Saving files to SharePoint Online is HARD

I couldn't agree more with the original post. I do have a solid workaround at the end of this post.

It never fails to amaze me how IT pros and even power users can be so oblivious to the struggles "normal" users face with technology. The more ironic point is that many of these struggles could be avoided if the solution implementors knew the product better and spent a few minutes training the end users.

We approach our clients with these projects and sell them on the collaboration and usability benefits that they can offer. Yet seem to get irritated when they can't alter their behavior to accomodate the solution. Some of my end users have been saving company files to file shares for going on 30 years. It's really the one thing that has always been constant. I've been using sharepoint and other ecm systems for half that time and I still find myself getting frustrated with the shortfalls.

The idea that sharepoint SHOULD replace file shares is, at least in my eyes, rediculous. Sharepoint can be a complete file system but it's not what it was meant for. I can create a pretty decent report using notepad, but when I use tools specifically designed for the process I'm working on, the experience is far better. If you sell sharepoint as a better file server, your users are going to struggle. And if you force users into using it as their primary file system they will straight up revolt.

My rule of thumb has been this. If the company is willing to shift the way they work with their files from a traditional explorer based system to a web page based experience, sharepoint is the way to go. But if not, don't force them. Azure has file storage options that work beautifully. Spinning up a server vm to handle file storage also works well. But the key is, instead of forcing them to use sharepoint, give them reasons to want to use sharepoint. Train them on the ways it does save time and provide a better experience. That way if they decide to move everything to the cloud, it will be because they understand the trade offs and have weighed those against the benefits themselves.

Apologies for my long winded rant.

As for saving files. If you setup a site for document management with a drop off library, all your users need to do is have one place where they save all of their documents. Add one or two required managed Metadata fields, and sharepoint will move the content to the correct place on its own. For example, I ask users when saving a document to add two tags, 1. The desired Site(business function) 2. The related Client. 99. 9 percent of the time the document is routed to the place it needs to be and the users love it because it's even less work than navigating a filesystem set of folders. On the rare occasion that the routing is wrong or they tagged it wrong, they know to open Delve and look/search there. Delve has literally gained the nickname of the Bermuda Triangle with many of my clients. The only time they ever go there is to find a missing document. I've been doing this for several years and have yet to have a client dislike it.