WinScribe allows Forsters Fee Earners to Dictate Anywhere, Anytime

Outsourcing of dictation can help law firms save time and money. But with dictation jobs leaving the office, and often the country, how can companies continue to maintain visibility over workflow? For Forsters, the answer was WinScribe from SRC.

The Challenge - Outsourcing dictations

An increasingly common way to improve the legal dictation process today is to outsource a proportion of the work. Not only are there considerable cost and time savings to be made, but entrusting this vital work to a specialist offers peace of mind and a chance to use in-house resources more productively.

But it’s important for workflow management and business continuity reasons that law firms an still keep an eye on dictation jobs - a difficult task without the right technology to manage the process.

The waiting game

Lack of control over dictation jobs was a problem that Forsters, a prestigious property law firm located in Mayfair, London, knew only too well. It had begun to outsource a proportion of its dictation, but had yet to harness the full potential of this new way of working.

According to AJ Meade, IT manager with Forsters: “Outsourcing was seen as a perfect way to free up internal resources. We hoped that by reducing the amount of typing work, secretaries could become more like personal assistants to fee earners. But we had only limited digital dictation capability and no process for managing the relationship with our outsourcing partner in South Africa.”

“As it was, jobs were dictated and then sent directly to the outsourcer , with no record left on our systems. This meant we had absolutely no control over a job; we had to just sit and wait until it was transcribed and emailed back to us. In my view this is a very risky way to operate.”


The Solution – WinScribe and SRC

Forsters needed a more structured and organised way of managing its dictation process.Experienced document creation specialists SRC provided the perfect solution: WinScribe Digital Dictation. And Forsters hasn’t looked back since. “We chose SRC because they seemed very confident in what they do, and were far from pushy. They also offered consultancy, which was crucial to enabling us to make the most of thenew system,” explains AJ.SRC worked closely with Forsters to integrate its procedures with those of the outsourcing partner. It enabled the transcribers in South Africa - who also work with SRC - to log on to Forsters’ systems via the Internet and pick up the jobs directly.The law firm is delighted with the new technology. “We definitely made the right decision to go with SRC,” says AJ. “Everything from training to technical support has been fantastic. If I everhave a problem, I know there’s always someone at the end of the phone.“Now we can use the full potential of outsourcing and secretaries can take on more varied roles. Turnaround times have been reduced and though it’s difficult to put a figure on return oninvestment, as far as I’m concernedwe have achieved a superb return just in terms of increased productivity and confidence in our outsourcing relationship.”

The Result - Moving to a secure future

SRC’s WinScribe solution has given Forsters much more than increased visibility of dictation jobs. It is also a valuable mobility enabler. Thanks to its Web Uploader feature, fee earners can now dictate anywhere and send work back to the office over the Internet, securely and without needing any local software. They simply dictate using a handheld device, log on to the Forsters
WinScribe WebUploader page from any internet device and the dictation is uploaded straight away.

“This system is very easy to use. And because it integrates with Citrix, we can make it look exactly the same as if they were in the office,” says AJ. ““Lawyers traditionally work long hours. This way they can leave the office at a reasonable time, spend time with their families and work in the evening. From a lifestyle point of view it’s excellent.”

In terms of business continuity too, WinScribe has brought additional benefits: “Previously, if there had been a problem with transferring a dictation job, it would have been lost. But now we send a copy, so the original is always kept here at Forsters. This helps with back-up and gives us the assurance that, if our outsourcer couldn’t do a job, it could be called up on our system and done in house. “Also, if there was an emergency and staff couldn’t work in the building, fee earners could easily work from home and jobs could be directed straight to South Africa. This is a massive benefit. It’s good for our clients to know that if there are any problems, business will continue as usual.”

More than satisfied with the service it received, Forsters has approached SRC for the newest version of WinScribe. Security is critical in this law firm, particularly with the sensitive nature of large property deals. The new release offers even tighter password security for private transactions.

For now though, Forsters will continue to enjoy the flexibility that SRC and WinScribe have given to the company. “Control. It’s all about control,” says AJ. “We now have complete visibility over jobs, mobility for fee earners and peace of mind for ourselves and our clients. SRC’s consultancy has exceeded expectations and, I have to say, WinScribe has been a godsend.”

DOWNLOAD PDF