The remortgage market has always been tough and competitive. To make a mark solicitors have to offer something extra to attract the business. The problem has always been how to make it all pay!

Shulman's Leeds HQ

Victoria Marshall heads the 25 strong QCAS team at Shulmans in Leeds. QCAS stands for Quality Conveyancing at Shulmans, and they deal with volume remortgage work.

QCAS finds that a team based approach aimed at speedy completion allows the practice to offer a very competitive and highly professional service. The innovative and collaborative team structure has been exclusively designed to deal with demands of committed case management.

Victoria Marshall, speaking from QCAS, said “We needed a system that allowed us to tailor it quickly and easily to suit us precisely. While the standard DPS case management package is excellent for routine domestic conveyancing transactions, we needed something more sophisticated for volume remortgage instructions.

“We used the DPS case software as a base and created our own QCAS remortgage system from it. We programmed in our own workflow, letters, documents and the flexibility of the DPS solution allowed us to create a virtually bespoke package. As speed and accuracy are of the essence, we have also reprogrammed the stages of the transaction to provide a more efficient and streamlined service. This allows us to minimise correspondence, keep costs down and make the work much more profitable.”

Pressure is always on and routinely remortgages are expected to be completed in tight timescales.

A dedicated telephone team provides effective support for individual client demands or borrower needs whilst the lender-based teams are backed by a team of experienced conveyancers, who also handle any additional work that may be required. Several people can require access to one file at any given time. They are using case management software to provide the team with an electronic copy of the file. The Telephone Team access the file while speaking to callers to answer queries immediately and provide a high standard of customer service. Their DPS case management provides on screen prompts to the teams to carry out the next task required to bring about a swift and timely completion of the case. Shulmans' DPS system updates the web with live data so that as the transaction moves on both lender and borrower know the precise position. This saves time-consuming telephone calls and letters, so keeping costs down and allowing the transaction to proceed with minimum delay.

They are now looking at using the capability of the DPS case management to scan all correspondence into the case management system so that everything relating to the instructions can be viewed on screen – a paperless office.

But there's another unique way that the solution has enhanced the efficiency and profitability of remortgage work for Shulmans. Victoria Marshall explains, “Some clients send us instructions via the web and we are planning to have these automatically loaded from the web site into our case management system, so the process of even opening a file disappears. This will mean that we do very little data entry for any instructions received this way.”

Victoria Marshall adds, “One of the key benefits for us is that using our bespoke remortgage system based on DPS enables us to compete for business with a reputation among lenders that QCAS is noted for its ability to exploit IT for the benefit of our clients. It has certainly revolutionised our remortgage work.”

Charlotte Brice of London and European Title, explains, “Law firms with an up to date outlook on IT are vital for us. We provide a panel service for lenders and need law firms like Shulmans that can handle high volume speedily and efficiently.

“At the moment, we post instructions on our Extranet and Shulmans download these. We set a target completion date for each case and produce performance reports using data from the Extranet. The Extranet can be updated daily via e-mail if the target completion date changes.

“Of greatest value, both to us and our clients, is the fact that we can track the progress of cases by linking into their DPS Case Management System. This is vital when the transaction is urgent and turnaround needs to be quick.”

Notes

For further information on any of the products mentioned in this article or for details of any of the DPS applications please contact us on 020 8804 1022, or alternatively email info@dpssoftware.co.uk

Shulmans Solicitors was founded in 1981 by Jeremy Shulman. Their dedicated approach to clients has been a constant theme throughout the firm's history. The Firm is a member of the Interlegal Network - a prestige organisation of international lawyers working together to service clients wherever they might be in the world.