While a law firm’s focus is on delivering accurate advice to clients of all sizes, challenges with the print environment can get in the way. Print management in the legal sector aids law firms to focus on client work confident that document security and accurate billing of print services are handled.
Legal challenges with print services
Of the many vertical markets, the legal sector is one that produces vast quantities of documents. Whether it is contracts, wills, terms and conditions, mergers/acquisitions, criminal and civil suits, and so much more, printed documents feature heavily.
This all leads to some pretty serious challenges for law firms. Here we will outline a few of the many challenges areas that a proper print management solution can solve.
Cost recover with client billing
With so many documents being printed, scanned, copied, or faxed, costs can easily escalate and spiral out of control. Many firms have no idea how much these activities cost, let alone how much for any one client. As a result, law firms are unable to accurately bill clients for print services work.
Confidentiality
The confidential nature of legal documents brings security and data privacy into the spotlight. The legal sector is built on client confidence and trust. It is vital that any potential risk of any client data getting into unauthorized hands be eliminated.
Document workflow
The task of scanning, processing, sharing, and storing digital documents can be inefficient, time-consuming, and can even create security risks, especially if digital documents are sent via email. Embracing digital, productive, and environmentally friendly ways of working is a challenge to such a historied, busy, and respected industry.
Print management for legal eagles
Each of the above challenges can be addressed by implementing the correct print management solution. Taking a managed approach can provide security, control, visibility, and help to realize cost savings and charge costs back to clients.
Let’s take each of these challenges in turn:
Accurate accounting for billing
In the legal world, cost savings can be realized not only by printing smarter but by having accurate visibility of spend. Staff can allocate print services jobs to project/billing codes so that the firm can track and bill customers to accurately recover costs in good time.
Print management reporting provides information so that the firm’s accounting department can easily access the print services spent on each client and bill clients accordingly knowing they have the back up to prove the invoice line item. Even firms who charge a flat administrative fee that covers expenses such as printing, the reporting can indicate whether the fee is still adequately covering costs.
Security and Privacy
With pull-printing and authentication, confidential documents are kept safe and printed only when the print job owner releases it at the printer. No documents are left in the printer output tray. Password-protected PDF files provide further security on financial or client documents and information. Additionally, documents can be restricted with security clearance levels, with print access only available to a specific band of individuals. For example, guests may be restricted to print only rather than copy or scan.
Workflows into common legal systems
Many law firms use legal specific document management systems such as LEAP or iManage. These systems serve as a repository for client documents. When staff need to scan documents, a print management system with automated scan workflows can make this easy, freeing staff up and making them more productive. Application specific connectors between the print management system and these document control systems mean that pressing one button on the printer will scan a set of documents and automatically send the digital output into the client folder in the repository. Print management’s use of optical character recognition can further assist when using barcodes to identify the client.
The case for YSoft SAFEQ
Using
YSoft SAFEQ can help law firms achieve all of this and more. We know that legal document management requires a comprehensive and secure solution. YSoft SAFEQ offers print management and workflow solutions to enable the legal sector to safeguard sensitive information and track the print services activity for billing purposes.
YSoft SAFEQ simplifies print management and delivers managed print solutions to help law firms boost efficiency while working towards Digital Transformation goals. Client documentation, data, and information are kept secure in all states (print, digital, or in transit). Combining the capabilities of print management with advanced document capture ensures user-friendly print, copy, scan, or fax using any multifunctional device on the network.
What sets us Y Soft apart?
Here are three of many examples:
- YSoft SAFEQ is integrated with popular legal applications, including the LEAP Practice Management Platform and iManage. This integration provides even greater productivity, security, and accuracy as prints, copies, or scans can be automatically allocated, managed, or stored with ease.
- In addition to everyday cost features, our unique building block architecture reduces the numberer of servers needed. This scalable solution is flexible for on-premises or private cloud. Additionally, Y Soft can host the print infrastructure for you on a public cloud platform, Azure.
- The reporting features in SAFEQ are the most comprehensive available. In addition to reports on billing allocations by project codes, and general usage reporting, Green Reports provide data around usage of key resources, such as water, timber, and CO2 emissions. These can be used to identify areas where waste and associated environmental costs can be minimized.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, the legal sector can hugely benefit from using a print management, saving both time and money. YSoft SAFEQ offers a print management and workflow solution to enable the legal sector to simplify print management, safeguard sensitive information, and recover costs through accurate client/project reporting. Designed to optimize the print environment for the legal sector, YSoft SAFEQ removes print services worry allowing the legal industry to focus on what they do best.
Contact us to find out how we can help to keep documents secure, recover printing costs, and support document management.