Denovo During Lockdown

We basically had two options – batten down the hatches and weather the storm, or us use the time to make our product, service and overall offering even better! We chose…

Batten down the hatches?

I think it’s safe to say that the past few months have been tough on all of us. Here at Denovo we were worried about everything you would expect from a business perspective – our teams’ safety and ongoing well-being, our client’s ability to get the best out of our product whilst working in new environments, the thought of new business drying up, and the potential, gruelling re-forecasting process. These were all factors weighing heavy on the minds of the people leading our business.

Once we got over the initial period of concern, we basically had two options – batten down the hatches and weather the storm, or us use the time, which had been unceremoniously gifted to us, to make our product, service and overall offering even better! We chose the latter.

Getting to work…quickly

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the nature of the product and services we offer, lockdown has been busy at Denovo HQ (or home as we now call it). Law firms up and down the country had to adapt, and quickly. That was our queue to step in and do the right thing – support first, free online training tools, differed payment plans for new clients and anything else firms needed to keep them operating were put in place swiftly.

Internally, we were lucky. Although we’ve always been pro-remote working, our team have primarily been based in our Glasgow office at Spiers Wharf. It’s a picturesque scene (at least when the weathers decent) as you gaze along the canal river banks, rays of sunlight bouncing off the tranquil water, as stationary canal boats slowly bob up and own. It is a nice part of the world to ply your trade. Couple that with fantastic people in the office, interesting people visiting us, regular homemade cakes, a weekly fresh fruit delivery and a very nice pool table, it made the working day more than tolerable. So, the idea of not being there for a significant period of time was a wee bit sad to be honest.

However, we are led by a team of people who put people first, so when the Government gave the order to lockdown, we were all well looked after. The move to full-time remote working was as seamless as it could be. All the tools we needed were at our disposal. Anything we didn’t have was sourced and delivered to us. Communication channels for this type of working, although already in place, weren’t as familiar to some, so guidelines were shared and anyone who needed additional support got it. The business even helped people pay for bikes to keep them active. For a business of our size, you couldn’t ask for much more.

Time to accelerate

Beyond ensuring our teams and clients were all ok we wanted to do more. This was our time to accelerate our plans to develop new features and integrate new platforms into our software to meet the needs of our customers. So that’s exactly what we did.

DocuSign

We recognised that the logistics of signing in ink was fast becoming more and more impractical. With over 44% of the UK working from home, many of whom may remain that way when things get back to “normal”, and the limitations on access to printers, scanners and post, we have fast-tracked our plans to integrate DocuSign into our software. Firms can now complete contracts, approvals and agreements in minutes rather than days.

Smart Events

Smart Events have been designed with workflow style automations in mind. Without the constraints of a path style workflow, we can bundle up a variety of automations into selectable options within CaseLoad. Given the automation you would typically find in a workflow but shrink wrapped into selectable options to be deployed as and when you see fit and not when a workflow dictates. We can bundle up a whole variety of actions/processes into smart events for you and tailor them to your needs.

Bundledocs

We’ve were told we needed to find the best way to access documents quickly and easily on the move. We found it. Now you can take documents from anywhere – your folder, or our case management system. Bundledocs organises them into a neat, numbered, indexed and sectioned booklet in minutes. Instantly ready to save, share or print. No matter how big or small, you can change in seconds. It can store all your court documents in one place allowing you to finally get rid of that paper case file and replace it with a tablet, wherever you go. It’s so simple, easy to use, saves you time and massively efficient. 

Superstars

In times like this adversity always shows you who the true “stars of the show” are and who is maybe just there to collect a pay cheque. The way the Denovo team have responded to one of the most challenging times we will face in our lifetime proves what we already thought – they are all Superstars! This period will be an invaluable lesson for the future and will shape how we operate our business in the short, medium and long term.

We’re not grateful for the reason why we could do what’ve done over past few months. Like I said, it’s been tough on us all in our personal lives and in business. But we are thankful for the time it has given us to reflect, reassess, develop and push our business forward for the better.

And as much as I miss my lunchtime game of pool and the office banter. I’m happier and prouder than ever to (remotely) work alongside some of the most talented, down to earth, friendly and hardworking people I’ve ever met.

I am lucky and can’t wait to see what our team does next.  

If you want to learn more about some of the incredible work our team have been doing recently email and how to begin a partnership with us email info@denovobi.com or call us on 0141 331 5290.