5 Document Management Challenges for Multi-Branch Businesses and Solutions
As businesses in Vietnam expand and operate multiple branches, the need to standardize document management processes has become a critical requirement.
However, not every organization has built a robust document management system to accommodate a multi-branch model. This article by 1C Vietnam will analyze the specific challenges and solutions to help businesses effectively manage documents and ensure unified internal operations across the entire system.
The importance of centralized document management in multi-branch businesses.
In the context of businesses operating across multiple locations, a document management system is not just a storage place but also a platform that helps ensure a consistent flow of information from headquarters to each branch, guaranteeing continuous coordination and timely decision-making.
When standardized and properly implemented, document management becomes a key factor in improving operational efficiency, transparency, compliance, and delivering five key benefits to an organization.
- Accelerate decision-making and market response: An efficient document management system shortens the time it takes to approve documents from branches to higher levels from 5-7 days to 1-2 days or even within hours, helping businesses seize business opportunities faster than competitors.
- Enhancing data-driven operational capabilities: Real-time, system-wide data synchronization enables leaders to monitor the situation, make accurate assessments, and allocate resources effectively—something that fragmented data storage models struggle to achieve.
- Compliance control, reduced legal risk: A centralized document management system allows the head office to monitor the implementation of compliance documents at each branch, with a complete audit log when regulatory authorities conduct inspections.
- Enhance seamless cross-branch coordination: Many large projects and contracts require coordination across multiple branches. A document management system enables document sharing, remote communication, progress tracking, and clear accountability.
- Laying the foundation for comprehensive digital transformation: Once documents are digitized and processes are clearly defined, businesses can easily integrate with other systems such as ERP, CRM, and digital signatures, creating a foundation for an e-office.
5 challenges in document management at multi-branch businesses.
1. Distributed archives
In many multi-branch businesses, internal documents are stored in a dispersed manner across multiple locations—from email, chat groups, SharePoint, personal hard drives, to separate systems. Each unit has a different storage method, leaving the business without a centralized data source for control and retrieval.
According to M-Files research (2023), up to 86% of employees experience difficulties finding documents , and 83% have had to recreate files even though they existed previously . The main reason stems from the lack of common standards for storing and sharing documents between departments, leading to inconsistencies and duplication of information.
Without a unified document management system, personnel often have to contact multiple points of contact across offices to find or verify the latest version. This not only slows down processing but also wastes time, increases operating costs, and poses a risk of data loss.
2. Access control and security
In many multi-branch businesses, document access permissions are often inconsistently set up and lack detailed authorization mechanisms based on roles, hierarchy, or branches. This leads to security vulnerabilities when employees access, download, or share data – a prime example being the forwarding of confidential documents via email.
According to a report by VCCI and Synology (2023), up to 77% of Vietnamese businesses face difficulties in data management . Notably, data leaks not only come from hackers but also originate from within the organization. A survey of the APAC region published by VietTimes in 2024 showed that 25% of incidents stemmed from employee errors.
Without a document management system that allows for detailed access control, businesses are almost completely in the dark about data access flows, making it difficult to detect unusual behavior early on.
3. The approval process is lengthy.
Many multi-branch businesses still operate manual document approval processes, relying on email, printing, and handwritten signatures. The circulation of documents through multiple levels across different units easily creates significant delays and bottlenecks in the entire processing chain.
According to M-Files (2023), up to 65% of employees experience difficulties when signing documents due to multiple manual processing steps and a lack of progress tracking tools. The fact that a document needs to be approved sequentially through various departments means that each delay at one link can prolong the entire process by several days.
Without a document management system that supports automation and tracking of the approval process, businesses are highly susceptible to delays, loss of control over progress, and missed business opportunities.
4. Version control and edit history
In many multi-branch businesses, document processing still relies primarily on email exchanges or file attachments, lacking a mechanism for recording transaction history.
According to AIIM (2023), only 26% of current document management systems are capable of integrating version control and full editing logs. 68% of personnel find it difficult to find the correct document version . If errors occur, especially with legally binding documents such as contracts, reports, or meeting minutes, accountability becomes ambiguous.
Without a robust document management system to control versioning and editing history, businesses are susceptible to ambiguity of responsibility, lack of transparency, content inaccuracies, and increased internal legal risks.
5. Reporting data is out of sync.
Management reports are often delayed or inconsistent because data is manually compiled from many disparate sources – from Excel files to data on different software programs. Each department and branch has a different data entry and updating process, preventing the head office from receiving consolidated data in real time.
According to the AIIM report (2023), 52% of organizations use three or more document systems that are not integrated, resulting in scattered and inaccurate data. Additionally, 85% of business documents remain in employees' personal email accounts – further exacerbating the manual and error-prone nature of data aggregation and reporting.
Without a document management system that connects and synchronizes data from branches, leaders cannot gain an overall, real-time view to identify operational bottlenecks or make timely decisions.
What should businesses do to manage documents effectively?
To address these challenges, multi-branch businesses need to implement a comprehensive roadmap to standardize document management processes following these steps:
Step 1: Assess the current situation and identify requirements.
Businesses need to conduct a comprehensive survey of current document management practices across all branches. Clearly identify bottlenecks such as: where documents are stored, how long approval takes, how many systems are being used, and the current level of compliance and access control.
Simultaneously, clarify specific requirements regarding storage capacity, integration, security, and access control. This phase requires the involvement of stakeholders including: management, IT, administration, legal, and branch representatives to ensure a comprehensive and feasible perspective.
Step 2: Standardize the process and select the appropriate technology.
Based on the assessment, the enterprise needs to develop a unified set of rules for managing standard documents, to be used throughout the entire system. This includes: naming conventions, document classification, approval flow by document type, access control based on roles, and mechanisms for storing, searching, and retrieving full-text documents.
Simultaneously, it is necessary to select document management software that meets the stated requirements while also being scalable to multiple branches and flexibly customizable to the specific business processes and organizational structure of the enterprise.
Step 3: Pilot implementation, training, and scaling up.
Businesses should conduct pilot programs at a few branches to verify effectiveness before implementing the system nationwide. During this phase, thorough training should be provided to employees at all levels to ensure everyone understands and uses the procedures correctly.
Following the pilot program, the company proceeds with controlled scaling, accompanied by technical monitoring and operational support. Most importantly, it establishes a mechanism for regular measurement: how much processing time is reduced, the error rate, and the level of user satisfaction. Based on this, it adjusts, optimizes, and continuously improves the process according to actual operational results.
Improve operational efficiency with 1C:Document Management software.
With over 30 years of experience implementing solutions for major domestic and international corporations, 1C Vietnam proudly introduces 1C:Document Management , an all-in-one document management and operational software that helps businesses comprehensively address the five challenges mentioned above:
- Centralized document storage: All incoming/outgoing documents, internal correspondence, contracts, customer records, and template files are stored in a shared digital library. Users at any branch can quickly and accurately retrieve full text with just a few characters.
- Detailed access control and security: The system allows configuration of access rights based on roles, departments, branches, security levels, etc., ensuring that only authorized personnel can view, edit, or approve documents.
- Automated approval: Users can set up flexible approval processes, branching by level and department, track progress in real time, and digitally sign directly on the mobile app.
- Record processing history: Every action, such as creation, editing, commenting, and approval, is recorded in detail chronologically, making history easy and transparent to access.
- Real-time reporting: Over 70 report templates with intuitive dashboards, synchronized data from all branches, helping leaders get an instant and accurate overview of office operations.
With successful implementation experience in numerous multi-branch businesses across various sectors including manufacturing, trade and services, construction, and finance, 1C Vietnam is committed to partnering with businesses from survey and standardization to training and long-term operational support.
👉 Learn more about 1C:Document Management software and get advice on the right solution HERE.