I’ve spoken with many organizations over the past year, and one challenge stands out: managing the avalanche of digital documents in ERP and CRM systems.
We all know that ERP solutions are designed to streamline business processes, integrating departments like finance, sales, procurement, HR, and supply chain management.
However, even the most sophisticated ERP and CRM systems can only be effective if you can easily access the supporting documents to process an order or authorize vendor payment.
I suggest that file naming is the foundation of a successful document management implementation for your ERP system.
Let's review the importance of file naming and how it affects system efficiency, compliance, collaboration, and future-proofing the organization for scalability and growth.
The Vital Role of File Naming in ERP and CRM Systems
ERP and CRM systems are a company's operations hub, offering a central point of truth across all departments. This means that documents—such as invoices, purchase orders, reports, contracts, and legal documents—must be stored, retrieved, and shared seamlessly.
At the heart of this is the way files are named. We have all been there before. Having to search multiple systems and open several files to find a document.
Dynamics users can struggle with data retrieval if files are named inconsistently based on personal/departmental naming preferences.
Well-structured and consistently named files ensure that users across the organization can quickly find and utilize the documents they need, saving time and reducing potential errors.
Searchability
It can start with something as simple as an email requesting a copy of the contract or a request from an auditor. The search for documents related to a Vendor or Transaction begins.
ERP and CRM systems handle a massive volume of information and transactions, no matter how complex the products or services your organization offers.
File naming conventions can significantly impact searchability and, more importantly, the results when looking for that contract or audit information.
How often do you conduct multiple searches or open multiple files because colleagues have not consistently stored or named documents?
A proper system-based document management system will manage the naming structures for the user, ensuring consistency even from the sales team, which sometimes can cut corners, which will reduce search times and improve results.
Organizational Structure- Facilitating Collaboration and Cross-Departmental Workflows
Files need to follow a logical hierarchy within the ERP system. Naming conventions are the backbone that supports this structure.
Whether documents are organized by project, department, client, or a combination of factors, a well-defined file naming convention helps maintain order across all records. We've all experienced frustration when searching for files due to different departments where users name things differently.
Recently, I spoke with an organization that wanted to migrate about 3000 files from two separate offices stored in network folders and link them to Dynamics items.
Office A had created a separate folder on the network for each item and named the supporting documents consistently, which made for an easy transfer.
Office B, however, was a completely different story. All the files were stored within one folder marked "Item Support," nothing was named or labeled consistently. When I asked how they searched for documents in Office B, they responded that they typed the item number or document name and hoped for the best.
The company was growing, and they knew this disparity between locations was not sustainable, so they wanted to link them to a Dynamics record with a system that would programmatically name the documents to ensure consistency across all departments and locations.
Audit Trails and Document Access
Many ERP systems have built-in document management functionalities, but few offer standardized file naming.
Without consistency, creating clear audit trails becomes challenging, if not impossible. Consistent file naming helps document control ensure that every file is traceable back to its origin, with information on its purpose, creation date, author, and the ERP record it supports.
This naming should also allow you to assign system-wide restrictions to who can access certain types of files. When discussing the storage of documents containing sensitive information like W-9 or Credit Applications, a company often overlooks security. I often hear the words, "Good Point, I didn't think of that." when I bring this point up during a conversation.
Your organization's system should allow you to associate permissions to sensitive documents easily. Security can be increasingly crucial to an organization as it grows and needs to meet additional regulatory compliances.
Managing Increasing Complexity
With company growth comes complexity: more departments, clients, and projects. An ERP system's ability to scale hinges on how well it can manage increasing volumes of data.
If file names are not scalable and linked to the appropriate records, they can become an organizational bottleneck, leading to frustration and lost productivity.
Frequently, organizations will evaluate their document management needs based on one department or process, typically starting with Purchasing and Invoice processing.
This focus, however, may come at the detriment of other departments; when evaluating your document management needs, companies need to ensure the system they choose can scale to support the needs of all departments.
Conclusion: The Foundation of Efficiency
File naming may seem like a small detail in the grand scheme of things, but it is the key to success when implementing document management that is integrated into your CRM or ERP system.
A strong file naming convention is essential for improving searchability and organizational structure and ensuring compliance, collaboration, and future scalability.
ERP and CRM systems are only as good as the data they manage, and file names are a critical piece of that data.
Implementing a document management system that automatically handles the file naming convention for you ensures that these digital documents will remain an asset, not a liability, for years to come.
Author
About Mitch Brown: As the Director of Sales for Datahaven 365, Mitch is passionate about helping companies streamline their processes leading to savings in time, costs, and improved customer service.
Subscribe to his popular LinkedIn Newsletter, Paperless Musings to tame the chaos.
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