The business case for document portals: return on investment

Oct 02, 2023

Organizations invest considerable time and money in documentation, from safety procedures and work instructions to technical manuals and reports. Can a better way to publish and find that information deliver measurable value?

A document portal can reduce the time employees spend searching for information and help teams keep content current.

Find the right information when you need it

Various studies have estimated how much time knowledge workers spend searching for information. The figures differ, but they suggest that finding the right content can take a significant share of the working day.

Better search can free up time for more valuable work.

Consider a simple illustration. If an employee spends three hours each week finding information, and better tools halve that time, the organization gains roughly 1.5 hours a week. At an annual salary of NOK 700,000, that represents approximately NOK 30,000 in employee time per year. Across 100 employees, the estimated value is around NOK 3 million annually. This is time that could be redirected to other tasks, not a guaranteed cash saving.

How can a document portal help?

• With the Readin document portal, documents are located in only one place and in one format.
• Responsive content for phones, tablets, and computers
• Search and filters that help readers find relevant passages.
• Smart user functions like "keep reading", bookmarks, and notifications for updates.

Have we tested it?

We compared search times for one customer with documents spread across several SharePoint sites. Before Readin, finding a PDF work instruction took three minutes, followed by another two minutes to locate the relevant section.

Using Readin, we found the same information in 15 seconds. This is one example; results will vary by organization.

Less IT administration

Traditional documentation systems require maintenance and administration. A hosted publishing service may reduce some of that work for the IT department.

In our illustrative scenario, reduced IT administration could represent up to NOK 200,000 a year for an organization with 100 users.

This estimate is based on conversations with IT staff at several customers. We assumed that documentation-related systems account for 10% of their time, falling to 5% after implementing Readin.

Lower infrastructure and software costs could add further savings. For this example, we estimated around NOK 100,000 a year.

Fewer support requests

Both customers and employees need help finding information. If they can find answers independently, fewer questions may reach the support team.

Support agents also benefit from a reliable place to look up current information.

Suppose a support request costs NOK 300, the organization handles 20 requests a day, and self-service reduces that volume by 15%. Over 250 working days, the illustrative saving would be NOK 225,000 a year. Actual results will depend on request volumes, costs, and user behavior.

Fewer errors and preventable incidents

Three documentation challenges can contribute to mistakes:

1. Difficult and time-consuming to find the right information

Searching through a large collection of PDFs can be time-consuming. Readin lets readers search across documents and navigate to relevant content.

PDFs can also be awkward to read on phones. Readin presents content in a format that adapts to mobile, tablet, and desktop screens.

2. Old and outdated documentation

When people download copies of Word or PDF files, they may continue using them after a newer version has been published. It's important to provide a clear, trusted location for current documents.

Readin gives readers access to the current published version. People who follow a document can receive an update notification.

3. Errors in the content

Mistakes can occur when documents are written or revised. Readin's commenting features let readers flag errors and suggest improvements to the document owner, who can follow up during the review process.

Can ROI be calculated for fewer errors and unwanted incidents?

Yes, but the calculation needs to reflect the risks and costs of the individual organization.

For example, incorrect maintenance of technical equipment can lead to costly production downtime.

When tasks must follow specific procedures, such as working at height, those instructions need to be easy to find and understand.

Making instructions easier to find and understand can help reduce mistakes.

Greater visibility and customer satisfaction

Publishing public documentation as structured web pages can make it easier to find through search engines. User guides, support articles, and safety instructions may help more people discover your organization.

Easy-to-use documentation can also improve the customer experience.

Customers who find answers without contacting support can get more value from the products and services they use.

A clear, reliable documentation portal can make an important contribution to customer satisfaction.

Contact us to discuss what a document portal could mean for your organization.