FULLY INTEGRATED MANAGED IT, PRINT AND COMMS FOR NORTHWEST LAW FIRM
About The Client
With 3 practice locations across Lancashire, Winder Taylor Solicitors operate in both the personal and business sector from helping to resolve family issues, wills and conveyancing to commercial property and corporate disputes.
Key Benefits
- An 18-month solution delivered in less than 2 months
- Streamlined operations, integration into existing CMS: LEAP
- Optimisation of Telecoms, IT and Print to work seamlessly together
- Simplified Billing process saving time every month for accounts.
- Enhanced security protocols of sensitive legal data across laptops, mobiles and tablets
- Improved Efficiency using MS One-drive secure file storage and sharing capabilities
- Full Access to all Microsoft365 Applications
The Challenge
Moving From Remote Desktop To Modern Workplace
Winder Taylor Smith recognised the numerous advantages of transitioning from Remote Desktop to Modern Workplace, which would allow them to fully reap the benefits of cloud-based software solutions. Their current system was outdated and limited, with employees restricted to their physical location and limited remote work capabilities. Moving to the cloud would bring cost savings, the ability for fee earners to access legal files from anywhere at any time, quick and easy employee addition or removal, and improved data security to meet compliance regulations for their legal clients. Winder Taylor Smith aimed to adopt Microsoft’s Modern Workplace, which would provide a seamless solution featuring Office 365, OneDrive, and other Microsoft tools to improve their firm’s efficiency.
Long Installation Times With Previous Provider
Winder Taylor Smith had initiated the switch to a new cloud IT solution provider 18 months previously but unfortunately, the installation was running behind schedule and had yet to be completed within the originally planned timeframe. With the clear deadline dates in their contracts with their CRM system, Winder Taylor Smith was facing the potential of incurring additional costs if the new IT system was not installed in time.
Unhappy With Previous Provider
Six months into the transition process, Winder Taylor Smith received disappointing news from their new supplier that they were unable to deliver on their agreed timescales. The supplier explained they would need to invest in upgrading all their PCs, despite having been previously assured that they were adequate. Facing this setback, Winder Taylor Smith reached out to Matrix247, their current trusted communications and managed print provider and discussed their options.
Matrix247 offered a comprehensive ICT solution to resolve the issue.
Matrix247's Approach
Matrix247 took ownership of implementing the concept, design, solution and full deployment of their ICT needs.
Having already experienced exceptional customer service from Matrix247 with their telephony and copiers, Winder Taylor Smith saw the benefits of consolidating all three products, including IT, under a single provider. After a meeting to understand their challenges with their current IT solution, Matrix247 designed a cloud solution that was compatible with their existing computers and allowed for a gradual hardware upgrade, providing ample storage for future technological needs. This solution also aligned with their new cloud-based practice management software, Leap.
With over 20 years of experience and an accredited Gold Microsoft Partner, Matrix247 is well-equipped to provide the necessary leadership and guidance to support Winder Taylor Smith’s IT needs. Their solution ensured business continuity and aligns with the law firm’s strategy and operations, providing peace of mind for the entire firm.
Moving From Remote Desktop To Modern Workplace
Microsoft Modern Workplace is a comprehensive solution offered by Microsoft that aims to modernise the way businesses work. It provides a seamless experience by integrating various Microsoft tools and services, including Office 365, OneDrive, and other productivity apps. The goal of Modern Workplace is to increase efficiency, collaboration, and mobility for employees, enabling them to work from anywhere, on any device. The solution also offers enhanced security features to protect sensitive business data and meet compliance regulations. By adopting the Modern Workplace, law firms can streamline their work processes, improve communication and collaboration, and support a more flexible, remote-friendly work environment.
The Outcome
Unified Solutions Provider
Winder Taylor Smith now greatly benefits from having one unified solutions provider for their IT, Comms and Managed Print. This results in a simplified billing process with just one invoice for all their services, a clear path for customer support, and the optimisation of all their products to work seamlessly together, such as printers and laptops. In case any issues do arise, they can rely on a smooth and efficient resolution process, as they have one point of contact, one support email and one account manager, ensuring their operations are as streamlined as possible. This strong relationship and fast, proactive service and support from Matrix247 is a huge advantage for the law firm.
Fast Turnaround Time
Matrix247’s IT and Project Managers were able to deliver a solution in 7 weeks, with minor delays due to the Christmas holidays and previous suppliers failing to provide data from Winder Taylor Smith’s existing database.
After dealing with these significant delays from previous suppliers, Winder Taylor Smith was overjoyed with this quick turnaround time as they were able to remove incurring costs, and adapt to their new way of working quickly.
Easy Integration with CMS (Leap)
For Winder Taylor Smith, ensuring integration with their Case Management System (Leap) was a top priority. Through discussions with Matrix247’s IT experts, they gained a thorough understanding of their needs and designed a custom solution that would enhance the law firm’s efficiency for its fee earners.
Access To Microsoft Applications
Winder Taylor Smith has access to a suite of Microsoft applications to streamline day-to-day tasks and improve efficiency. By leveraging Microsoft Office 365, the firm has access to essential productivity tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. This enables fee earners to create, edit and collaborate on documents and presentations with ease. Additionally, Microsoft OneDrive provides secure file storage and sharing, allowing the firm to manage and access important files from anywhere on any device. These applications help simplify day-to-day processes, freeing up more time for their fee earners to focus on delivering high-quality legal services to their clients.
Collaboration Tools And Microsoft Teams
Winder Taylor Smith’s team can now communicate effortlessly thanks to Microsoft Teams. With features such as chat, online meetings, calls and web conferences, the firm can effectively communicate with both their colleagues and clients. Teams also allows for fee earners to send attachments, share screens during calls, and schedule meetings within the app, reducing the number of emails, and making conversations easier to track. The Teams app is easily accessible on smartphones, allowing solicitors to stay connected to their team and clients while on the go and easily track billable hours.
Microsoft SharePoint is also a powerful collaboration tool included in Winder Taylor Smith’s Modern Workplace, allowing fee earners to work more efficiently together. With SharePoint, employees can store, organise and share information and documents in a central location, making it easy for everyone to access the latest information and collaborate on projects. SharePoint also includes features such as task management, document version control, and workflow automation, allowing employees to work together more effectively. Additionally, SharePoint’s customisation options allows the platform to be tailored to meet their specific needs, such as creating custom forms and templates for legal documents. Microsoft SharePoint increases collaboration amongst fee earners by providing a centralised platform for information and document sharing, as well as tools for better task and document management.
Automated Processes
Microsoft Modern Workplace helps Winder Taylor Smith streamline and automate routine processes with its suite of productivity and collaboration tools. By using Microsoft’s intelligent cloud-based applications, such as Power Automate and Power Apps, the law firm can create custom workflows and automated processes to increase efficiency and free up valuable time for fee earners. These tools allow tasks to be automated such as data entry, document approvals, and reminders, which can be triggered by specific events or conditions, saving time and reducing the risk of manual errors. This automation capability of Microsoft Modern Workplace enables the focus to be on delivering high-quality legal services to their clients, while at the same time streamlining and improving their own internal processes.
Strong Security Protection
Microsoft Modern Workplace provides enhanced security for Winder Taylor Smith by incorporating advanced security features and protocols. The platform includes built-in security features such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, and threat protection, ensuring that all sensitive legal data is protected against cyber threats.
Microsoft Intune provides an additional layer of protection by enhancing the security of their devices and data. With Intune, the firm can monitor and manage the security of all of its devices, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets, ensuring that only trusted devices have access to sensitive legal data. Intune also allows Winder Taylor Smith to enforce security policies and manage software updates, reducing the risk of security threats. Furthermore, Intune provides real-time monitoring and reporting, allowing the firm to quickly detect and respond to any security incidents. By using Intune, their data and devices can be protected from cyber threats and ensure they are in compliance with industry regulations, such as GDPR.
Secure Data Even On Personal Devices
With Microsoft’s multi-factor authentication, fee earners can securely access their critical legal documents, files and Microsoft Modern Workplace applications from home. This process is highly effective in preventing identity attacks and safeguarding passwords, with a success rate of 99% in preventing these attacks. Additionally, Microsoft Modern Workplace ensures confidential files cannot be saved onto a fee earners personal device, thereby preventing the external distribution of sensitive data. In the event that a fee earner decides to leave the firm, the ability to remotely wipe all data from their device adds an extra layer of security, critical in the legal sector. This gives peace of mind, ensuring that their confidential data and applications are protected at all times.
Compatible With All Devices
Microsoft Modern Workplace is designed to be compatible with a wide range of devices including desktops, smartphones and tablets. The compatibility provides numerous benefits for Winder Taylor Smith and its fee earners, as it enables them to work from any location and on any device of their choice. This enhances the firm’s productivity, as fee earners can work on important legal files and collaborate with clients and colleagues from any location at any time. Additionally, the compatibility of Microsoft Workplace with all devices allows Winder Taylor Smith to maximise the investment they have made in their technology and ensures that they can take advantage of the latest features and updates without having to worry about compatibility issues. This helps them to stay ahead of the curve, improving their competitiveness in the legal market.
Ensures For Business Continuity
Microsoft Modern Workplace is built on top of cloud computing, meaning that all data stored in the cloud can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. This also means that in the case of a disaster, such as a fire or natural disaster, Winder Taylor Smith’s data is stored securely and can still be accessed from another location. With the cloud redundancy feature of Microsoft Modern Workplace, multiple copies of all data are stored across multiple data centres, ensuring that even if one data centre is impacted, another can take over and keep the law firm running seamlessly. This approach to data storage means they have stronger disaster recovery and reduced downtime, ensuring they can continue to support their clients without any interruptions.
Scalable
Microsoft Modern Workplace is designed to be scalable, meaning that it can easily adapt to the changing needs of a law firm. This is a key benefit for Winder Taylor Smith, as their law firm grows and evolves over time, with new employees joining the team and an increase in clients. With Microsoft Modern Workplace, users/ staff can be added or remove users quickly and easily, without the need for technical configurations.
This ensures that Winder Taylor Smith is able to continue using their IT systems without any interruptions. The scalability of Microsoft Modern Workplace also means the costs associated with adding new users can be reduced, as they only pay for what they need, when they need it.
This makes Microsoft Modern Workplace a cost-effective solution for the law firm in the long term.
Speak to one of our Legal Team Today.
Currently looking after over 130 law firms across the North West, we’d love to share ideas and knowledge on how to best align your ICT with your law firm strategy.
Simply enter your details in the form and we’ll get in touch. Alternatively, email teamlegal@matrix247.com or call us on 0345 3620 247
