It's not often that you get to cover something that's a genuine first but InTechnology have seemingly beaten everyone to the punch with legal's first unified communications (UC) solution with integrated IP telephony. As telephony has always been the missing link in UC up to now, you can see why it's such a significant development - I mean, it can't have been very unified hitherto if the phones were missing. But what's really interesting about the UC movement is that it recognises that all those wonderful tools that have transformed how we communicate with one another - email, voicemail, BlackBerry, etc - have also started to become a bit of a problem. Think about the classic protracted email exchange that takes a week to generate a result when you could have sorted everything in a five minute phone call..you get the picture. In fact, InTechnology estimates that UC could reduce unnecessary communications - and the associated costs - by up to 50%.
Here's more....
Legal market finds voice with first unified communications solution with integrated IP telephony
Data, network and telephony management specialist InTechnology has announced the launch of the legal sector’s first Unified Communications (UC) solution with integrated IP telephony.
Until now, voice has been the missing link in all UC systems but InTechnology has brought together hosted Microsoft Office Communication Server and its enterprise class telephony service at the desktop. It estimates that law firm users will realize a 50% saving in unwanted or superfluous email and voice messages, greatly reducing communication latency, dramatically accelerating the decision-making process and improving employee interaction.
The launch comes at a time when both IT departments and lawyers are struggling to cope efficiently with a growing number of discrete devices and applications and associated messages and calls. A typical user may have a desktop PC or laptop, mobile phone or PDA, office desk phone and instant messaging, all of which are managed separately with multiple contact lists and inboxes.
Add to this the ever increasing quantity of e-mails, phone calls and voicemails to both fixed and mobile devices every day, many of which are generated as a result of email/telephone tag with no decisive outcome, and you risk growing user frustration, technical overload and an unnecessary drain on time and resources.
Available on a pay as you go basis, InTechnology's Hosted Unified Communications Service provides businesses with a unique set of integrated services including e-mail, instant messaging, presence, shared calendars, shared desktops, video calling, conferencing and IP telephony.
Richard Quine, InTechnology’s director of product management, comments:
"The goal of UC is to reduce the time, cost and frustration associated with unnecessary delays in decision making - to bring together all the tools of communication which we use, thereby allowing users to make decisions on how to interact with one another based on the presence status of their contacts.
What’s significant about the addition of voice to the UC offer is that it has the genuine potential to transform how lawyers communicate and collaborate with one another, with their clients and with counsel. This goes beyond the inherent efficiencies of a unified inbox or utilizing the ‘presence’ concept to accelerate the decision making process.
Firms can now leverage new capabilities such as high definition online video and conferencing - these will enable them to save costs, time and carbon emissions by offering a high quality alternative to face-to-face meetings and conferences. It is estimated that regular business travellers spend eleven days a year on avoidable or unnecessary travel – strip out the associated costs, factor in the extra fee-earning time returned to the practice and you are looking at a very substantial return on your investment. And that’s before you even add in the gains and savings to be had from the newly streamlined communication process afforded by the hosted UC platform.”
Friday, November 20, 2009
e-know.net keeps eye on legal
Recruitment may be the new hot vertical for e-know.net's marketing and PR efforts but we're certainly keeping an eye on legal, and we're always looking to expand and refine our services. There's a good front page splash in this month's Legal Technology Insider about our latest offering to SME law firms - CRM.
Here's the original press release:
e-know.net adds CRM to hosted portfolio
Managed service and SaaS specialist e-know.net has announced the launch of a new offering for SME law firms keen to leverage client relationship management and marketing software, but wary of the levels of financial investment and IT expertise required.
CRM Plus is based around Microsoft Dynamics CRM and can be delivered in two ways: as an addition to e-know.net’s managed desktop as part of a fully outsourced solution, or on a Software as a Service basis for those firms looking only to out-task certain applications. Back-end system administration and technical support are included within the monthly subscription, which is priced at £35 per user; the underlying SQL Server platform and licenses are rolled in at no extra cost.
Consultancy days can be bundled into a wraparound package at the initial implementation stage, with e-know.net specialists able to offer hands-on assistance with any particular configuration, migration or training issues.
Nigel Redwood, e-know.net’s managing director, knows that small to medium sized law firms want to take advantage of CRM tools but are concerned about costs and the availability of the requisite IT skills in-house. “Microsoft Dynamics is a big ticket item in most SMEs’ eyes and the necessary SQL know-how is not always accessible or affordable. CRM Plus gives firms a low cost, no-risk way of bringing vital functionality into their businesses, where they can focus on managing the client rather than mastering the technology, on developing the prospect rather than draining the profits.”
Here's the original press release:
e-know.net adds CRM to hosted portfolio
Managed service and SaaS specialist e-know.net has announced the launch of a new offering for SME law firms keen to leverage client relationship management and marketing software, but wary of the levels of financial investment and IT expertise required.
CRM Plus is based around Microsoft Dynamics CRM and can be delivered in two ways: as an addition to e-know.net’s managed desktop as part of a fully outsourced solution, or on a Software as a Service basis for those firms looking only to out-task certain applications. Back-end system administration and technical support are included within the monthly subscription, which is priced at £35 per user; the underlying SQL Server platform and licenses are rolled in at no extra cost.
Consultancy days can be bundled into a wraparound package at the initial implementation stage, with e-know.net specialists able to offer hands-on assistance with any particular configuration, migration or training issues.
Nigel Redwood, e-know.net’s managing director, knows that small to medium sized law firms want to take advantage of CRM tools but are concerned about costs and the availability of the requisite IT skills in-house. “Microsoft Dynamics is a big ticket item in most SMEs’ eyes and the necessary SQL know-how is not always accessible or affordable. CRM Plus gives firms a low cost, no-risk way of bringing vital functionality into their businesses, where they can focus on managing the client rather than mastering the technology, on developing the prospect rather than draining the profits.”
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Recession proves a win-win situation for Copitrak
In spite of, or maybe because of, the current recessionary climate, cost recovery specialist Copitrak seems to be showing no signs of running out of steam when it comes to new contract wins. Hot on the heels of its success with Winckworth Sherwood and Nabarro comes the announcement that it has now signed another top 100 firm, Hill Dickinson - further evidence seemingly that it's continuing to put clear blue water between itself and its rivals and establishing a convincing market leadership.
Copitrak in the ascendant with Hill Dickinson win
Copitrak Systems is continuing its run of recession-defying sales success with the signing of top 100 law firm Hill Dickinson. The cost recovery specialist has already delivered its Copy and Web Expense Entry modules across the firm’s Manchester, London, Liverpool, Chester and Singapore offices. Copitrak Print with Secure Print Release functionality is currently being trialed before a scheduled roll-out to over 1000 users.
Hill Dickinson took the decision to adopt a next-generation cost recovery and expense management system and saw the breadth and sophistication of Copitrak’s products as offering the best possible fit moving forward. As IT director Keith Feeny explains, the firm was keen to make the best choice based on immediate and likely future needs:
“While we had a serviceable system in place we were concerned that it would not give us the requisite scope and support in the years ahead, hence the decision to swap in Copitrak now and invest for the long-term. We can add in modules as the business demands, safe in the knowledge that we’re buying advanced, proven and flexible tools that will integrate with our PMS and build towards a comprehensive enterprise-wide cost management solution.”
Damian Jeal, Copitrak’s Operations and Business Development Director, comments: “With our customer base being traditionally very London-centric, we’re eager to use this success with Hill Dickinson, along with our other customers outside of London, as a springboard for significant growth not just in the north, but in other regions that are home to large, progressive firms”.
Copitrak in the ascendant with Hill Dickinson win
Copitrak Systems is continuing its run of recession-defying sales success with the signing of top 100 law firm Hill Dickinson. The cost recovery specialist has already delivered its Copy and Web Expense Entry modules across the firm’s Manchester, London, Liverpool, Chester and Singapore offices. Copitrak Print with Secure Print Release functionality is currently being trialed before a scheduled roll-out to over 1000 users.
Hill Dickinson took the decision to adopt a next-generation cost recovery and expense management system and saw the breadth and sophistication of Copitrak’s products as offering the best possible fit moving forward. As IT director Keith Feeny explains, the firm was keen to make the best choice based on immediate and likely future needs:
“While we had a serviceable system in place we were concerned that it would not give us the requisite scope and support in the years ahead, hence the decision to swap in Copitrak now and invest for the long-term. We can add in modules as the business demands, safe in the knowledge that we’re buying advanced, proven and flexible tools that will integrate with our PMS and build towards a comprehensive enterprise-wide cost management solution.”
Damian Jeal, Copitrak’s Operations and Business Development Director, comments: “With our customer base being traditionally very London-centric, we’re eager to use this success with Hill Dickinson, along with our other customers outside of London, as a springboard for significant growth not just in the north, but in other regions that are home to large, progressive firms”.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Legal Inc discloses podcast series
Chris Dale has beaten me to the punch with this but then why am I surprised? The man's output is prolific, nay prodigious - I hate to think how much more he'd be able to do if he wasn't beetling across the globe half the time. But I am indebted to him for more than the plug for the new IncSpots podcast - without him, we wouldn't have had a 10-part special to begin with, and both Lisa Burton and I are hugely grateful for the time spent during and after the recording sessions in helping bring everything together. I'm hoping that we will be able to include quarterly updates with Chris in our podcast schedule going forward - with the recent Earles judgement, plus Lord Justice Jackson's costs review and developments with the technology questionnaire, we already have enough material to reconvene.
So the first two IncSpots are available now on the Legal Inc website, and when iTunes has recovered from its technical difficulties, we'll be able to submit them there as well. As soon as we have our little storefront confirmed, I'll blog about it - and I should be the first to the punch on this occasion.
So the first two IncSpots are available now on the Legal Inc website, and when iTunes has recovered from its technical difficulties, we'll be able to submit them there as well. As soon as we have our little storefront confirmed, I'll blog about it - and I should be the first to the punch on this occasion.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
e-know.net aims for QuickStart into recruitment
Managed service provider and SaaS specialist e-know.net has focussed much of its recent PR and marcomms effort on the legal market and, I'm pleased to say, they're seeing good results - both in terms of coverage and awareness and, more critically, hard sales and a strengthening pipeline. We're now going to move the narrowcast approach to a new vertical, recruitment. It's already a vibrant sector from a customer point of view, with over a 1000 seats currently being serviced, but we feel it's ripe for a concerted promotional effort - why not turn 1000 into 2000?
We're kicking off with a concept that has previously found favour within legal - no reason to think it won't appeal to a market that is shaking itself down after a tough 12 months and to players who see opportunity in adversity.
Start-ups get QuickStart boost
Managed service specialist e-know.net has launched a new IT outsourcing offering designed for breakaway and start-up recruitment firms. QuickStart aims to deliver a fully functioning IT infrastructure within a client-led timeframe – the basic per user per month pricing model allows for the hosting and management of Microsoft Office, Exchange and Outlook, and the client’s choice of core recruitment software and management systems. Additional applications can be hosted for a small increase in the monthly charges.
The appeal of QuickStart is that it removes the need for substantial investment in IT at a time when a new business is relatively cash sensitive and also allows it to focus on clients and getting the job done without the stresses of IT staffing and provisioning.
e-know.net’s managing director, Nigel Redwood, comments: “Firms just want to get on with the job in hand, focusing on fee-earning work and client and candidate management, without back-office distractions and worries about escalating overheads. A hosted solution like QuickStart allows them to do exactly that because we become, in effect, their de facto IT department and take on that responsibility ourselves. In return for cashflow-friendly fixed costs, clients get a secure, resilient system; anywhere, anytime access to centralised data; the very latest software; 24/7 support; on-tap IT expertise; and complete peace of mind."
QuickStart is targeted at firms of between 5 and 20 users with per user per month costs starting at £99 per user. Delivery of the hosted service is over Citrix, with applications and data held at e-know.net’s mirrored data centres. e-know.net already has over 1,000 users in the recruitment sector, with a proven track record in the delivery of specialist applications such as Troy, ClientMatch, Matchmaker, Link Recruit and Tracker RMS.
For more information, please contact the sales team on 01952 236 236 or email sales@e-know.net
We're kicking off with a concept that has previously found favour within legal - no reason to think it won't appeal to a market that is shaking itself down after a tough 12 months and to players who see opportunity in adversity.
Start-ups get QuickStart boost
Managed service specialist e-know.net has launched a new IT outsourcing offering designed for breakaway and start-up recruitment firms. QuickStart aims to deliver a fully functioning IT infrastructure within a client-led timeframe – the basic per user per month pricing model allows for the hosting and management of Microsoft Office, Exchange and Outlook, and the client’s choice of core recruitment software and management systems. Additional applications can be hosted for a small increase in the monthly charges.
The appeal of QuickStart is that it removes the need for substantial investment in IT at a time when a new business is relatively cash sensitive and also allows it to focus on clients and getting the job done without the stresses of IT staffing and provisioning.
e-know.net’s managing director, Nigel Redwood, comments: “Firms just want to get on with the job in hand, focusing on fee-earning work and client and candidate management, without back-office distractions and worries about escalating overheads. A hosted solution like QuickStart allows them to do exactly that because we become, in effect, their de facto IT department and take on that responsibility ourselves. In return for cashflow-friendly fixed costs, clients get a secure, resilient system; anywhere, anytime access to centralised data; the very latest software; 24/7 support; on-tap IT expertise; and complete peace of mind."
QuickStart is targeted at firms of between 5 and 20 users with per user per month costs starting at £99 per user. Delivery of the hosted service is over Citrix, with applications and data held at e-know.net’s mirrored data centres. e-know.net already has over 1,000 users in the recruitment sector, with a proven track record in the delivery of specialist applications such as Troy, ClientMatch, Matchmaker, Link Recruit and Tracker RMS.
For more information, please contact the sales team on 01952 236 236 or email sales@e-know.net
Helping out with a user forum
My middle name is 'Versatility' so I was happy to pitch in when Copitrak asked me if I could help out with developing a forum cum bulletin board for their users. Keen to follow up on the success of their inaugural user group meeting, Copitrak want to now push on and develop a community around the themes of cost recovery and expense management. It's an increasingly core discipline within law firms, with substantial investments in technology to support enhanced cost tracking, improved recharge rates and more proactive control of non-chargeable disbursements. But it's not always been easy for firms to share ideas and swap experiences, a natural sensitivity to discussing the inner financial workings of a practice working against an equally natural desire to know what others are up to. Without anyone giving their respective games away, it is hoped that the forum will at least serve as a useful repository for technical tips, strategic thoughts, product evaluation and robust discussions on the merits of, say, terminals vs embedded solutions.
With a little help from my friends, we had the forum up and running in a couple of days and Copitrak are now busy chivvying up people to join. The users said they wanted a community - and what the users want, they shall get!
With a little help from my friends, we had the forum up and running in a couple of days and Copitrak are now busy chivvying up people to join. The users said they wanted a community - and what the users want, they shall get!
Legal Inc makes podcast debut
Litigation support consultancy Legal Inc is set to launch its new IncSpots podcast series shortly. It's been one of my more interesting projects of late, as we've been fortunate enough to get Chris Dale involved. Chris is one of the world's foremost authorities on edisclosure so who better to join Legal Inc's Lisa Burton for a 10-part special on the subject? Chris's knowledge and understanding is incredibly impressive and his confident, measured delivery makes for great podcasting - mind you, it's left me a little short of incriminating outtakes! But what we've got is an excellent introduction to edisclosure, something that just takes a step back from the flood-tide of articles and conferences and puts a stake in the ground as to where we are now, where we're going and how best to get there. The first two episodes will be available next week via iTunes and from the Legal Inc website.
New InTechnology podcasts released
Data, networks and telephony management specialist InTechnology has released two new podcasts on Unified Communications (UC).
Part 1 - The benefits of Unified Communications
A wide-ranging look at UC, exploring the concept, the underlying technology, the inherent challenges, the benefits and the practical strategies for success. Answering the questions is Richard Quine, InTechnology's director of product management and development
http://www.intechnology.co.uk/Documents/Podcasts/06_The_Grid_Unified_Comms_benefits.mp3
Part 2 - Implementing Unified Communications
Richard Quine, Director of Product Management & Development at InTechnology, looks at how to successfully deploy and deliver an effective Unified Communication strategy.
http://www.intechnology.co.uk/Documents/Podcasts/06_The_Grid_Unified_Comms_implementation.mp3
Part 1 - The benefits of Unified Communications
A wide-ranging look at UC, exploring the concept, the underlying technology, the inherent challenges, the benefits and the practical strategies for success. Answering the questions is Richard Quine, InTechnology's director of product management and development
http://www.intechnology.co.uk/Documents/Podcasts/06_The_Grid_Unified_Comms_benefits.mp3
Part 2 - Implementing Unified Communications
Richard Quine, Director of Product Management & Development at InTechnology, looks at how to successfully deploy and deliver an effective Unified Communication strategy.
http://www.intechnology.co.uk/Documents/Podcasts/06_The_Grid_Unified_Comms_implementation.mp3
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