There are many benefits to using a formal digital review process over other review methods. See the top 10 here. To find out more about Wdesk, visit workiva.com.

1. workiva.com
Top 10
benefits of digital review

2. workiva.com
Digital review:
The practice of keeping all parties involved with a digital document to read,
comment, edit, and eventually sign off on the content of the document

3. workiva.com
Review practices vary:
Printing out drafts
for physical markup
Sending out PDFs
for digital comments
Allowing others to edit a
version of the document
with tracked changes
Reviewing digitally

4. workiva.com
There are many benefits to using a formal digital
review process over other methods.

5. workiva.com
Here are the top 10:
1. Single channel management
2. Safe and secure
3. Improved timing and workflow
4. Faster, more efficient communication
5. Reduction of duplication
6. Collaboration
7. Sub-sections and division of responsibility
8. Due dates and notifications
9. Accuracy
10. Comment attributes and filtering

6. workiva.com
1. Single channel management

7. workiva.com
Documents can be sent out for review a number of different ways:
• Email
• Printed out on paper
• Verbally
• Kept within the Wdesk platform
However, keeping everything on one place is beneficial.
1. Single channel management

8. workiva.com
When all documents live in the same environment you can expect to:
• Save time and effort
• Maintain one digital source of all commentary
• Ensure accuracy of critical communications
1. Single channel management

9. workiva.com
2. Safe and secure

10. workiva.com
When documents containing proprietary information leave a secure environment,
they are vulnerable to dangerous security violations and have the potential to incur
serious repercussions.
2. Safe and secure

11. workiva.com
Wdesk is a controlled, secure environment. Keeping documents within Wdesk
instills confidence and comfort knowing that the documents have no chance to be
unintentionally leaked to the general public.
2. Safe and secure

12. workiva.com
3. Improved timing and workflow

13. workiva.com
Comments are automatically updated and can be addressed immediately in Wdesk.
No longer must the document owner wait until the reviewer is done with a full review.
As comments on the document are created, the owner can immediately start
addressing them.
3. Improved timing and workflow

14. workiva.com
4. Faster, more efficient communication

15. workiva.com
Many comments require some type of iteration between the owner of the document
and the reviewer or between multiple reviewers.
When documents are reviewed outside of Wdesk, the iteration of back-and-forth
communication becomes fractured as information is shared across email, phone,
or even watercooler conversations.
4. Faster, more efficient communication

16. workiva.com
With Wdesk, the iterative process of review prevents any loss of important information
or feedback contained in comments.
4. Faster, more efficient communication

17. workiva.com
5. Reduction of duplication

18. workiva.com
Invariably, when there are multiple reviewers looking at the same content, errors or issues
will be found by more than one person.
5. Reduction of duplication

19. workiva.com
When reviews are done in Wdesk, comments are available instantly—there's absolutely no
duplication of effort. If a user comments on a block a text, all users can see that the text is
highlighted as well as the comment that accompanies it. Additionally, other users can
provide their own input by replying to the original comment.
5. Reduction of duplication

20. workiva.com
6. Collaboration

21. workiva.com
Traditional review methods require communication lines to be managed individually by
the document owner. The many different reviewers aren't able to collaborate because
they're all working in isolation from one another.
6. Collaboration

22. workiva.com
Digital reviews provide an environment for document contributors and reviewers to
work on the draft as a team. Better results can be achieved more quickly when
individuals are sharing information and not working in silos.
6. Collaboration

23. workiva.com
Using Wdesk for digital review allows reviewers to bounce ideas off of each other and
improve the quality of a document. Users receive instant information from each other,
and the owner of the document no longer needs to manage communication lines. With
unified collaboration, the author gains consensus on debated topics.
6. Collaboration

24. workiva.com
7. Sub-sections and division of responsibility

25. workiva.com
Document owners often need to send documents to other departments, such as legal
or audit, for review.
Using Wdesk, the document owner has the ability to give permissions to certain users on
specific sections in a particular revision of the document, ensuring that multiple people
can be working at the same time. Permissions also eliminate the worry of edits being
made in the wrong section.
7. Sub-sections and division of responsibility

26. workiva.com
8. Due dates and notifications

27. workiva.com
When sending a document for review, owners typically will append due dates as to when the
comments are needed to be submitted in order to adhere to tight deadlines. If the review is
sent via email, the due dates are in textual form and carry no authoritative weight. This means
there is less review time in lieu of delivery time.
8. Due dates and notifications

28. workiva.com
Digital review in Wdesk provides real-time comment feedback, so more time can be
dedicated to reviewing documents. Electronic due dates encourage users to submit their
comments in a timely fashion, and automatic notifications give helpful reminders, keeping
all parties on track.
1
8. Due dates and notifications

29. workiva.com
9. Accuracy

30. workiva.com
Another potential problem arises when documents are printed out and comments are
handwritten.
• How good is everyone’s handwriting?
• If someone made comments on a paper copy of the document, will that information
be interpreted correctly by the document owner?
Any confusion in the deciphering of the handwriting delays the overall process as the
owner seeks to clarify the accuracy of the submitted comment.
9. Accuracy

31. workiva.com
Comments in Wdesk are clearly associated with the document content. There's no need
for transcribing handwritten comments from paper or copying and pasting comments
from other applications.
9. Accuracy

32. workiva.com
10. Comment attributes and filtering

33. workiva.com
Capturing comments digitally within Wdesk allows all users to see additional information
regarding the comment, including comment author, time of comment submission,
and comment status. Users can apply filters to see information that's relevant to them.
On documents that may have hundreds of comments, being able to filter comments
based on the author (e.g., the CFO) or time submitted (e.g., comments within the
last 24 hours) is beneficial.
10. Comment attributes and filtering

34. workiva.com
Bonus: blacklines
V1

35. workiva.com
A blackline is a document that shows the difference between two revisions of the same
document.
With blacklines, the user is visually prompted to view changes, additions, and deletions of
text and table information. Reviewers no longer have to dig through material to review and
approve changes—they only need to view what has been edited, saving valuable time.
V1 V2
Bonus: blacklines

36. workiva.com
Wdesk provides a platform where all communication is managed through one safe and
secure channel. In an environment where time is of the essence, the ability to send and
receive feedback is invaluable.
V1 V2
Bonus: blacklines

37. workiva.com
To learn more about Wdesk, request a demo today.
Click here for more information
about digital review.