Unified messaging promotes effective management

By implementing Captaris CallXPress unified messaging technology and deploying about 800 RIM 957 BlackBerry wireless handheld devices to its attorneys, the firm's management of its employees has become more effective.

The flow of information has improved dramatically, increasing productivity and communication, both between management of the firm and its employees and between attorneys and their clients.

"It's made us much more productive and gives us the ability to share information with each other more quickly," says CIO Mary Odson. "If a critical voice mail or fax comes in from a client, it can be quickly routed to the team of attorneys working on the case. That makes us more responsive to the client in the end, which is the ultimate goal."

Management has improved on other levels as well. The combination of technologies, which attorneys believe is relatively easy to use, has made converts of dozens of attorneys who previously resisted using any technology until unified messaging on the BlackBerry was available.

"For about 50 of our attorneys, the BlackBerry was their first technology. Before that, they felt that since their main job was to provide advice, it wasn't necessary for them to have a computer," Odson says. "But the promise of this easier way of doing things--especially the ability to merge three applications into one format in their inbox--got them over the hump. As a result, we can now communicate with all of our attorneys much more easily."