The Datamax Thinking Blog

Practicing law is hard enough. Having to rely on paper makes it even harder.

For the office managers behind the scenes, making sure that lawyers have the information they need, helping to sort through invoicing, and having to deal with the hundreds of details and tasks that keep the firm operational; the last thing you need are manual processes to deal with.

Paper everywhere. Case files stacked on lawyers desks (and chairs, filing cabinets, floors, everywhere) and, because multiple people on the team need to use the same files, you have to make – and keep up-to-date – all of the documents in that file for each member.

It’s better to have a partner than someone just selling you something. Asking these questions will help you find that partner.

Partnering with an office equipment provider to purchase equipment, guide your document automation efforts, or a pursue a managed print services strategy is a big investment in both time and money. That’s why when choosing a partner, it’s critical that you ask them the right questions and that they give you honest answers.

Your office equipment is a key piece of delivering your own customer service. You need a partner that can deliver fast, accurate service to your equipment.

It’s safe to say that if we pay for a service then we want great service and satisfaction. Why should we expect anything less, right?

And since customer satisfaction is a big deal in pretty much every industry, it’s no surprise that it’s one of the top priorities for law firms – securing and enhancing customer relationships through insight, speed, flexibility, and responsiveness.

But what happens when your entire network crashes

Does your technology partner have a formula for ensuring you become a technology FANATIC every step of the way?

Today more than ever the business of technology has become a workout and for many customers, a thorough beating when it comes to service and support.  Whether ranting or raving, 58% say they are more likely to tell others about their service experiences than they were 5 years ago. (Source= Zendesk)  For many customers, the prevailing feeling regarding business technology is...

Most of us have heard this before, but it’s worth repeating because it’s true – there are no stupid questions (though we’ve all probably heard some stupid answers). 

This is especially true when asking a potential office equipment provider questions. When it comes to deciding whom to partner with for your copier and other office equipment needs – questions are an important part of the selection process.

How important? 

When looking at companies that sell copiers, selecting the right partner can really make or break how effective a technology purchase, lease, and/or software implementation will be.  Since questions are important in this process, here is a short list of them to help you separate the pretenders from the contenders.  

Never just buy a copier, take your time and select the right one for your business.

Buying a copier for your law firm is easy. With a quick search of the Internet, you can unearth a variety of options – from eBay, manufacturers, and copier dealers. Get a purchase order or just hand over your credit card information and, voila, you’ve bought yourself a new copier.

Getting the RIGHT copier to meet the complex needs of the legal industry is more complicated. More complicated, but definitely better for you in the long run.

Use print tracking and managed print services to simplify cost recovery in your law firm.

Recouping business expenditures taken on behalf of a client (whether internal or external) is necessary. Keeping track of each of those expenses for every single client can be difficult and time consuming.

It’s sort of like traveling for business. You have that thought, “I could be reimbursed for my meals and my trips to Starbucks, but do I really feel like jumping through the necessary hoops?” Sometimes your time is just worth more than the trouble of recovering a cost.

According to research from InfoTrends, the biggest hurdle to printing from mobile devices is “technical connectivity problems to the printer.”

The majority of office workers don’t print from their mobile devices because they don’t think it’s an option.

What if that weren’t a problem? Well, it’s not. “There’s an app for that” is a pretty common phrase these days and in this case is true – there’s an app for printing from smartphones.

For personal printing at home there is a quick caveat

To remain competitive businesses need to harness technology to solve their everyday challenges.

Though technology won’t solve ALL of your business problems, you might be surprised by the amount of heavy lifting it can do for you – this is especially true in a document-intensive industries, such as legal. And, with all the time you’ll gain with the help of technology, you can concentrate on one of those other tasks you’ve been juggling.

Here’s a list of common business challenges – and potential solutions to those challenges – that can make a difference in your office.

Save time and a walk back to your computer, scan a document and share via email directly from your copier.

We may all live in a digital world but, even so, at some point you’ll receive physical pieces of paper and need to send them to someone electronically.

Accomplishing this always seems to involve a small amount of irritation. For whatever reason those few extra steps tend to make the process seem daunting (even when it’s really not).