Document Management for Firm of Solicitors
The solicitors employ more than 50 people and specialise in Commercial Law and Family Law.
The firm’s operations were dependent on large volumes of paper documents. Typically, paper documentation was retained for a minimum of seven years after the closure of a matter, so the volumes of paper in storage continued to increase. There were high costs and significant operational issues associated with the use of paper.
The firm was also aware of the significant security and customer service risks associated with continued reliance on its paper filing system.
Choosing Document Manager
The solicitors had identified the need for a comprehensive electronic document management solution to reduce the risks posed by paper document storage and to reduce the costs associated with paper filing processes. The solicitors also wanted to improve access to documents for all staff, whether working onsite or off. The ultimate goal was to improve the level of service provided to clients and ensure customer satisfaction.
The firm progressed with a full demonstration and evaluation of two competing Document Management systems. Of particular importance among selection criteria were the ongoing protection of legal admissibility of documents stored within the system throughout the minimum seven-year retention period, and the ability for a user to search for any text within any document stored within the system.
Document Manager achieved the best performance against the firm’s selection criteria. Document Manager’s architecture and well-designed API were significant factors in its selection.
Solicitors: Benefits of Document Manager
- Reduction of paper usage and storage costs
- Improved staff access to documents
- Reduced costs of document printing and storage
- Improved staff efficiency and customer service
- Ease of deployment and adoption
- Strong customer support
- More efficient remote and field working
Document Manager improves workforce efficiency
With its automatic update tool, Document Manager proved easy to deploy across the company’s operations. “The help and support have been excellent” said the Chief Operating Officer of solicitor firm.
The Document Manager solution delivered immediate reduction in printing and document storage costs, dramatic improvement in staff access to documents, both on and offsite, and enhanced customer service. Document Manager has enabled improved collaborative team work owing to consistent document indexing, filing and searching; which has resulted in unexpected efficiency gains.
The firm is confident Document Manager will deliver a positive Return on Investment within twelve months because the firm’s staff perform huge amounts of filing annually and Document Manager has reduced average filing times to just 30 seconds, including secure filing of emails.
The firm found Document Manager easy to adopt. “After training, the system is helpful and much like filing into a directory tree,” the firm said.
Legal and case management system integration
Document Manager is fully integrated into the firm’s systems and document search times average less than 5 seconds. Any document can now be found almost instantly.
By enabling concurrent file access, from any location, Document Manager improved the performance and flexibility of the firms’ staff. Any authorised user in any department can find the information they need instantly.
Offsite document access has enabled staff to work more efficiently from home and in the field. “We have the potential now to expand our business without more office space, as our people can work collaboratively remotely using Document Manager,” the CEO concluded.