Microsoft Office SystemCommunications-Enabled Business Process Case Study

Law Firm Could Regain 10,000 Billable Hours Annually with Unified Communications

OverviewCountry or Region: CanadaIndustry: Professional services—Legal services

Customer ProfileGoodmans LLP is a Canadian law firm specializing in both business and personal legal services. Based in Ontario and with an office in British Columbia, Goodmans employs about 550 people.

Business ChallengeBefore Goodmans could roll out Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 telephony features, it needed an automated tool for tracking calls similar to traditional PBX-based tracking systems.

CEBP SolutionNavantis, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, worked with Goodmans to create CallTracker, an Office Communications Server 2007 R2 platform extension for tracking and billing time spent on phone calls.

ROI Extended use of PBX telephone

system Fewer unbilled hours Reduced teleconferencing costs More flexible phone access

“With Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and Navantis CallTracker, we estimate that each of our 200 lawyers could regain as many as one unbilled hour a week, or about 10,000 hours per year.”Goodmans LLP is a Canadian law firm that serves both businesses and individual clients. Goodmans deployed Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Microsoft Office Communicator 2007, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, but the firm also wanted an automated time-tracking tool for phone calls. Navantis, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, worked with Goodmans to design and deploy CallTracker, an Office Communications Server 2007 R2 add-in. Now, Goodmans can proceed with its planned rollout of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 telephony features, extending the life of its Nortel Private Branch Exchange system. The company expects reduced teleconferencing costs, improved work-life balance for lawyers, and easier internal training. Navantis CallTracker is projected to help Goodmans recoup as many as 10,000 unbilled hours annually.

Business ChallengeGoodmans LLP is a leading Canadian law firm that counsels its clients on business law, litigation, and personal legal matters. Most of the firm’s 550 members work at its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, but Goodmans also operates a smaller office in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Several years ago, the firm’s Nortel CS1000 Private Branch Exchange (PBX) telephone system was approaching the end of its life cycle. Dick Jensen, Director of Technology for Goodmans, wanted to avoid purchasing a new PBX system and instead integrated the old one with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 in June 2008. “We wanted to move toward a modern phone system that integrates tightly with the desktop and with the applications we work in every day, so Office Communications Server 2007 R2 was the natural next step for us,” says Jensen.

But Jensen quickly discovered an obstacle to using Office Communications Server 2007 R2 telephony features. Like other professional services companies, law firms bill time spent working on individual clients’ behalf, including phone calls. “With Office Communications Server 2007 R2, there was no way to automatically track and bill time spent on the phone,” says Jensen. “The only way to do it was to go back through call logs and manually tally which calls to bill to which customers.”

The company’s previous method for tracking time used a feature of the PBX system that registered account codes that lawyers entered from their phones just before dialing a phone number. This method had its flaws too: it worked only for outgoing calls, and it required lawyers to either memorize the codes for their clients or pause to look them up. Also, lawyers sometimes skipped entering the account codes to save time and then forgot to note the calls later. If

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Business ChallengeGoodmans needed a way to track and bill time spent on calls with its Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 deployment.

CEBP SolutionGoodmans and Navantis, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, worked together to design CallTracker, an add-in for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 that exceeds traditional account code systems in usability and features.

ROI Deploying Office Communications Server 2007 R2 extended the life of the company’s PBX. CallTracker makes it easy to track time on calls, reducing the number of missed billable hours. Because Goodmans can now host its own teleconferences, the company doesn’t have to pay a third-party provider. More flexible phone access helps improve work-life balance. Collaboration features make it easier for attorneys and other staff members to answer each other’s questions.

lawyers didn’t remember to bill clients for such calls before the accounts were closed, Goodmans had to write off the time as lost revenue.

“Lost billable time is a big concern for law firms,” says Jensen. “Missed hours hurt not only a firm’s bottom line but also its reputation for precision and accuracy. No one wants to overlook even a single phone conversation.”

Jensen was enthusiastic about the powerful communications and

collaboration tools in Office Communications Server 2007 R2. Also, the company’s telephony road map included replacing the PBX system with software-powered voice over IP (VoIP) once Microsoft Office Communications Server 2010 was released to market. Jensen wanted to start familiarizing Goodmans firm members with placing calls through their desktops and other Office Communications Server features as soon as possible.

But until Jensen found a call-tracking solution, using Office Communications Server 2007 R2 telephony features was not practical. Before he could continue extending the new solution companywide, Jensen needed an effective, automated tool for tracking time spent making and receiving calls.

CEBP SolutionIn October 2009, Goodmans was approached by Navantis, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner that had helped Goodmans with past IT projects, including the original Office Communications Server 2007 R2 deployment. Aware that Goodmans wanted a call-tracking tool, Navantis proposed to develop this functionality and build it into the company’s Office Communications Server 2007 R2 communications-enabled business process (CEBP) solution. Goodmans agreed, and Navantis deployed the new tool, CallTracker, in a test environment in March 2010.

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With Navantis CallTracker, attorneys can easily bill call time to the right accounts, enter notes about the call, and view client details.

“We kept hearing from Goodmans and other professional-services companies that they really needed to be able to track calls for billing, because time is, essentially, what they sell,” says Andy Papadopoulos, a Partner at Navantis. “In the restaurant business, if you don’t sell a steak one night, you can sell it the next night. In retail, if you don’t sell the box on the shelf one day, you can sell it the next day. But a professional services firm like Goodmans can’t resell lost time, so there was a clear need for a tool to help these companies capture time accurately and bill for the value they deliver to their clients.”

Navantis used the Microsoft Unified Communications Managed API 2.0 Software Development Kit (SDK) to create CallTracker. “The development process was very straightforward,” says Papadopoulos. “The SDK saved us a lot of time and helped fast-track our developers’ understanding of building add-ins for Office Communications Server 2007 R2.”

With CallTracker, users placing or receiving calls can assign them to specific customer accounts by using a pull-down menu, even after the call has begun. When the call is to or from a stored contact, CallTracker suggests the account number that was most recently used for that contact. The call-tracking tool also includes a field for entering notes about the call, which lawyers’ assistants can access later to expand or edit. The solution automatically sends the time-tracking information to the firm’s Thomson

Reuters Elite accounting software for billing.

Because CallTracker was so much more effective than the PBX-side account codes system Goodmans had been using, the firm was able to accelerate companywide deployment of Office Communications Server 2007 R2. Once the deployment is complete, Goodmans firm members will be able to take advantage of the new solution’s remote call control feature to initiate and answer calls through their desktops. They can do this by using Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2—the solution’s desktop client—or by clicking a contact’s name in other Microsoft Office 2007 applications such as the Outlook messaging and collaboration client and Word.

Another important benefit of the firm’s new Office Communications Server 2007 R2 infrastructure is the Dial-In Conferencing feature. With this feature, Goodmans firm members and customers won’t have to use a third-party service to join internally hosted conference calls. Instead, invitees can dial in directly or click a link to join from within an email invitation. In addition, Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Single Number Reach makes it possible for a user to give out only one number to clients but receive calls at the office, at home, or on a mobile device. Calls returned from any of these phones will appear to have originated from the user’s office phone. The new solution also supports desktop sharing, so users

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“Because Office Communications Server 2007 R2 can host and provide dial-in services for teleconferences, we don’t need to use a conferencing service. We expect significant savings by eliminating our third-party conferencing provider.”

Dick Jensen, Director, Technology, Goodmans LLP

can see and control other users’ desktops to help solve problems or explain features without needing to request IT support.

Jensen is pleased that Navantis devised such a simple, intuitive solution to his call-tracking problem—but not surprised. “Navantis consultants’ knowledge of Microsoft technology is second to none, and they really listened to what we needed before finalizing their design for CallTracker. In fact, they are such a strong partner for us that we’re already working with them on another project, to upgrade our messaging environment from Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 to Microsoft Exchange Server 2010.”

ROIBy deploying the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 solution, Goodmans is extending the power of its existing telephony system without having to rip and replace its PBX system. The firm also has access to a call-tracking tool that, because it is superior to its previous method for tracking calls, will reduce unbilled hours and lost revenue. In addition, Goodmans also expects to benefit from reduced teleconferencing costs, more flexible phone access, and easier internal collaboration and training.

Extended Use of PBX SystemWith access to the advanced capabilities of CallTracker, Goodmans can accelerate widespread deployment of Office Communications

Server 2007 R2. As a result, the firm can continue to use its Nortel PBX system, which would otherwise have been at end-of-life, while giving users access to Office Communications Server 2007 R2 telephony and collaboration tools.

“Now that we have CallTracker, we can start migrating our users to Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and getting them accustomed to the new environment,” says Jensen. “That’s going to make it much easier for them to adapt to the Office Communications Server 2010 deployment we are planning for later this year.”

Fewer Unbilled HoursThe simple, intuitive CallTracker interface will make it easier for Goodmans lawyers to capture and bill the time they spend on client calls. As a result, customer bills will be more accurate and the firm can reduce the number of missed billable hours.

Jensen explains that the previously lost billable time that the new solution will help capture could add up quickly. “With Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and Navantis CallTracker, we estimate that each of our 200 lawyers could regain as many as one unbilled hour a week, or about 10,000 hours per year for the firm,” he says.

Reduced Teleconferencing CostsWith the new solution’s Dial-In Conferencing feature, teleconferences will be easier for members of the firm to set up and join. “With Office

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“In addition to how useful the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Single-Number Reach feature will be for firm members who are traveling, it will make it easier for them to work from home, helping to improve their quality of life.”

Dick Jensen, Director, Technology, Goodmans LLP

Communications Server 2007 R2 Dial-In Conferencing, our users will be able to set up conference calls using familiar Outlook tools,” says Jensen. “And they’ll be able to click to join conference calls, saving them the bother of having to locate and dial numbers and participant codes to join through third-party services.”

The new feature will also reduce the firm’s costs. “Because Office Communications Server 2007 R2 can host and provide dial-in services for teleconferences, we don’t need to use a conferencing service,” says Jensen. “We expect significant savings by eliminating our third-party conferencing provider.”

More Flexible Phone AccessFor Goodmans, one of the most important features of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 will be Single-Number Reach. Jensen is excited that the feature will not only make firm members easier to reach, it will improve morale by helping them achieve a better work-life balance. “We see a big advantage in a lawyer being able to make and receive calls anywhere, without the client’s having to know that the lawyer isn’t in the office,” he says. “In addition to how useful the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Single-Number Reach feature will be for firm members who are traveling, it will make it easier for them to work from home, helping to improve their quality of life.”

Jensen also appreciates the convenience of the new solution’s

click-to-call functionality. “It surprised me how quickly I came to depend on click-to-call,” he says. “I knew it would be nice to have, I just didn’t anticipate how much I would rely on not having to look up or memorize numbers. For our lawyers, click-to-call in Office Communications Server 2007 R2 will reduce distractions and let them concentrate on their clients’ business, not their contact information.”

Easier Internal TrainingBecause the new solution supports desktop sharing, it will be easier for Goodmans firm members to help one another with both legal and technical questions. “With Office Communications Server 2007 R2 desktop sharing, lawyers can collaborate with and receive remote but hands-on guidance about everything from formatting a document to updating a contact in Outlook,” says Jensen. “Similarly, our law librarians can use desktop sharing to help law students who are interning at the firm. Office Communications Server 2007 R2 desktop sharing is going to be hugely beneficial from an educational and training point of view.”

Jensen says he would recommend Office Communications Server 2007 R2 with CallTracker to any companies that are interested in extending the life of their PBX systems and accessing powerful communications and collaboration tools. “Office Communications Server 2007 R2 is similar to and interoperates really

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well with other Microsoft technology, so the learning curve for lawyers is very low,” says Jensen. “And the addition of CallTracker makes an Office Communications Server 2007 R2 deployment even more valuable to any company that bills time.”Microsoft CEBPCommunications-enabled business processes (CEBP) based on the Microsoft Unified Communications platform offer businesses three ways to increase productivity: Contextual collaboration. Helps

users communicate efficiently by providing context about their communications.

Business Process Communications. Reduces human delay in business processes, so people can contact decision makers when they’re needed.

Anywhere-access capabilities. Users can interact with computers via natural speech, using the telephone or IM in a fully automated way.

For more information about the Microsoft Office system, go to: www.microsoft.com/office

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For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers in the United States and Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:www.microsoft.com

For more information about Navantis products and services, call (888) 882-9588 or visit the Web site at: www.navantis.com

For more information about Goodmans LLP products and services, call (416) 979-2211 or visit the Web site at: www.goodmans.ca

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.Document published August 2010

Software and Services Microsoft Office

− Microsoft Office 2007 Professional

− Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2

− Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2

− Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

Navantis CallTracker Technologies

− Microsoft Unified Communications Managed API 2.0

Partner Navantis