Do Your SharePoint Users Need Document Composition?

SharePoint has earned favor as an environment for enterprise collaboration, document management and information storage for processes such as loan origination, claims processing, invoice processing and new account enrollment. Some of these tasks depend on complex variable documents, compliance-regulated content, and dynamic correspondence.

At the same time, other technologies have enabled interactive, personalized document composition to drive efficiency across many lines of business. For example, insurance agents can complete a new policy application using an interactive, menu-driven template that automatically pulls the appropriate content modules. Both agent and client benefit from greater speed and accuracy.

"Until recently, SharePoint users haven't been able to take direct advantage of the powerful correspondence automation to build these timesaving, interactive communications. Various document composition applications and technologies have co-existed with SharePoint, but these loosely coupled arrangements don't capture the full potential of SharePoint, and can be harder to manage," says Leon Pillich, CEO of Aia Software.

More Productivity in Your Document Workflow
With each new SharePoint release, users gain more capabilities, and adoption grows. SharePoint 2010 brought improved functionality for creating and managing business documents, but one key link was still missing -- a true document composition component.

Do your SharePoint users still lack an integrated, repeatable process to create personalized, customer-facing correspondence efficiently in controlled conditions? If so, efficiency and productivity could suffer, but that problem can be solved by a robust, proven document composition solution.

A tightly integrated document composition tool can enhance SharePoint as an enterprise platform for information applications. Document creation and management can be centralized and streamlined. Furthermore, directly integrating document composition with SharePoint 2010 encourages the transition to electronic document management and away from labor-intensive, error-prone paper-based processes.

Apply this Document Composition Checklist
Would a document composition tool add value to your SharePoint environment? These guidelines can help you decide if your SharePoint users would benefit from an integrated document composition tool.
-- First, there has to be a requirement to actually generate documents, not to just organize them efficiently.
-- You probably need composition tools if your organization sends customizable business correspondence and communications that involve modular standard text components like product descriptions, customer service messages or disclaimers.
-- Your business uses a variety of documents that are content-rich communications. This means correspondence that goes beyond simple letters to complex contracts, legal notices, proposals and more.
-- You have at least 10 users who would benefit from the productivity of a document composition tool. If you have fewer users doing basic, low volume documents, a specialized, powerful document composition wouldn't be the most effective approach.
-- Your documents are part of repeatable business processes, such as HR paperwork related to new hires, or banking workflow for opening new accounts. Modular content and automated composition make sense in these situations and can boost productivity and accuracy.

Does the Tool Fit?
There are many document composition solutions on the market, and many are quite good at their particular niche. However, just because software does document composition doesn't mean it's a good fit for your SharePoint environment. What should you know before choosing document composition software to integrate with SharePoint?
-- Can the tool leverage Microsoft Office and in particular, Microsoft Word for creating documents? A tool based on a proprietary revisable or on a non-revisable format (only PDF, for example) is not good enough, because some documents will require editing in a word processor after they have been generated.
-- Is the software a mature solution proven under a variety of conditions?
-- How scalable is the software? Can it grow with the number of users and documents? Does it have processing power to handle volumes of thousands or even millions of documents that could potentially be managed through SharePoint?
-- Is it business managed? That is, can business users handle most of the processes themselves without IT support?
-- Is the user experience embedded within the SharePoint interface, or is there a need to exit SharePoint for some tasks? Ideally, a document composition tool should run in the background, so users don't have to leave the SharePoint environment to create variable data correspondence, personalized communications and other business documents. This saves time, increases efficiency and delivers a smoother user experience.

SharePoint and Document Composition: Better Together
When you select the right document composition tool, you close the functionality gap with a versatile, complete document composition solution for all types of applications. You can build a complete document environment that includes document creation, along with collaboration, capture, archiving and security.

"According to leading analysts, ITP Software is the only correspondence solution that fully integrates with SharePoint 2010 and extends its value as a complete electronic document management system," says Leon Pillich. "ITP for SharePoint supports the entire process, from collaborative document creation to approval and distribution. Information workers can create personalized, interactive customer-facing correspondence in a controlled environment."

Post-processing actions like printing, PDF conversion and e-mail become automated, server-based activities. Generated documents are automatically stored in a SharePoint Document Library, where they can be centrally accessed and managed.

With the addition of a personalized correspondence solution, SharePoint-based organizations gain a broader set of document generation capabilities that go beyond the limited scope of routine word processors. Pillich explains, "You'll benefit from the ability to focus more on customer engagement and personalized communications using dynamic variable content and customer data. In other words, your organization will become a stronger customer communicator, and that translates into a stronger customer base."


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Carro Ford Weston writes about all aspects of the digital document industry. You can reach her at wordscience@earthlink.net or visit http://wordscience.vpweb.com/ .