can be achieved without the help of IT, their role in security and compliance should not be ignored. IT knows and understands your organization’s parameters when it comes to client privacy and cybersecurity. They can also be your biggest advocates in buy in for software automation solutions, as they understand the need for innovative, technological solutions.  

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Curious to learn more about how to facilitate successful implementation of your document automation technology? Schedule a meeting with us to get insights and advice for successful implementation.