Storing your documents in physical files can cost your around $25.000 per year.

And that’s not it. Costs continue to add up.

$20.00 is spent on labor to file a document.

$75.00 is spent in labor to process a document.

$120.00 is spent on labor searching for the misfiled paper documents.

$250.00 is spent on labor to search for lost files.

You also have to factor in the cost of missing files, which cannot be calculated.

An ECM solves all these costs.

With Dokmee’s free ECM ROI calculator, get an accurate estimate of your overall ROI and annual savings in seconds.

What is an ECM?

An enterprise content management system is a platform that goes beyond document management and includes document capture, OCR, advanced indexing and metadata tagging, among other features.

ECM systems centralize documents such as contracts, invoices, HR records, emails, and compliance files, to guarantee employees can find the right information quickly while maintaining version control, auditability, and retention policies.

An ECM platform will ensure your documents remain accessible, secure, and compliant at al times, while holding the potential to help you save millions of dollars.

Benefits of an ECM

An ECM brings many benefits to your organization such as:

• Improved productivity by reducing the time employees spend searching for documents or recreating lost files
• Faster access to information through centralized storage and advanced search capabilities
• More accurate decision-making by ensuring users always retrieve the most up-to-date document versions
• Stronger compliance with enforced retention policies, role-based access controls, and audit trails
• Easier audit and legal response with quick, reliable access to required documentation
• Scalability and consistency as the organization grows, preventing document sprawl across teams and locations

However, its real value lies in its ROI. You can save around 50% every year simply by migrating to this system.

ROI of an ECM

The return on investment of an ECM measures the financial value gained from implementing the system compared to its total cost.

ROI typically comes from reduced labor time, lower storage and printing costs, fewer compliance risks, and improved operational efficiency.

By quantifying time savings, cost reductions, and risk avoidance, organizations can clearly demonstrate the economic impact of an ECM.

ROI formula:

ROI = (Total Benefits − Total Costs) ÷ Total Costs × 100

So, fo example, if you have an accounting firm with 10 members with $500 costs for a paper based system, you could be looking at a 54% 3-year ROI, and over $9K annual savings.

How to calculate the ROI of an ECM

To calculate ECM ROI, start by identifying current costs associated with document handling, such as employee time spent searching for files, paper storage, printing, manual processes, and compliance-related inefficiencies.

Next, estimate the improvements an ECM delivers, including time saved through faster retrieval, reduced duplication, lower storage costs, and minimized risk of fines or errors.

Then, calculate the total cost of the ECM, including software, implementation, training, and ongoing maintenance. Subtract the total costs from the total benefits, divide by the total costs, and multiply by 100 to determine the ROI percentage. This approach provides a clear, data-driven justification for ECM adoption.

How to use Dokmee’s free ROI calculator

Dokmee offers this free and simple ROI calculator. You simply have to fill in details such as the number of licenses you would purchase for your ECM, average salary, time spent of documents, and paper and storage costs.

Then weigh it against the investment for your ECM, click Calculate my ROI. And voilá, easy as pie.