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Passing the audition: Worldox survives a tough test, succeeds where other DMS programs failed.
By S. William Provensal - Chief Operating Officer, Baldwin Haspel Burke & Mayer, LLC
November 17, 2009
Challenge:
To integrate with Juris and other essential programs and work with custom
tracking codes … to move towards the elusive, “paperless law firm” goal.
Solution:
Worldox chosen after extensive due diligence, evaluated in a rigorous
“proof-of-concept” test, then finally installed and rolled out to users.
Result:
Less paper, simplified workflows, dramatic improvements in how we
manage and circulate client and internal documents, a high level of
attorney satisfaction
“Worldox enabled … customization seamlessly.”
“How do you prove a system works?
We converted test data, installed Worldox and trained evaluators – all
in three days time. After two more days spent in structured testing, it was
obvious that … Worldox was just as powerful and useful as the other firms
had described.”
“Worldox has turned our store of documents into a true ‘knowledge base’.”
I didn’t know much about Worldox until earlier this year, but I certainly was familiar with Document Management Systems (DMS). In fact, we were on our second DMS implementation – an effort which so far had not been satisfactory. We did exhaustive due diligence, but the former product was not functioning consistent with our expectations.
Time for a change
We knew we had another round of (expensive) custom programming
to rectify the situation, or we’d have to try something new. So I was
very interested when Frank Jones (Legal Software Connection, Inc.)
suggested Worldox – even more interested after the demonstration.
A step past due diligence
Worldox looked to be exactly the kind of solution we needed. But how
do you prove
that a system works? First we developed an 18-point
questionnaire and spoke with 12 similar firms using Worldox. All were
not just pleased, but elated with this product. So far, so good. That
response led to a trial run, a live, “proof-of-concept” test on site:
A week later, Worldox was rolled out and training completed. And that first day, our people were up and running on Worldox.
Why Worldox was the right choice
We needed tight integration with Juris, also with WordPerfect,
Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and other applications. Ultimately, our
goal is to be as paperless as possible, to simplify work flows firm-wide.
These capabilities and efficiencies were only promised by the other
DMS software we tried. Worldox actually delivers on that promise.
We had another critical requirement, the need to integrate a 5-digit
tracking number used in our call & copy operation. Those numbers had
to link to Client/Matter codes. Worldox enabled that customization
seamlessly. Tracking codes are now uploaded and linked hourly,
automatically, from our accounting systems. This one change alone
makes a huge difference here in document-handling efficiency.
The benefit
Where to start? First of all, there are no more lost or missing
documents. Add to that an office-wide, sharable document system – a
flexible database. Our Federal Court PDF filing concerns have been laid
to rest … ethical walls and full security enhanced. We have in effect
gained an intranet without the creation of cumbersome systems. Soon
we’ll even be using Worldox Web/Mobile to create extranet client sites.
And it’s not just for client documents. Administrators can now share
internal files in secure yet flexible ways. We no longer have different
versions of important documents, no multiple or incomplete copies
floating around. It’s safer too. Uploading files to different firm sites
(401k plan admin and disaster recovery, for example) is so much easier
than it used to be.
The bottom line:
We are making strides towards that elusive, “paperless office” goal. In
the meantime, Worldox has turned our store of documents into a true
“knowledge base.” This searchable repository offers new access and
efficiencies to our attorneys and staff, so it’s far easier for us to provide
custom solutions to client problems.
Without exception, our attorneys are extremely pleased with Worldox.
This high level of attorney satisfaction is the true measure of how
successful Worldox is for us.
