It’s our natural habit this time of year to reflect briefly, and take a few glances forward. The successes of our customers; advancements in the document management system; the achievements of the company… there are so many perspectives to consider.
2011 was the year that Document Locator version 6 came into its own. Originally released late in the prior year, it wasn’t until 2011 that deployments gathered full steam and many of the new system’s capabilities were realized among customers. Workflow had become part of the core product, as did Outlook email integration. And reports were a newly added bonus.
Most people are now using one version or another of Document Locator 6. We know the inherent compatibility of version 6 with Windows 7 will ultimately entice any remaining holdouts, even though there is no need to wait. Any customer who is on annual maintenance and support can take advantage of the upgrade for free.
From those who have already made the upgrade, words of accomplishments are streaming in. Everything from a major property management firm overcoming international regulatory compliance hurdles to one of the nation’s largest transportation companies automating and improving their customer service. Manufacturing customers too especially love the workflow and reporting that automates projects and improves visibility over procedures.
But the past is just too good to remain still, and news of a new release is lurking around the corner. For customers on maintenance and support, look for your Version 6.1 announcements soon!
Version 6.1 will claim to be more of a system enhancement than a boost in features. We consider it a minor update in the grand scheme of the version 6 family. However, it does carry our tradition of innovation that we have maintained throughout the entire release cycle for the version 6 series.
As for the future, releases in the version 6 family will continue well into 2012. With so much happening on the technology front globally, the roadmap can sometimes seem as handy as GPS unit in a Manhattan traffic jam. But, one thing is for certain: our innovation will take advantage of the latest technologies (mobile and Windows 8 come to mind).
Looking forward, we can also seize our optimism for improved economic conditions globally. We have been fortunate to see our own new customer adoption continue to climb. Not just here in the U.S., but also internationally. In fact, we even welcomed our very first customer in Liechtenstein! (If you are reading this… know that a quarrel has erupted here among those who would be first to visit.)
Many believe that rough economic conditions drive people to reevaluate and improve. Overall, productivity in North America as measured by the volume of output per hour of labor remains healthy. In fact, the amount of time needed to produce an equivalent of 40-hours of output from the 1990’s is said to be down to just 29 hours. Go back to 1950, it now only takes about 10 hours to produce an equivalent 40 hours worth of work.
We like to think that electronic document management has played a part in the productivity equation – an equation where every minute counts. And, with inspiration of our customers, and innovations such as those in the version 6 family of releases, we’ll continue striving to add even greater value to everyone’s productivity quotient now and into the future.
