Document Management Revisited
From the beginning of my practice in 1998 I have used document management in some form or fashion. During most of that time my DMS of choice was Worldox, but in 2006, I decided to switch to a program called FileCenter. FileCenter acts essentially as an improved overlay to the Windows Explorer file system, and organizes matters into "Drawers" and "Folders." It also indexes the files contained in it on a routine basis and has search capabilities. My primary reason for the switch was that I was looking for an file management structure that allowed me to point to the client matter using PaperPort. I love PaperPort's visual method of dealing with "virtual paper" in a graphical interface, and sometimes while looking for a document, it is easier to eyball the image of the page rather than searching for all results that come up in an indexed search. While PaperPort will point to the same folders in Wordox, While that can be done using Worldox, the Worldox method of naming folders using a number makes it difficult to locate the appropriate folder in PaperPort without first going to an external index or the Worldox index to find the folder number. The same is true with respect to sub-folders in Worldox, which are also numbered rather than named. So, in 2006 I stopped using Worldox and switched to FileCenter.
FileCenter worked OK, but not great. Its indexed searches were considerably slower than Worldox, but were tolerable, no more frequently than I needed to run a text based search. I liked the simplicity of FileCenter and the fact that it forced standardized practices for saving files in the proper folder. My biggest objection to FileCenter, and what ultimately caused me to return to Worldox, was the program's inability to consistently preview and open PDF files. The program has a preview feature which allows the user to see the contents of most file types, including PDF's. However, frequently when I would view a file, view another, and then return to the first, the first file would on the second viewing be unavailable for viewing. Likewise, when I would try to open the PDF it would give an error message saying the file was in use. I presume that the program had somehow failed to completely relesase the file causing the "in use" error, but it was consistent enough and enough of a problem and interruption to work flow that I ultimately chose to return to Worldox.
Worldox is an excellent program with excellent tech support. Real people answer the phone when you call, and if the support personell are busy, they will call you back, usually the next day. They will log into your computer to see what is happening, and any time that I have had a program that did not have a "hook" for saving files into Worldox (a rare event) a custom hook was generated usually within 24 hours of my call to support. This is a company that understands lawyers and how they work with documents, and understands customer support. While my experiment with FileCenter was worthwhile, I am glad that I have migrated back to Worldox.
The cost of Worldox is around $400 per user, with a mandatory annual support fee of $80/seat. The only discount that I have been able to find is through membership in the British Columbia Legal Management Association, whose members recieve a savings of $45 per seat. If you are purchasing several seats, it may be economical to join the Association in order to recieve the discount.



