This weekend has been bizzy-bizzy over at the Zivley Law Firm. We have been migrating all of the firm’s hard files over to a perfectly organized digital file system on the server.

The new copy/fax/scanner that Perry received last week is truly a jewel. The great folks over at Canon were a tremendous help to Perry when it came to choosing the right solution for achieving his paperless office goal.

Perry went with the ImageRUNNER 2270 model, which is loaded with all the good stuff and has a really ‘user friendly’ operator’s interface. (I’ve been using it non-stop this whole weekend – it really is a workhorse that is easy to steer.)

It may sound dreadful but going paperless is really the only way to operate these days. Now Perry will have the ability to access any client file instantly from his network of devices. This means when he needs to e-mail any piece of paper it will be ready on his server for instant reviewal, editing and sending.

Monique (Perry’s Legal Assistant) will be responsible for scanning all incoming mail, and deliveries into the system as PDF’s. What is really cool about the Canon machine is that there’s an option to setup paths that allow for the scanned data to be directed where ever the operator needs it to go. This can include any storage port in the network, i.e. work station hard drive, server hard drive and e-mail inbox’s. With this system in place all Perry has to do is check his e-mail to review the daily mail when he is out of the office.

Going paperless really is less pain than one might expect. Sure the initial convergence of the hard files into digital is a challenge and does require a certain degree of patience and equipment, but with the right team and game plan in place a transition like this really is a piece of cake.

The copy/fax/scanner also has an option to set-up client ID#’s which will help Perry better track and capture the real-time copy/fax/scan usage per case file. By The Zivley Law Firm handling all of it’s own document reproduction in house, they will no longer need to send out small jobs to 3rd party copy houses but instead be able to offer this service at a much more reasonable rate to his clients.

Perry’s case monitoring and day to day work flow is already becoming much more efficient. Just in the first week of using the machine, Perry has cleared the little mountains of paper that were once piled in A.D.D stacks all over his desk. Now having all of his files scanned into a central repository and neatly filed with logical file names, Perry will have instant access to important data in seconds. No more frantic searches and he can even work from home if he needs to.

All in all, I’d say the decision to go paperless has been a major feat of achievement for the Zivley Law Firm; probably the best decision the firm has made all year. Now all we need to do is get the Zivley blog set up for Perry and Harriett to start publishing to. Once that occurs, the entire landscape of the Zivley Law Firm will be entering a whole new dimension – Let’s see if blogging will be as painless?… as going paperless.

-Authored by Jamie Parks on Nov 19, 2006 at 11:49 PM