InformationTechnology has played a key role in combining rapid growth with quality service, as Director of IT at Pannone, David Griffiths explains:

Why is data important?
" If you are going to have the best people, these people need to be released by the best technology. If you want to maintain the best client reputation, then quality systems which go beyond compliance are vital. At the heart of these systems is client data which includes names, addresses, phone numbers and bank details."

“Valid, accurate data is the difference between supporting and undermining quality processes.”

Can you give a few practical examples?
" If a database has duplicate client records it is very difficult to get a comprehensive view. This impacts administrative efficiency and could lead to related information being overlooked while introducing a risk of confusion. For marketing communication to be relevant and effective we have to see the client relationship clearly - that's what we get from a reliable, de-duplicated database."

How did you eliminate duplicate records?
" Duplicates are much easier to spot if the postal address data is accurate. So the first step is to get rid of poor spelling, ensure each address has a full and accurate postcode and that each part of the address sits in a specific data field. We first carried out this process a few years ago with AFD Refiner. Despite the age and poor quality of some records, over 85% were matched and corrected automatically. During the cleansing process Refiner identified the duplicates, which we were able to eliminate."

What are the benefits?
" Previously fragmented data is now de-fragmented. From a marketing perspective we analyse growth and identify new opportunities more effectively. The impact affects the whole firm as we all spend less time searching for information and have greater clarity. You don't want time-critical documents to be delayed, returned or wrongly delivered because addresses are incomplete or ambiguous. We utilise Refiner to minimise that risk."


The word 'Risk' has come up a few times?
Rachel Dobson, Director of Support Services at Pannone:

"Every organisation has a responsibility to minimise risk to its staff, customers and business. One important area is around anti-money laundering measures, and we now provide expert advice to other law firms on this subject. Central to the prevention of money laundering is the validation of client identification to comply with Money Laundering Regulations and the Proceeds of Crime Act. Non-compliance can lead to a criminal prosecution which would be hugely damaging to our reputation."

"We go beyond Law Society best practice and anti-money laundering legislation in seeking to validate client identification in non-regulated areas. Individual clients may have complicated personal circumstances which make documentation to validate their home address difficult to provide. For this reason we use AFD Names & Numbers which provides this evidence for over 90% of clients."

What about case management and client file systems?
David Griffiths: "It is important to understand that cleaning data just once and complying with client identification requirements is not enough. Core case management is provided by Axxia Systems' case management software and the Metastorm e-Works client file opening system. AFD Postcode Plus is integrated with these systems so we know that from the moment a case is created, it contains validated address data."

Are there any other benefits?
" Pro-active prevention is always better than cure. We prevent the stress, time and cost used to resolve problems that would arise from simple errors. We do this by ensuring all of our staff and systems have access to AFD Name, Address, and Bank data validation solutions."

“We have released our people from typing addresses to focus on the client.”

Why is Bank Data validation important?
Jon Miller, Director of Finance at Pannone:

"We handle both large values and large volumes of transactions primarily through our Residential Property and Re-mortgaging department. These include many mortgage redemption and surplus transactions. Other departments such as Commercial Property, Corporate Litigation and Private Client also handle significant volumes of money transfers. I've worked in the Finance Department of more than one law firm and I have seen how just one error in a digit can result in a payment being delayed or returned or, worse, going into the wrong account!"

What are the consequences when money transfers go wrong?
" If funds go to the wrong recipient it can be very difficult procedurally to get them back. Indeed you may not get them back if the recipient is dishonest. At the very least, senior professionals in our firm would be involved in liaising with the financial institutions, recipient, insurers and third party legal representatives to get the money frozen and ultimately returned. This is both costly for the firm and stressful to those involved."

How do money transfer problems occur?
" Manually processing long strings of digits is an error prone process. It's easy for the human mind to read '684' and for the fingers to type '648'. In addition there can be ambiguity in the source information - perhaps a hand-written document. Actually errors happen not only at the point of data entry, but clients themselves often get numbers confused, so having a way of cross-checking is vital."

How can money transfer errors be prevented?
" At Pannone we have integrated AFD BankFinder so that checks are carried out at the moment data is entered onto our systems. BankFinder validates the bank sort code, and the account number is checked to ensure it is in the right range for the sort code and that the transaction type is actually allowed. Our accounts department now has no transactions returned unpaid."

AFD Solutions seem to be at work in very corner of the firm?
David Griffiths: "Our initial interest was in AFD Names & Numbers to assist with Client Identification.

“We quickly realised that the whole range of AFD solutions could be easily integrated with third party systems, bespoke internal systems and be used as stand alone products.”

" The fact is that name, address or bank data is entered or needs validating in just about every corner of the firm. With AFD Software we are able to enter data quickly and confidently throughout Pannone."

www.pannone.com