How Modern Teams Automate their Document Collection Process
One of the most significant changes for businesses over the past couple of decades has been how the document collection process has been transformed. The earlier process was mostly paper-driven document collection, which involved file storage and in-person document submission. With digitization and cloud storage this process has seen a marked shift to a completely paperless document flow and virtual repository.
While rapid technological advancement for document digitization has taken place in the background, not all businesses have been up to speed to adopt the latest tools to automate their document collection.
I am listing some of the commonly used methods to collect documents by businesses from their customers and the pros-cons for each.
- Email: Collecting documents over email is a very old approach where customers send scanned documents to businesses over email
Pros: No dedicated tool required, Hassle-free process for customers
Cons: Multi-step manual process, Data Privacy & Safety risk, Limited file size - WhatsApp: Lately, a lot of businesses are engaging customers over WhatsApp business accounts. Sending documents has become simpler with this method.
Pros: No separate tool required, WhatsApp reach
Cons: Multi-step manual process, Data Privacy & Safety risk, Limited file size - Cloud Storage File: Common file storage tools like Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive offer features to enable businesses to collect files from customers and store them in their drives
Pros: Better data security, Easy to use, Cloud Storage
Cons: No Automated Workflow, No Checklist, Changes are difficult - Online Forms: One can use form products like TypeForm, Jotform, etc to create a custom checklist of the document to be collected.
Pros: Checklists, Organised, Custom interfaces
Cons: No Automated Workflow, Changes are difficult
While the above solutions to varying degrees address document collection flow and storage but leave a lot to be desired in organizing the entire document collection lifecycle.
- Document collection links shared manually
- Workflows are missing
- Common storage folder access is a data privacy concern
- Modifications in documents are not addressed
Build an automated solution for the document collection lifecycle
- Document Collection Forms: Create custom document collection forms with a pre-defined checklist
- Unique URLs: Option to have a sign-in/no-sign-in unique URL for each form linked to the customer's lead in the database
- Pre-configured Hotkeys: One-click Hotkeys to trigger document collection form links to customers from the interface
- Real-time sync with Database: As the customer uploads and submits the documents, it should sync with the system database specific to the customer
- Data Privacy & Security: Limit access to document access to relevant stakeholders only. For example, only the sales agent managing a customer lead can access and view documents shared
- Workflows: The system should have the capability to build automated workflows for multi-party scenarios like document verification, approvals, and so on.
- Document Management Tracking: Both internal team members and customers should be able to track the status of documents uploaded and check the status of each of the documents. Any modifications required should be easy for a customer to upload a new document copy
- Communications & Notifications: The system should have the ability to send communications across all channels e-mail, WhatsApp, SMS, etc. It should have the capability to trigger instant notifications to keep customers updated.
Chakra Sales is a modern sales execution solution to productize your sales process from Lead to Order, eliminating manual activities and multiple data entries. By integrating all associated tools, Chakra Sales creates a unified interface for sales activities with automated data capture and activity logging.
If you are looking for a customized sales solution for your fast-growing organization, do consider a free demo with Chakra Sales.