Like many businesses, the firm aimed to revise its working practices to accommodate hybrid working.

The necessity of granting its staff access to legal documentation whilst adhering to industry regulations made it imperative to do so.

With three million files already stored with Restore Information Management, the challenge was how to make them easily and safely accessible to those working from home and in the office.

The key considerations:

• Ensuring compliance meant that physical documents couldn’t be sent directly to staff homes, making digital access critical.
• In the fast-paced legal industry, it was imperative the process of scanning and sharing files was efficient, to maintain business continuity for the firm and its customers.
• Historically, Restore Information Management had collected and delivered physical documents to and from the firm’s office locations across the UK.

To resolve the immediate requirement for digital copies of the firm’s physical archive, our operational and technical teams met with the client to discuss a strategy.

As a result:

• We devised a Scan on Demand project plan that would enable the firm to locate specific files and request a digital copy – all from a click of a button – through the Restore Information Management customer portal, Restore Web.
• Functionality was added to the Restore Customer Portal access that enabled only those with access to locate and select specific files from their full inventory and request a digital copy.
• Using this system, once the request is submitted a work order is raised and sent to the storage facility hosting the specific files. These files are then picked from their storage location and taken to the Scan on Demand Hub within that storage facility.
• The files are scanned and indexed before the images are then uploaded securely to the customer portal. A notification is then sent to the firm’s user, stating their file can now be accessed.
• Once the file has been scanned, it is carefully placed back in its original archive storage box and returned to secure storage.
• Scanned files are hosted in the Restore customer portal where only those with access rights can access the scanned file.

Becoming a digital-first organisation

The initial success of Scan on Demand prompted a review of the firm’s long-term approach to accessing documents for secure storage.

Realising how streamlined the new process was, making it was to request and receive digital copies, a decision was made to become a digital-first organisation.

Staff were encouraged to always request a digital copy unless it was essential to have access to a physical file.

Within two weeks we had Scan on Demand set up and began scanning the first batch of documents.

Key highlights below:

• In the first year of operation, 954,000 images were scanned for the legal firm.
• The success of initial Scan on Demand requirements during the pandemic paved the way for a long-term goal for the firm to become a digital-first organisation.
• The project has helped the law firm set up a culture in which staff retrieve a digital copy rather than the physical document where possible.
• More than 8.5m images, across 21,700 files, were scanned between 2020 and 2023.
• Monthly management information reports sent to the firm now provide clarity on the volume of files in storage and files scanned.
• Cost efficiencies have been achieved for the firm by digitising documents that previously would have been retrieved from storage multiple times.
• There has been a reduction in files stored on the firm’s premises, with the office space being used for fee earners and support staff.

• In the first year of operation, 954,000 images were scanned for the legal firm.
• More than 8.5m images, across 21,700 files, were scanned between 2020 and 2023.
• We’ve been partnering with the firm since 2008.