People often term recording things on paper as a trend of the past. They tend to omit how that “past” fell as close to us as the last decade.
Law offices underwent some major changes in the last ten years. Digitization took over most parts of the industry. Paper systems were deemed a waste of time, effort, efficiency, and the environment. From drafting briefs to cataloging evidence, digital documents became the norm.
However, a 100% digitization remains a challenge for legal systems, thanks to tons of paper-based records generated in their recent past. They contain critical information. They hold precious value. Yet, they are prone to easy damage and loss, too expensive and difficult to store or manage, and overall a menace.
So, what’s the solution? Easy! Document Conversion Services.
A Brief Introduction to Document Conversion & Its Benefits
Document conversion is the digitization of paper-based records in a universal format, readily accessible by all concerned parties at all times.
Paperwork is a critical part of legal proceedings. It’s a great tool against lawsuits, perfect alibi against complaints, and an apt reference for research. However, as online communication and information exchange became mainstream, paper records turned obsolete.
It’s not very difficult to figure out why legal firms turned to online document management systems. Online records are-
- Safe from natural disasters, like fire, flood, water seepage, mites, mold, etc.
- Less prone to human filing errors
- Easily accessed, transferred, and retrieved
- Easily stored with little to no physical constraints
- Facilitates remote access & makes collaboration easy
- More secure, thanks to encrypted databases, passwords, firewalls, etc.
- Convenient to carry several documents on-the-go
Digitizing documents eliminates the risks associated with security, transparency, and accessibility. It also reduces tedious paperwork, making record creation and tracking easier than ever. The databases have minimal redundancy and enough back-up to ensure seamless operations without hassle.
Undoubtedly, these advantages make the job of legal offices more comfortable. Here’s how-
- Sharing Information Becomes Easier
To ensure that all information for a case is always in sync, lawyers often collaborate. There are multiple offices for a legal firm in a single region. That creates a challenge of providing every team with access to all the information.
Online documents make sharing information easy. The electronic documents are stored on the cloud and can be accessed anytime by authorized parties.
- Accessing, Editing, and Presenting Documents Is Simplified
Searching through digital files is quick and easy. Plus, they can be edited in real-time by many parties. There is a well-maintained record of every change made to the document and the party responsible for said alterations.
Electronic documents can also be shared with clients. Their edit access can be changed to view-only by the admin members. They can be directly fetched from the cloud and presented as and when necessary.
- It Supports Mobility
Today’s workforce is highly mobile. It is only reasonable that people expect to open, read, or work with documents on their mobile devices.
Storing documents electronically facilitates this in many ways. For instance, the most popular individual & business cloud, i.e., Google Drive, is used by over 1.5 billion people globally. Such mobile-friendliness goes a long way in saving time and improving efficiency.
- You Save a LOT of Money
By using electronic documents, you can save money on-
- Employee training for document conversion
- Paper charges
- Storage fee
- Courier stamps
- Efficiency cost incurred in time-taking processes like retrieving documents from archives, etc.
Let’s not forget that paperless business also contributes to environmental safety.
Is Online Document Conversion Safe & Reliable?
Before moving further on how document conversion services optimize legal operations, we consider it necessary to touch on this subject.
There is no shortage of online document conversion tools, most of which you can use for free. And they are quite convenient, we admit. But how safe? How reliable? How dependable?
While such document management software companies promise easy and quick results, here’s what we suggest you ponder before using them.
- Can you trust that website?
- Are you comfortable uploading sensitive files there?
- While downloading the converted file, are you also downloading a virus unknowingly?
- Is the converted document in good quality?
- When the website claims to delete your uploaded legal document, how can you know if they indeed followed up on that promise?
- Do they support large size documents? If they do, will the quality be acceptable?
What if you have a whole batch of files that need to be converted? Do you have the time to do it one-by-one? Do those websites offer batch document conversion services with high-quality results?
Needless to say, legal firms have strong reasons to avoid online document conversion websites. You should either do it in-house or hire a reputable document conversion service for the job.
Benefits of Outsourcing Document Conversion Services
It’s important to note that this particular business process needs prior research, expertise, & understanding. Otherwise, you’d just waste time, resources, and money.
Also, remember that document conversion is a time-consuming process. It requires dedicated staff, specialized equipment, and technical training. It involves multiple stages and requires stringent quality checks. All of it can be overwhelming at times.
That’s why many legal offices go for third-party document management systems.
Take a look at the most important advantages that outsourcing document conversion services offer-
1. Cost-Effective
The most important rule to go by when outsourcing- the cost of hiring an external vendor must be less than doing it in-house.
Document conversion requires the use of advanced technology and knowledgeable resources. You’d need to train your staff in archival data conversion techniques and equip them with the right tools for the task. You’ll have to invest in additional infrastructure and quality checks too.
However, if you find a reputed outsourcing partner, your investment will shrink to the size of their fee. In turn, they will take care of all other requirements, technical and otherwise, as well as quality constraints. And, you can send these documents to clients electronically and save more money on courier costs.
All you have to do is sit back and reap the benefits at a reasonable price.
2. Accurate Results & Quick Turn-around Time
Outsourcing document conversion gives you an extra set of skilled employees. They have the right skills, qualifications, and expertise to carry out the necessary tasks. They know all about the best industry practices. So, they can perform better than your in-house staff(who aren’t trained for this.)
Plus, for that remote team, converting your archival documents into online records is a core task. For your employees, it is a side chore at best.
The combination of task priority and a skilled remote staff leads to accurate outcomes and quick turn-around time.
3. Increased Focus
Keep in mind that while an online database of updated records is incredibly beneficial to your firm, it doesn’t directly drive growth. There are a lot more critical activities in your to-do list. They deserve your creative attention and undivided focus.
When you hire a third-party vendor for document conversion services, that frees your team from the responsibility. You get more time to focus on other core processes and tasks. Result-increased efficiency & better profitability.
Digitizing Legal Documents Is An Opportunity That You Must Encash
So far, we’ve clarified three aspects of document conversion.
- It helps speed up your enterprise operations and saves time and money
- Direct online document conversion isn’t always reliable or safe
- Hiring document conversion services gives you accurate & quick outcomes, plus more time to focus on critical business activities
Armed with this information, now you can do what’s best for your firm.
Need More Help?
SunLexis has helped many businesses with prompt legal support services. Our document conversion services & management systems are designed for seamless access & organization. With a versatile team of content conversion specialists, we take care of all your requirements through high-quality solutions.
Drop a line at info@sunlexis.com and take a look at all that we can help you achieve.