Intelligent Office: Time for the digital mailroom
Remote and hybrid working are turning the traditional concepts of administrative support services on their head, including the processing, creation and storage of documents and correspondence. In a world where agile working is essential to thrive, digital mailroom solutions which manage incoming and outgoing mail with speed, efficiency and security play a key part.
MOVING BEYOND A SHORT TERM FIX
Whilst some law firms had already invested in a digital mailroom solution, the majority had not done so when the pandemic hit. As a result, scanning urgently needed mail/documents and sending these via email became a common business continuity essential in the early weeks following lockdown.
However, now that some form of remote and hybrid working is set to become a more permanent requirement, operational management within law firms must look for longer term solutions that offer secure ongoing access and management of documents and other records.
PEOPLE PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY
Digital mailroom solutions are a core element of electronic document management and storage, and a gateway to agile working. A fully implemented digital mailroom offers significant benefits for a dispersed workforce but to be fully effective, it must be implemented intelligently, taking into account a firm’s operational structure and processes. Consideration must also be given to upskilling the central reprographic and mailroom teams to deliver the new processes whilst ensuring that resourcing capacity matches the volume of manual processing that will still be required after the solution has been implemented.
“The main point of implementing digital mailroom solutions is to help facilitate agile working, ensuring that fee earners have quick, easy and secure access to information, wherever they are working. With consideration given to the people and process around the technology, such systems can deliver considerable efficiencies. Most importantly, fee earners, support staff and other resources can be focused productively,” commented Alison Bilgin, COO at Intelligent Office.
Consolidating experience gained from working with many of the UK’s top 100 law firms over the past 20 years, Intelligent Office is able to help its clients maximise the potential benefits of a digital mailroom solution including;
A dedicated team that oversees automated inbound mail management, reducing the need for fee earner or PA time spent scanning incoming mail, and ensuring fewer misplaced items of post via a robust chain of custody
Standardised mail processing, bypassing the need for scanned mail to be sent by email and reducing the burden on IT infrastructure
Improved document security and control, including full audit trail, cost and usage reporting options
Efficient, automated referencing to reduce scanning and indexing time, and limiting the opportunity for human error
Incoming mail protocols that are integrated with existing records retention policies to reduce onsite storage requirements and comply with GDPR regulations
Ability to send outgoing correspondence from office and remote locations without the need for stationery and print hardware
Automated mailroom solutions are an integral (if not the most exciting!) element of law firm operations and with the right partner to help implement them effectively, management teams can focus their energies elsewhere during busy times.
To find out how Intelligent Office supports the implementation of digital mailrooms as part of effective firmwide agile working initiatives, get in touch with Sam Nicholls, Head of Business Development at Intelligent Office on +44 (0)7984 252 150 or at sam.nicholls@intelligentofficeuk.com.