It’s snow joke
January 5, 2010
This picture was taken whilst trying to drive into work this week. As you can see the weather conditions have made driving quite treacherous.
This reminds me of what happened to one of our clients last year, in February 2009, when London came to a standstill because of the snow.
Our law firm client thought they had everything sorted and business was as usual because their solicitors could dictate from their blackberrys from home and had no need to travel. The upset came when they realised that their secretaries couldn’t get into the office and it caused them a huge backlog of work and tremendous pressure to meet deadlines.
We had an outsource module added to the client’s digital dictation system so that the dictation from the solicitors could be sent to our service with a click of a button, by-passing employed secretaries and resulting in documents being produced more cost effectively and timely.
So far in 2010 we’ve already broken a record of having one of the longest cold snaps for decades. The local authories have ran out of grit to keep our roads safe. It looks like things will be getting worse.
What contingency plans do you have in place for your staff not being able to make it into work?
Now is the time to take full advantage of technology available. Using remote secretaries who are home-based means you don’t have to worry about getting into the office to have your work done. Access online is straight forward and our remote services can fully integrate into your in-house digital dictation system.
If you don’t have any digital dictation yet, then what are you waiting for? Use our free software and work from home instead. Call us now on 0151 227 9150 to set up your free account and don’t let the severe weather conditions interrupt your business.
7 Headaches cured
September 7, 2009
What causes stress and disruption to your business operation? I’ve come up with a list of headaches commonly found in all businesses at some point. Are you in pain now when you don’t have to be?
1. WHO’S COVERING THE SICKNESS AND HOLIDAYS?
The holiday season (or the flu season) can be massively disrupting to your business if you don’t have skilled temporary staff to call on. If you work in a quieter rural area then chances are you will struggle finding a temp who’s available when you need them. And once you’ve got them trained up on your systems (often about 2 days) then it’s time for them to move on. You’ve probably wasted half a week of your time training the temp and you’re still left with a backlog of work by the time your usual secretary arrives back. Some larger firms don’t even use temps. They hire an additional secretary to provide the year round cover they need. What an expense! Your outsourcing company doesn’t require you to send a minimum amount of work or sign up for a specific contract period so you can make use of the service just when you need to. PAIN RELIEF CAN BE FOUND HERE
2. A BACKLOG OF WORK
If your dictation is taking 2 days to turn around then you have a backlog. And it’s costing you money. Files are not up to date leaving you at risk of negligence and, let’s face it, the faster you can work through the files, the faster cases are settled, and you get paid quicker. Why put up with it? PAIN RELIEF CAN BE FOUND HERE
3. NOT ENOUGH INTERNAL RESOURCES FOR A ONE OFF JOB
Dealing with an unusual heavy workload with limited resources can cause backlogs to your usual workflow. You need to have a database typed, perhaps a lenthy document which can take a secretary 2 days to reproduce, or lots of recordings but it’s too much for one secretary and you need it quickly. Making use of a team of outsourced secretaries for those one off jobs is a very cost effective way of keeping up to date with your workload. Document Direct has hundreds of registered secretaries and it’s a straight forward process for us to manage “bulk” transcription/copy typing and return it to you in the fastest time (usually the same day). PAIN RELIEF CAN BE FOUND HERE
4. ASKING PEOPLE TO WORK OVERTIME - AND PAYING THEM!
Managing people and overtime rates for “out of hours” work can leave you exasperated. There’s a reason why you need to work late in the night or at weekends — because you’re busy and have to deliver a quality service to your clients. So your staff should be helping you, not hindering you and making your job harder. But not everybody wants to work late, earn overtime and have their weekends disrupted. Document Direct’s outsource typing service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’re non-threatening to your existing staff, we simply wait in the background for the day that you need to use us. PAIN RELIEF CAN BE FOUND HERE
5. RECRUITMENT, TRAINING AND RETAINING
Would you rather recruit a fee earner or a secretary? If we unravel the job specification and look at each task that we ask our employees to do and look at specific processes, it’s possible to see just how easy it is to take the typing part of a secretary’s job and outsource it. Once that’s done, putting your resources (people) to better use is easier. Secretaries are no longer just “typists”. They’re asked to be personal assistants, office manager and unqualified fee earners. Quite frankly, they’re too expensive to type. PAIN RELIEF CAN BE FOUND HERE
6. FINDING SKILLED STAFF
Love it or hate it, but none of us can live without it. Technology. It’s the most rapid changing industry and it affects us all. So when it comes to finding a secretary who has the skills to keep up to date with the last versions of software it can cause huge headaches. After all, unless you already employ an expert who knows what skills to recruit, how do you know what questions to ask? At least with outsourcing your documentation you’re assured that you can keep up with your competitors and work on their documents with the most up to date word processing techniques. Poor word processing and presentation of your documents to a competitor firm says a lot about the skillset of your workforce and speaks volumes. PAIN RELIEF CAN BE FOUND HERE
7. TOO MUCH WORK AND NOT ENOUGH HOURS
If you need more time why waste time travelling to the office? Why not work from home or on the train while commuting? Using a digital dictation system will give you valuable hours when you realise you don’t have to travel to the office to send work to your secretary. In fact, you can be anywhere and send your work from a mobile phone. And you can send your work at any time of the day when you’re accessing a 24/7 remote service. Would that give you the flexibility you need to use your time more effectively? PAIN RELIEF CAN BE FOUND HERE
So would you like to have one or two headaches removed? Ask for our Free Trial and give yourself some pain relief.
Which digital dictation system do you choose?
July 15, 2009
- It’s not expensive
- The devices work in the same way you’re used to
- Manufacturers are no longer producing analogue tapes, so we’re all forced into the “digital switchover”
Document Direct is compatible with the majority of digital dictation systems (DDS) and sound file formats. That means we can work with Philips, Olympus, BigHand, Winscribe and many other formats now available. But which system is the best for you? We’re almost 4 years old and have amassed a great deal of experience when it comes to working with the different systems, types of hardware and the various costs associated with them. There are many benefits to switching over to digital.
- The dictation can be transcribed faster by fewer secretaries which reduces your secretarial overhead and increases workflow
- Opportunities are created for flexible and remote working, you (and your staff) are no longer office bound
- Hard cash is saved when overhead can be slashed by outsourcing
So why are there still so many firms who don’t yet have a DDS? We’re in a situation now where firms need to save money but they can’t afford to invest in a DDS. Add to the fact that most people don’t like change and are fearful of new technology so they will procrastinate even more in making a decision. But each of these objections can easily be overcome.
We recently set up a solicitors practice, using free software, so they could choose to send their dictation to their in-house secretary or their favourite outsource typing agency. The only cost to the firm was for the handsets (and they vary vastly in price). The solicitors practice no longer needs to worry about secretarial cover during the holiday season. With a click of a button, their work is outsourced at a much lower cost than using a temping agency. Their work was backlogged by as much as three days. Now that we’ve helped them clear their dictation they’re working through their files faster. This can only be a good thing when it comes to holding onto work in progress and billing.
Would you like more information about implementing a digital dictation system in your firm? If so, contact us now.
Do you want to know how outsourcing works?
February 5, 2009
Outsourcing typing must be one of the simplest and quickest ways of increasing efficiency, controlling overhead costs whilst at the same time, improving your lifestyle. Work is produced faster, pay as you use means costs are controlled and outsourcing removes the headaches of recruiting, training, re-training, finding holiday/sickness cover and, if staffing is reduced too, it also reduces the amount of management time needed in running your business.
So with all of the free trials on offer, promises of a value added services from template production and superfast turnaround times, what is stopping you from having a go?
This article is lengthy and it contains detail of our processes.
- Do you use a digital dictation system already? If no, go to question 2. If yes, then skip number 2 and go directly to question 3.
- Every firm is set up slightly differently and each individual has their preference to how they work with dictation. Below are questions we ask you, to find out which is the best dictation system for you to use.
- Do you sit at your desk and work at your computer? If so, we will offer you our Winscribe Author dictation program, at no cost to you, which can be installed on your computer or laptop. This program works with a Philips Speechmike which plugs into your PC. Creating a new dictation is as simple as creating a new email. You can type notes to your dictation and also attach documents, if, for example, you needed to send us a specific template or perhaps a document which needs copy typing or amending.
- Are you on the move? If you dictate away from the office, prefer walking around and generally don’t like wires, then my favourite, the Philips Pocket Memo, is a good choice for you. Instead of using tapes, the Pocket Memo has a memory card and the device has the familiar slide control. Once you’ve dictated onto your Pocket Memo, the sound files need to be transferred to the Document Direct typists.
- No software needs to be installed and you can send your dictation from any computer connected to the internet. Simply go to our website to upload your dictations direct from your device. Our help guide is available here.
- If you’re dictating a lot of small jobs then uploading onto the website might be a little time consuming and fiddly for you. Winscribe’s Importer program can be installed on your computer. The Importer program is constantly scanning your PC for new dictations, so when you connect your Pocket Memo to your computer it copies them and sends them across the internet direct to the Document Direct typists.
- Do you work with your mobile phone? Winscribe’s dictation software for Blackberry is now available from Document Direct. Using your Blackberry as an all-in-one device means you can send your dictation from anywhere, receiving your work back to your phone too with mobile email.
- All of the above options are subject to your company IT infrastructure (if any) but are cost effective and require very little capital outlay.
- You already have a dictation system and depending on which type you have there are a number of solutions for you.
- If you use Winscribe we will liaise with your software assurance provider to configure your system so that Document Direct appears as an additional typist group. You may also be interested in Winscribe’s 360 Degree product which tracks the progress of each dictation which is outsourced.
- If you use the BigHand dictation system then we can arrange for the BigHand Outsource Module to be installed onto your system, at no cost to you. The Outsource Module adds Document Direct as an additional typist to your company. Your fee earners can choose to send dictations direct to us or an administrator can choose which dictations to drag/drop to the Document Direct typist. The progress of the outsourced dictations can be tracked and will show on the screen when the dictation is finished and the fee earner should expect their work to be in their system.
- Philips/Olympus systems have their own proprietary software but the sound files are produced in the DSS format which is compatible with the Document Direct system. As each firm is set up differently and has unique needs we will liaise with your IT department to install and configure Winscribe’s Importer program (see above).
- If you have any other dictation system then we would ask that you email a sample sound file to us so that we can check compatibility with the Document Direct system.
- So now the dictation system has been chosen the next stage is telling us what documents you need typing.
- If you have a bank of standard documents, templates and precedents then simply transfer them over to us.
- If you have some standard templates but are not happy with them, tell us. We will modernise them, add word processing features such as automatic numbering, page numbering, headers and footers - at no added cost to you. A sample of our templates is the Particulars of Claim template.
- If you have a house style, or would like one, tell us. We will build up a knowledge base on your preferred style of documents so they’re produced just the way you like them.
- What happens after the dictation is typed? How do you collect your finished work? Again, each firm and individual will have their own preferred method.
- We can email documents to a preferred email address.
- This can be direct to a fee earner, or to an appointed secretary. In many cases it’s the secretaries that we’re helping as they are far too busy with their PA duties, being an unqualified fee earner, and they prefer to choose which dictations to outsource.
- Each individual author can have the work sent to as many email addresses as required and can be changed at any point. It’s useful for any users who have mobile email, are not always connected to a company network and perhaps want copies to be sent to an administrator.
- The completed documents can be collected from our website and downloaded. Whilst this system cuts down email traffic it is necessary to have a computer connected to the internet.
- Work can be completed within the firm’s case management system. We will liaise with your IT department to discuss your infrastructure and requirements for us to connect remotely to your systems.
- We can email documents to a preferred email address.
- How much does it all cost? Once you’ve decided out which dictation system you’re using the cost of outsourcing to Document Direct is based purely on the amount of dictation sent to us. We base our charges on the length of the recordings and have just one standard rate, regardless of priority or urgency. We produce a report which totals your dictations and forms the basis of our invoice. Our reports can be as detailed as you wish and can even include a client reference so you can assign your typing charges as a disbursement to client files.
Cost = number of minutes x £1.30
You may have lots of questions still unanswered in which case don’t hesitate to drop me an email or give us a call.
Mobile dictation on a Windows PDA
November 18, 2008
Your multiple-use mobile phone can do so much more than make phone calls, and deliver and receive emails. Now your PDA can be a digital dictation device with Winscribe’s Pocket Author software.
Download the free software by clicking here. Click on RUN and the application will be intalled on your PC and linked to Active Sync. When you next connect your mobile phone to your PC the dictation program will be installed on it.
You will need some magical pieces of information from us to have the program connect to our system and get you started.
Contact us now to have your free account set up.
Nationwide Solicitors Alliance - outsourcing and digital dictation an added benefit
October 21, 2008
The inaugural meeting of Nationwide Solicitors Alliance (NSA) on 16 October discussed the challenges faced by small and medium sized firms: competing for commoditised services, rising cost of PI premiums and brokerage of work by panels to name just a few.
It may sound all doom and gloom but two people, Steve Battarbee and Tracy Thompson, who put their heart and soul into forming the NSA, have come up with some very real and positive answers to these challenges. They’re taking on the “big gun high volume firms” with hi-tech marketing and joint initiatives, they’re working with insurance companies to reduce PI premiums and they’ve recruited a support network of valuable sponsors to help them and their members.
Document Direct is supporting NSA members to be more profitable, work smarter and maintain their high standards and excellent service to their clients. Installing a digital dictation system will do three things:
- make distributing and prioritising the dictation easier, work is produced more efficiently, by fewer secretaries;
- make dictation is easy to outsource which is less costly than in-sourcing (bringing in temps and recruiting).
- make working from home, from a mobile or any internet computer possible and provide a real flexible workplace and flexible work times.
But people don’t like change! We understand this and work with lawyers - and their secretaries - so that a digital dictation system and outsourcing are integrated into current working systems and practices as painlessly as possible.
If you already have a digital dictation system then it’s more than likely compatible with outsourcing to Document Direct.
If you don’t already have a digital dictation system then we can advise on the best and most cost effective solution for you and your secretaries. However, if you don’t want to spend money and invest in your own dictation system, then why not make use of our system free of charge. You can still outsource your dictation, maintaining the highest support and service to your clients, with the minimum in-house secretarial cover.
At the very least, Document Direct can help you reduce your spend on temporary cover for holidays and sickness as we offer a pay as you use service with no minimum subscription.
All NSA members will receive an additional 10% discount on our services - simply quote your membership number to us.
Contact jayne.smith@documentdirect.co.uk to arrange a demonstration or a free trial.
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