SharePoint Online Customizable Elements: DMS

With all businesses now going remote, document management has become an even more pressing challenge than ever before. Companies are now looking to invest in a reliable, innovative document management portal that goes beyond pure storage and cloud facilities. Effective collaboration between employees is critical for the success of every business considering remote work. This is not limited to accessing and sharing documents. It goes beyond to co-author articles, collaborate on tasks and projects, share and present solutions and manage all access securely.

Nobody has the time to manually manage folder structures on networks anymore. Not only are these tasks time consuming, tiresome, and complicated, they are also impractical in the current business landscape. Would you want to spend hours navigating file paths? Or saving files for customers? All these tasks belong in old age now.  SharePoint has taken up these tedious tasks, freeing up personnel to focus on other essential tasks.

 It is a known fact that SharePoint is a platform that allows for extraordinary customizations across multiple portals to serve its users more effectively. The out-of-box customized content, for example, item related data, etc. are communicated to users in the requested timeframe.

Then there are website customizations that allow users to deliver personalized and targeted content to consumers. Further capabilities enable specific product-targeted access features that result in excellent customer coverage and ROI for the user.

SharePoint is indeed a remarkable tool that has opened new possibilities in the world of data integration, collaboration, and customization.

The customization abilities of SharePoint enable users to create multiple solutions that integrate with the organization’s on-going processes. The solutions range from intranets to portals to document management to ticketing, etc. However, the extent of the customization will always depend on what type of solution the company needs. For example, if the company is looking to implement a DMS solution, then customization needs will be less. This is because SharePoint is designed to fulfill content management needs in the first place. However, if an organization needs to develop a help desk system, the configuration will be extensive.

SharePoint configurations are a good idea in the wake of all the current economic uncertainty. Many companies are solving various business problems by implementing them. For example:

• Employee Disconnect and Resistance. 

Often, when new systems are introduced in an organization, it is difficult for employees to get on board. They might find the system overwhelming. However, with customizations, organizations can create convenient UX and intuitive UI that make the processes simpler for employees to understand. This also effectively helps reduce problems with performance. Once the employees are on board, they can effectively benefit from AI enabled features and boost their performance.

• Disintegrated workflows.

Say goodbye to disintegrated workflows because SharePoint will streamline your business processes. With customizations, you can enjoy smooth operations and integrated systems. An excellent example of this is how SharePoint and CRM integration allows for automated data insertion into contract templates! This diminishes the need for manual entry and the likelihood of problems such as duplication, overwriting, etc.

• Transfer data and workflows efficiently.

If you want the transfer of your data and workflows to go smoothly, you need customizations.  Customization will allow you to seamlessly transfer content and workflows along with custom features when you migrate the SharePoint solution to the cloud or to a newer version, perhaps.

• Overcome compliance regulations. 

Regulations can be a real pain when it comes to literally anything. Customization allows users to develop a hybrid environment through on-premises and cloud deployments. This is beneficial for businesses in the health care industry who are bound by federal or state laws like HIPAA to maintain patient information on their premises.

The next question is, what should we customize? That is a simple one! Here’s a list of all of SharePoint’s configurable/customizable elements:

• Design: You can configure various SharePoint features under the design umbrella, such as logos, master pages, styles, colors, and page layouts. This enables companies to create a unique look for their brand.
• Navigation:  Menu configuration will empower users to access relevant information instantly. Users will be able to add, edit, or delete links on a communication/hub site, etc. This is mostly handled through taxonomy so administrators could change menu items as they add more content to the intranet portal.
• Page content: With customization, custom layouts for web pages can be designed along with the ability to add custom web parts. Additionally, custom SharePoint add-ins can be made to help the company with numerous tasks.
• Workflows. Custom-built workflows can be modified to automate processes. . SharePoint workflows can help approve SharePoint page content. Tools such as Microsoft Flow, SharePoint Designer, and Visual Studio can also be utilized to create new custom workflows.
• Forms. Custom forms can be designed using apps like Microsoft Forms or perhaps PowerApps for polls and surveys.

Conclusively, SharePoint has a great deal to offer companies when it comes to customization options for workflows, designs, and other digital workplace elements. Companies that already use SharePoint can create diverse business solutions with the help of a solution provider like AlphaBOLD. AlphaBOLD’s SharePoint experts can help these companies with out-of-the-box configurations, security controls, security assessment, and SharePoint governance. Our BOLDRoute methodology provides an all-rounded solution that augments SharePoint performance, security, and stability while reducing the deployment’s TCO and ROI. Contact us to find out more!