Want to know why document management software and Monty Python have numerous commonalities?
“How do you know that she’s a witch?”
“… Because she looks like one!”
When it comes to document management software and the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, one may not think the two have much in common. However, they really do.
For instance, although some of the film’s scenes appear to lack any logical sense, they capture the imagination and stimulate creativity. The scene that seems to resonate most with audience members is when some villagers accuse a woman of witchcraft.
This blame game is often played in the office when it comes to files. People blame their co-workers for misplacing information, but document management software tools can solve that problem.
During an important scene in Monty Python, the company has a rather absurd way of debating whether a woman is fit for burning for witchcraft, including many outrageous qualifications, from dressing her up to comparing her body weight with a duck’s. To the audience, it’s just a funny joke, right?
Well here’s the thing – you treat your file cabinets the exact same way 40 hours per day, 5 days per week.
You have illogical debates with yourself on why your cabinet is necessary, and why you shouldn’t go paperless. And the irrational arguments become increasingly ingrained in your psyche with the passing of time.
But the days of denial are over. This post will deconstruct your illogical debates, and show why your file cabinet is just like the witch you should abhor; it must burn at the stake, and afterward, every organization should opt for document management software.
Document Management Software Debate 1: “Did you dress her up like this?”
In the beginning of this iconic scene, a group of villagers dress a woman in witch’s clothing and present her to their Knight, claiming she needs to be burned for witchcraft. To steady their case, they tied a fake nose to her face and gave her a hat, hoping this would convince the Knight.
However ridiculous their reason sounds, people do something similar with file cabinets. It’s a constant stream of cleaning them out, buying entirely new cabinets, and spending a great deal of time and money trying to find new and more effective organization hacks.
These are just a few examples of “dressing” your cabinet up like something it’s not. And maybe it is organized for a small period of time, but how long will that last?
The Knight leading the debate with the villagers quickly undressed the witch hat and nose from the woman and saw her for what she was… An average villager girl.
That’s just how your useless file cabinets work. For a time, they appear to be functional, but you can only stuff so many papers between their folders before documents get lost or misfiled, and you mentally devolve into a maddening haze of inefficiency – a typical byproduct of failing to rely on document management software’s tools.
The fix?
Don’t just make your file cabinet look like it’s functional; find one that is (which means you should be searching for an electronic file cabinet with document management software). It’s so simple, you’ll wonder why you hadn’t used one before.
Document Management Software Debate 2: “How do we tell whether she is made of wood?”
In this clever debate, the villagers in Monty Python attempt to think of how they can decide if the woman is made of wood, and they eventually come to the conclusion that wood floats. Guess what doesn’t float…
File cabinets.
Your files are sinking and they’re sinking fast in their cabinet cage, especially without a document management system.
The fact that they don’t float might prove that your file cabinet is not a witch (surprise, surprise), but it does prove you need a solution. You don’t have to drown in waves of documents and lose all sense in your office.
All you need to correct the issue is document management software. It will never sink below the chaos of organization, and it will never leave you if you don’t want it to. With mobile apps and platforms from top document management software vendors, you can take your files with you anywhere. As long as you have internet service, you have access to the cloud-based options.
It’s a great way to not worry about where you put that one document and doubles as a helpful tool if you forget to print it before a meeting.
The benefits are getting clearer, but there’s still one more point to be made.
Document Management Software Debate 4: “If… she… weighs the same as a duck.. she’s made of wood, and is, therefore, a witch!”
This is by far the most illogical of the points made in the Monty Python joke spectrum.
The men’s claim is that if they compare her weight to a duck’s and she weighs the same, that will prove that she’s made of wood, and being made of wood proves that she is, in fact, a witch.
Now, anyone watching this scene could clearly see the missteps in reason in this entire sentence, but if you rely on paper-based business processes, you’re guilty of the same reasoning. Of course, you aren’t talking about comparing the weight of your file cabinet to the weight of a duck, but you might weigh it against a digital document management system.
Some of your arguments could include:
- I’m set in my ways, and I’m not changing.
Well if that’s the case, there are easy ways of changing to a paperless office that don’t invoke stressful feelings or require you to do too much all at once. You simply take baby-steps toward the goal, and the rest will fall into place.
- Holding large stacks of paper makes me feel accomplished.
A stack of paper is rewarding, but how often do you actually open that file cabinet, take everything out, and hold it between your hands to congratulate yourself on all your taxes, contracts, and everything else?
The organization you can achieve with document management solutions makes you feel just as accomplished as holding the papers because you can see the results of your labor. And as an added benefit, you don’t lose your sanity when you achieve your information management goals.
- Document management software isn’t secure, and my information is sensitive.
Don’t knock it till you try it – or at least learn about it. With secure, bank-grade encryption file sharing, document software management is the safest possibility for your files.
These are just a few examples of what your argument might be. And in theory, they make sense (if sense means comparing the weight of a woman to the weight of a duck when trying to prove the woman is a witch).
Everyone has doubts, but you shouldn’t fear them. You should embrace them.
“Tell me, what do you do with witches?”
“Burn them up!”
It’s time to be like the villagers of The Holy Grail and set the file cabinets to flame. When you let go of the illogical debates invoked for these space-wasting file holders, you don’t have many other reasons to not opt in for document software management.