Numerous technologies are available to help law firms achieve optimal workflow processes. Latest digital dictation workflows, however, are an often under-utilized and under-discussed technology that can help law firms save both time and money. Oftentimes, attorneys are slow to adapt the technology because they think they can type faster than they speak or do not want to change their analog recording habits.
Securing adoption of new technology can be a challenge, but many law firms have found attorneys respond well to digital dictation due to the minimal needed adjustments to their current workflow, and unlike analog tape dictation, they can leverage their smartphone or tablet for simple dictations and securely transfer them to the firm.
Flexibility, however, is only one of digital dictation’s many benefits. A more rapid response to clients, faster documentation turnaround, eliminating hours of transcription, and more time to spend securing new clients are the other major advantages of adopting digital dictation for firms of all sizes.
Large firms with multiple offices spread around the country may use a variety of dictation solutions depending on the location and attorney preference. By eliminating analog recording and switching to a single digital dictation and voice technology management system, large firms can appreciate the efficiencies and cost-savings that would be impossible with a hybrid approach.
For example, a single digital dictation technology allows large firms to maximize their transcription staff efficiency. Voice files can be securely transferred from an attorney’s handheld digital recorder or smartphone equipped with a dictation app to a centralized workflow system that can be accessed by any number of designated transcriptionists. With this process, if a transcriptionist in one location is busy or unavailable, the file does not have to sit waiting to be transcribed. The first available transcriptionist can create the requested document and return it to the attorney for review and revisions. This faster turnaround means firms can respond to clients’ needs faster, generate more billings and spend more time exploring new client opportunities.
Small firms may not have transcriptionists on staff and need an even more streamlined digital dictation and transcription process. For these firms, a digital dictation system integrated with voice recognition software can virtually eliminate the time spent on transcription.
Not only can attorneys easily edit and revise voice files directly on a handheld digital recorder, but with speech recognition technology, the software also learns and adapts to the variations in the attorney’s voice. After a short time reading several test documents, the software is able to rapidly learn, understand and transcribe the attorney’s voice recordings—even abbreviations and unique phrases.
Smaller firms also need their attorneys to be out of the office meeting with clients to generate new billings. For these mobile attorneys, voice technology solutions like Dictation Apps for smartphones allow the speaker to dictate from anywhere and then automatically send the recording to the attorney’s assistant or a transcription pool for immediate processing, which then sends the ready documents back to the attorney for approval.
By using digital dictation or smartphones equipped with voice processing apps, firms can respond faster and more accurately to client needs—no matter where attorneys are. Finding a keyboard or spending valuable time typing is unnecessary, and their messages and notes are more precise because they can be recorded immediately after an event—not just when they have time to type.
Digital dictation technology gives attorneys flexibility on the road or in the office. Best of all, it helps firms work more efficiently by spending less time managing the document creation process and more time serving and expanding the client base.