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| Law Firms See Unified Communications Applications Vital to Service For law firms and other professional services organizations, technology can make all the difference. A recent commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Avaya, shows that 92% of the professional services organizations surveyed see communications technology as the key to improved client satisfaction. Leading law firms have been on the vanguard of realizing how unified communications can support time-critical, day-to-day requirements and drive new levels of client satisfaction by breaking down the silos between email, voicemail and telephony. Today, associates at firms such as Riemer and Braunstein, Olswang, Brinks Hofer Gilson and Lione, and Broad and Cassel have increased their mobility, accessibility and responsiveness through integrated Avaya communications solutions that are available over any network on their device of choice. Boston-based law firm uses technology to set itself apart A 70-year-old firm headquartered in Boston, Riemer and Braunstein specializes in the financial aspects of law. Today the 150-person company is experiencing explosive growth with offices in New York, Chicago and Burlington, Mass. The company wanted to give its attorneys options for communicating securely and reliably when away from the office – helping them stay in touch with clients and colleagues. Since Avaya's voicemail system integrates with Microsoft Outlook, they can access both email and voicemail using cell phones or PDAs. For added convenience and responsiveness, Avaya Speech Access allows attorneys to use voice commands for retrieving, responding to and managing all kinds of messages. With Avaya Remote Call Forwarding, attorneys can direct calls to a remote phone when working away from the office, or use Avaya Extension to Cellular to have calls made to their office line ring simultaneously on their cell phone or PDA. London firm uses technology to boost employee mobility Olswang is a leading law firm renowned for its ground-breaking work in the technology, media, communications and real estate industries. Founded in 1981, the firm has grown to a staff of nearly 600, including 85 partners across offices in London, Thames Valley, Brussels and Berlin. The firm has experienced a number of benefits using Avaya's unified communications applications. These IP telephony-based communications solutions have helped expand collaborative work practices, improve communications and reduce costs while introducing new ways of working. Intellectual property firm boosts productivity and service levels One of the country's largest intellectual property law firms, Brinks Hofer Gilson and Lione relies on Avaya intelligent communications to be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Avaya unified communications applications have revolutionized the way the Brinks team communicates – boosting both productivity and client service. When attorneys travel, they can use the Avaya Softphone application on their laptop for a full-featured phone that securely connects through the primary office communications server. Since the softphone is an extension of the one at their desk, attorneys make and receive calls just as if they were in the office. Doing so reduces toll charges, especially for those traveling internationally. The firm also uses Avaya Speech Access and Avaya Extension to Cellular to enable team members on the road to serve client needs efficiently. Florida firm uses technology to remain responsive, even during storms Broad and Cassel's more than 175 attorneys are based in eight offices across the hurricane-prone state of Florida. A new companywide Avaya telephony network with survivability features allow branch offices to operate independently if connectivity to the main network is lost during a storm. In addition, new intelligent communications applications have been a hit with the Broad and Cassel team. The same voicemail system serves as a disaster hotline during bad weather. Staff members can call in to track down colleagues, leave messages and locate emergency supplies. It also helps them stay in touch with clients. The Avaya Softphone and Extension to Cellular applications enable traveling attorneys to transparently receive important calls made to their office extension and access communications features and directories. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Computing News :: home page |