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The more advanced a technology becomes, and the greater the benefit it can provide an organization, the harder it is to shop for it.  Sellers of enterprise capture software know what it takes to demo a solution, convey the value, and close a deal.  Are you an innocent bystander in that process or are you participating?  As a consumer of advanced technology, thinking about how to become a better technology shopper is an important task.

All the ECM technologies have their own complexities when it comes to evaluating solutions.  Document imaging, I must admit, has the most.  If you are not ready to address all the aspects of a capture solution you may end up buying the wrong technology, or more commonly buying the right technology but utilizing it wrong. It’s your job as a shopper to make a plan as soon as capture is a twinkle in your eye.  And as a part of that plan you must include:

1. Evaluation of vendor support staff
2. Estimation of professional services cost and time
3. Evaluation of ease-of-use
4. Understanding of where a solution fits in the market landscape
5. Evaluation of how a technology performs on your documents in your environment

These are the items that, if not reviewed, can blind side you later. In order to evaluate a technology and build a guide line of what is acceptable and not you must clearly:

1. Know your end-users
2. Know your expectations
3. Know your documents
4. Know how you perceive accuracy
5. Know your business process
6. UNDERSTAND WHAT DOCUMENT IMAGING IS

The term “application” maybe has framed the process of purchasing capture software to be as easy as going buying a new video game, installing it, and having a blast.  The proper way to think about document imaging technology is as a solution or platform.  The good part of being a solution and platform is they have a lot more to offer a company that knows what they are doing over a boxed product.  The bad part is that it implies some additional effort on the buyer’s part.  Buyers put your thinking caps on and help yourself with a little planning and improvement in your buying skills.