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SA law firms can become more profitable by making smarter use of technology

By JP Lourens, Software and Solutions Product Manager at Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa.


Johannesburg, 24 Oct 2017

According to a national survey of law firms and legal professionals by LexisNexis and the Law Society of South Africa, around 92% of respondents believe improved use of technology is a priority for the growth of their businesses.

Two technologies, in particular, can help law firms to capture more revenues and reduce operating costs: automated disbursement recovery and digital content management solutions, says JP Lourens, Software and Solutions Product Manager at Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa.

Today's tools integrate easily with the office scanning, printing, and faxing equipment, enabling legal firms to digitise more of their processes and transform the way they operate.

Automate disbursements, manage expenses

All too many law firms in South Africa have yet to automate disbursement recovery, with the result that they fail to recover some of the costs they should bill to clients. The impact on revenue is significant, since most firms put a markup on their expenses. Even worse, filing the paperwork for expenses such as e-mail, telephone calls, copying, printing and faxing can consume time that could be used for billable work instead.

Disbursement management and recovery software automates processes so that lawyers, attorneys and their assistants can keep track of every transaction and file accurate cost reports for every case. That means no cost will be forgotten because a legal professional meant to file it later - a quick win that translates into direct profits.

By putting an automated disbursement recovery solution in place, most law firms can improve recovery by at least 40%. Automated disbursement recovery solutions integrate with practice management solutions such as LegalSuite and GhostConvey to simplify the process of recording costs, allocating them to accounts or clients and recovering them. These solutions also provide reports and auditing information - enhancing cost control in the business.

Enterprise content management (ECM) software

Many corporate and public sector clients are now asking their legal firms to digitise their workflows and records to improve efficiencies and controls. Even without these demands from clients, law firms can benefit from putting software in place that helps them to store and manage electronic records (including paper documents, video and voice files) in a repository in the cloud or on a server.

These solutions mean legal professionals can access legal documents remotely so they can work on a case from anywhere without dragging a box of files around. Several people can work on the same case file, no matter where they are, which omits delays in processing. They also make it simple to securely share information with clients or other parties involved in a case.

A good ECM platform will make it easy to locate records, rather than spending hours in a storeroom riffling through paper. One can quickly and easily access, add and update case file information, regardless of format. It's also possible to secure sensitive information with blackout and whiteout redaction tools, annotate documents with working notes or search a long document for relevant information.

Don't neglect operational efficiency

While an increasing number of practices are looking at how they can use opportunities such as social media to grow their businesses, many are neglecting how IT can help them improve efficiencies and profits. Technologies such as ECM and automated disbursement recovery can deliver significant savings to the bottom-line, while transforming the way law firms work.

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Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa

Headquartered in Midrand, Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa is a country level subsidiary of Kyocera Document Solutions and is responsible for the sales and marketing of Kyocera printers and document solutions throughout southern Africa.

Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa is renowned for its tailor-made document solutions that provide a perfect blend of premium products, software solutions and professional services that increase an organisation's workflow efficiency, enhance employee productivity, minimise environmental impact and significantly reduce operating costs.

The company offers world-class monochrome and colour printers, multifunctional products, parts and supplies, as well as software solutions.

A key differentiator for the Kyocera brand is the primary focus on overall value as opposed to only considering the initial acquisition price. Its solutions portfolio and Managed Document Services division help customers to reduce costs and environmental impact, at the same time as improving the efficiency and reliability of common business processes.

Kyocera Document Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyocera Corporation, which is a leading manufacturer of hi-tech ceramics, electronic components, solar cells and electronic office equipment.

For further information, visit www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.za.

Editorial contacts

ingrid lotze
join.the.dots
(+27) 83 447 3438
ingrid@jtd.co.za
Marcom Department
Kyocera Document Solutions
(+27) 11 595 2600
marcom@dza.kyocera.com