Document exchanges between law firms and its clients
and/or counsel are rapidly changing, with the move to the ‘less paper’ office.
More often than not documents are processed and stored in a digital format, and
hence are now exchanged electronically, especially with the rise of file
sharing and extranet portals. Whilst using technology to improve this process
is a positive move within law firms, many are only at the start of this journey
and have not necessarily improved the process, they have just shifted it from
paper to electronic. So what can law firms do with this technology to not only
move ‘less paper’, but to improve and speed up the process, and give a value
add to their clients?
An extranet is a perfect solution for sharing
electronic files with clients, a professional platform, for a professional
firm. Many firms upload documents to an extranet, which is the part of the
process that is far too often manual. Some might say it needs to be manual to
avoid wrongly sharing a document or information, however having tight
integration with your DMS (Document Management System) and your extranet
solution is key to improving and speeding up the process. It doesn't need to be
100% automated, but it doesn't need to be 100% manual either.
A DMS allows lawyers to keep all documents regarding a
matter in one place. For a want of a better term, it is an electronic library. Getting
documents from the DMS to an extranet could be as simple as right clicking on
the document or folder in the matter, and sending or synchronising it with your
extranet. This allows firms to share all of the matter from their DMS with their
client in one secure place at the click of a button. Simple hey!
Let’s not stop at document exchange when improving the
‘less paper’ process. With the ever changing laws and constant development of solutions
to increase business efficiency and present analytics, law firms are under more
pressure now than ever to report this to their clients and keep them informed. Having
a place where law firms can display this information relevant to each client
would go a long way to improving the law firm to client relationship, the
overall perception of professionalism and care a law firm gives their client,
which in turn is seen as value for money.
Given what we have already mentioned about file
sharing and extranets being on the increase, wouldn’t it make sense to
integrate these two processes? So when a client accessed their documents they
could also access reporting information such as WIP (work in progress) all in one
place. Clients have high expectations and want data on demand at anytime and
anywhere, therefore some extranets are built with this in mind, allowing the
user to integrate all their desired systems into one place. The ability to
present clients with data on demand, along with their documents helps build a
good relationship with them by developing trust and reliability. And guess what?
This also improves your internal processes and saves you time and money when trying
to keep your client informed.
It should be a priority for any law firm to have one
place to share documents and reporting data with their clients. Not only does
it make it easier for clients to access information about their case, it also
frees up more time internally by improving and speeding up the process. This
integration will help assist with a firm’s transparency to its clients, and not
only help retain the client, but it should also help expand your business with
your clients by upselling other services.
If you are a law firm reading this and you don’t have
a solution that delivers this, you should be worried. If you aren’t doing it,
someone else is, and it won’t take long for your clients to realise that!
Nikec Solutions [ www.nikecsolutions.com ]
Nikec Hub is a powerful file sharing and collaboration platform that allows integration with your document and practice management system do seamlessly present documents and reporting to your clients in one portal.Nikec Hub provides firms with a secure and efficient way of managing information, while enhancing communications and collaboration with colleague and clients. It integrates seamlessly with your document management system allowing users to create their own extranet in a few quick steps. It also integrates with many practice management systems enabling firms to provide up-to-date management information to their clients all from within a single, powerful portal. Visit Nikec Hub page
Need more information or want to test drive Nikec Hub? Contact us as info@nikecsolutions.com