Dealership Document Management (DDM) systems are used for storing, retrieving, printing and forwarding (transmitting) documents, including technical manuals, vehicle sales, R.O.s, warranty claims, vehicle photos, and marketing brochures. The chart below highlights information provided by DDM vendors whose products are available to dealers. Additional product information is available at a vendor's Website via the Web link included in the company name.
Dealership Document Management Summary
Dealership Document Management System Definitions
1. Creation
How are documents created? This question becomes important when multiple people need to collaborate, and the logistics of version control and authoring arise.
2. Location/Storage
Where will documents be stored? Where will people need to go to access documents? Physical journeys to filing cabinets and file rooms are analogous to the onscreen navigation required to use a document management system.
3. Filing/Indexing
How will documents be filed? What methods will be used to organize or index the documents to assist in later retrieval? Document management systems will typically use a database to store filing information.
4. Workflow
If documents need to pass from one person to another, what are the rules for how their work should flow?
5. Retrieval
How will documents be found? Typically, retrieval encompasses both browsing through documents and searching for specific information. What kinds of information about documents are indexed for rapid retrieval? When, where and by whom are documents created, modified, published and stored?
6. Security
How will documents be kept secure? How will unauthorized personnel be prevented from reading, modifying or destroying documents?
7. Distribution/Publishing
How can documents be available to the people that need them?
8. Authentication
Is there a way to vouch for the authenticity of a document?
9. Retention Period
How long should documents be kept, i.e. retained? As organizations grow and regulations increase, informal guidelines for keeping various types of documents give way to more formal records management practices. How can documents be recovered in case of destruction from fires, floods or natural disasters?
10. Archiving
How can documents be preserved for future readability?
11. Versioning
Versioning is a process by which documents are checked in or out of the document management system, allowing users to retrieve previous versions and to continue work from a selected point. Versioning is useful for documents that change over time and require updating, but it may be necessary to go back to a previous copy.
12. Collaboration
Collaboration should be inherent in the system. Documents should be capable of being retrieved by an authorized individual. Access should be blocked to other users while work is being performed on the document to insure integrity of the document.