Eliminating Paper Directories and Staff Inefficiency With Operator Consoles
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates is one of the largest law firms in the world with nine U.S. offices and 13 International offices. For more than 55 years, Skadden has advised on many of the most significant corporate and litigation matters worldwide. With approximately 1,750 attorneys, Skadden represents thousands of clients, including nearly 50 percent of the Fortune 250 industrial and service corporations, as well as financial and governmental entities, small high-technology start-up companies, and cultural, educational and charitable institutions.
Prior to going to RFP for their Los Angeles location, Skadden staffed five full-time operators and eight backup operators from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Skadden’s telecommunications platform is a Nortel® Option 61 PBX Sprint VPN and VOIP network servicing clients, lawyers, and staff.
The Challenge
Skadden has multiple offices, but was only using a paper directory as their tool for distributing contact information. This directory was bulky and proved very time consuming for operators to look up each individual name and number, resulting in frequent interruptions to business continuity. Also, with only a paper directory as a resource, it was difficult to keep information current, and printing the directory regularly was not a very cost-effective or environmentally friendly option.
At the time they went to RFP, Skadden operators at the Los Angeles office were using the outdated Nortel 2250 operator consoles, which made transferring a call very cumbersome and time consuming.
The Objective
Skadden had several objectives in mind when evaluating a comprehensive call handling solution. They needed a system that would:
- Deliver computer telephony integration (CTI) that would integrate with their Nortel switch
- Eliminate their paper directory
- Provide the ability to answer calls directly from a PC
- Supply simple directory lookup using no more than two keys
- Include a “Procedures” tab to help operators be more proficient
- Allow operators to answer calls with greater professionalism and efficiency
The Solution
Skadden went through an extensive RFP process and selected the Amcom™ IntelliDesk™ operator console¹. Amcom was chosen because of its superior ability to address the outlined objectives. Additionally, Amcom also was able to deliver an extremely flexible solution that could scale to handle the individual needs of each Skadden site while remaining completely integrated.
The Result
IntelliDesk has led to the repositioning of one operator, allowing Skadden Los Angeles to increase the overall efficiency of answering and delivering each call while filling an additional position without adding another salary. The excess desk clutter of directories and instructions in the operator area has been reduced, resulting in a streamlined approach to call handling, less confusion, and an overall more professional appearance. Skadden has also completely eliminated their paper directory, thereby eliminating the costs associated with maintaining and printing the directory. They have also increased the reliability of their contact information. Skadden uses IntelliDesk to keep track of employees, letting operators immediately know who is in the office, who is in court, who is out sick, etc., leading to better customer service through increased knowledge.
Additionally, IntelliDesk emergency procedures are used to increase site safety by providing operators with single-stroke access to pre-defined emergency procedures. Skadden also has access to a full range of reports to monitor operator performance, and with its intuitive point and click transferring, IntelliDesk has proved an easy tool with which to train current and new employees.
Since its adoption by the Los Angeles office, Skadden has rolled out IntelliDesk to their San Francisco and Palo Alto locations. All three offices share a single directory.
¹ Amcom Software, Inc. bought SDC Solutions in February 2009. All references of SDC have been changed to Amcom.