What Software Is Used for Document Control? Overview and Buyer’s Guide

Document control software, also known as document management and document automation software, has become increasingly common in the business space. 

A wide variety of companies, from independent freelancers to billion-dollar enterprises employing thousands of people, use it to save time and financial resources. 

This article outlines everything you need to know to pick a document control solution that meets the specific needs of your business. 

What Is Workflow Automation Software?

Workflow automation software is used to boost the efficiency of document workflows. A comprehensive solution is capable of streamlining all aspects of a typical document lifecycle, including creation, delivery, signing and long-term storage. 

Document automation software usually has the following features:

• • Automation settings: These are used to send automated notifications for document approval, contact unresponsive recipients, and transfer data between different apps. 

• Electronic signatures: Electronic signatures improve the traditional pen-and-ink signing process substantially. 

• In-browser editing: Most apps have an in-browser editor. Basic editors are suitable for making tweaks while rich editors can be used to create whole documents from scratch. 

• Integrations with other apps: Document management apps are designed to integrate with other business platforms like CRMs, accounting solutions and analytics. 

What Are the Benefits of Streamlining Your Document Workflow 

Why have document management solutions become so popular? 

Here are four of the top reasons:

• Saves employee time: Because it automates menial tasks like data entry, often without the need for any human input, document automation software can save hours of employee time every week. 
• Cuts down on storage space: Storing paper documents is costly and takes up large amounts of floor space, especially for companies with a large client base. Online storage eliminates this problem. 
• Improves the customer journey: Electronically signing documents online is much easier for clients compared to printing and hand-signing documents. 
• Boosts document approvals: Because document management solutions remove the friction associated with the approval and payment process, close rates typically improve. 

Software to Control Your Document Workflow Processes: Top Three Picks

Here is our selection of three of the best providers in the document management space:

• PandaDoc: PandaDoc is one of the market leaders and offers a comprehensive solution that includes electronic signing, a rich document editor, in-depth analytics, automation, and a huge library of integrations. It also has the best long-term free plan that we’ve come across. 
• Proposify: As is implied in the name, Proposify focuses more on proposals and provides an extensive suite of tools for drafting powerful sales documents. It is slightly more costly than other solutions and is best suited to medium businesses. 

Agiloft: Agiloft is geared more towards the enterprise end of the market, with clients like the US Air Force and Timex. If you run a large organization, you should consider demoing a paid subscription.