8 Benefits of SharePoint for Enterprise Content Management

For any business, information is crucial. Managing enterprise information becomes more important as organizations evolve.  

Then, there’s the impact of knowledge management on employees. A study by Glean shows that employees spend at least 2 hours of their workday searching for vital documents or data.  

Knowledge management tools like SharePoint help employees find and share information faster.  Trusted by over 200 million monthly active users, Microsoft 365’s Enterprise Content Management (ECM) capabilities, powered by SharePoint, go beyond secure storage.

Why Implement SharePoint for Enterprise Content Management

1. Content Management

Microsoft SharePoint transforms how teams collaborate through real-time co-authoring, version control, and in-line commenting. Moreover, SharePoint allows users to track changes to files over time. 

Here a couple other core features that make SharePoint an indispensable content management tool:  

• Metadata Tagging: SharePoint allows users to categorize and organize documents using metadata tags. These tags provide additional context and information about documents, making it easier to search and retrieve relevant documents.  
  
• Document Tracking: Administrators can track who viewed, edited, or downloaded specific documents.

2. Customization

4. Integration

SharePoint acts as a central hub within Microsoft 365, connecting with applications like Teams for enhanced collaboration, Power BI for data visualization, and OneDrive for personal file storage.  

The integration capabilities can also be extended beyond Microsoft products. You can integrate third-party tools through APIs and create custom workflows.

5. Powerful Search

SharePoint’s search functionality is not limited to finding text documents; it covers a diverse range of content types, including folders, emails, lists, and libraries. Its robust metadata-based search allows users to refine their searches by author, date, department, or other relevant details. To get the most out of SharePoint search, encourage users to add relevant metadata to their documents.

6. Business Process Automation

Business Process Automation (BPA) refers to automating repetitive and often mundane tasks. By automating repetitive tasks and standardizing workflows, BPA reduces manual errors, accelerates process execution, and frees up valuable time and resources that can be redirected towards more strategic initiatives.  

Given SharePoint integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft applications, you can use the platform to automate processes and reduce the learning curve associated with adopting new tools.  

Employee onboarding involves repetitive tasks. You can set up automated workflows to assign onboarding-specific setup tasks to relevant teams, and create a dedicated repository for policies, forms, and training materials.

7. Collaboration

With its mobile-friendly design and intuitive interface, SharePoint enables teams to collaborate effectively on projects, share information, and communicate in real-time from any location.

Frontline workers can use SharePoint’s mobile app to stay connected and productive while on the go. Whether they’re in the field, on the shop floor, or at a customer site, employees can access important documents, collaborate with peers, and complete tasks directly from their mobile devices.

You can also create custom sites and portals tailored to the needs of each department or team. These provide employees access to relevant resources, tools, and information.

8. Productivity

SharePoint offers capabilities for knowledge management, allowing organizations to capture, organize, and share knowledge. SharePoint also enables efficient task handling. You can use SharePoint to create task lists, assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress.  

Users can also create personal sites or dashboards where they can access relevant documents, tasks, and calendars in one place.

A Final Note on Collaboration and Employee Engagement

At its core, Microsoft SharePoint promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing.

A SharePoint-based intranet solution can empower employees to break down silos and collaborate. Talk to our experts to see how you can optimize SharePoint to manage your organization’s data while creating a more engaged and collaborative workforce.