Written by:
Grant Yuill
Head of Marketing & Customer Engagement
Did you know that you can handle your cases from any location, at any time, and on any device, using our legal case management and accounting system, called CaseLoad.
No matter what system you use, whether it’s CaseLoad or another, we have five simple tips for effective document management.
1.) Don’t just depend on emails and Outlook
How often have you looked for an email or realised you had an obligation to respond? Collaboration may be affected by the congestion caused by emails and third-party software.
Legal case management software helps you to save the important email, along with any attachments, into the proper case, allowing you to rely on this as your “source of truth.” The ease with which your team may access the most recent communications in one location also helps with handoffs.
2. Ensure that you completely eliminate paper documents use
Once you’ve chosen to implement a document management system, commit yourself totally to it. Have zero tolerance for paper-based filing, and establish the expectation that all employees will save documents and files using the same method. A paperless office is more efficient and also promotes data protection.
Your development will be slower the longer you let things continue as they are. Go all in or nothing at this point!
3. Choose a document management guideline
A code makes it easier for everyone to understand common naming conventions, versioning, procedures, and expectations. File names should contain details that make it easier to identify and classify the file’s contents, such as dates, document statuses, and names.
Here are a few ideas:
- File names must be extremely descriptive, properly organised, and scannable.
- Understand the difference between a document’s “major” version (such as v1, v2, or v3) and a minor version (such as v1.1, v1.2, or v1.3).
- The case number, client’s first name followed by their last name, file title, updated on dd-mm-yy, and version number are elements of consistent data formats.
- Prevent using symbols, acronyms, or general terminology. Make it simple for your peers to access the correct file.
It’s important to figure out how you want your document process to work, as well as having a consistent naming structure for all of your folders and an office-wide versioning strategy.
Don’t forget to ask yourself:
1. Who is in control of examining and approving changes?
2. Who needs to be informed of changes?
3. Where will these adjustments be documented? (Hint: It needs to be inside of Denovo!)
4. Reduce time-consuming activities and errors
Did you know that you could automatically fill out forms and templates for your business? Denovo holds all of your data, so you can simply integrate data using tags, and change fields anywhere.
This indicates that if you need to edit any client information, all you have to do is make the necessary changes in Denovo and all of your other papers will automatically update to reflect those changes, saving you time and reducing the likelihood that you’ll make mistakes.
5. Take notes while you go about your task
Many of our clients are loyal users of our document management system since it not only enables them to do jobs while on the go, but also keeps track of their time as they do so.
You can capture all of your work, upload papers, and communicate with clients more easily by turning on Denovo’s desktop integration with your Microsoft Office Suite, all without needing to change your regular routine.
