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other environments I expect a cultural change at the top of the organisation is still required.
How did you find the implementation process and the level of assistance and input from Patrix?
Very Patricia® ‘out of
solid. Te firm initially worked with the box’ and implementation
was smooth. Of course there were occasional hiccups but over time we have implemented our own unique configurations and Patrix has been helpful every step. Like so much in life, patience and perseverance are key.
Did you find the configuration flexibility allowed you to instill your best practice and procedures from the outset?
Absolutely. We believe the configuration flexibility is key. Historically, a firm would generate printed manuals or rely on ad hoc individual training to set policies and best practices. With Patricia®, we are able to embed policies and best practices directly into each user’s computing environment. Changing a policy or procedure now simply involves editing with the Patricia® configuration tool, rather than rewriting manuals, printing them and holding training sessions to enforce them.
Has your business success been assisted by your use of Patricia® and Patrix services?
Most definitely. Tere are several examples, but perhaps most salient is that we have been able to adapt rapidly to clients who on insist on certain practices: we simply program their practice requirements directly into Patricia®. Tis means again that users can have automatic instructions on their desktops that advise how to meet a particular client’s service standards. As a result of our ability to respond so quickly, we have seen clients consolidate work with our firm from other firms that have been unable to respond so quickly.
Have you found your use of Patricia® to be easily scalable with the growth of your business?
Yes. Te firm started off with five people and aſter seven years has nearly 40 people. Patricia® will enable us to continue this kind of growth rate.
Do you think you may have required more staff to accommodate your growth in terms of turnover if you did not have Patricia® in place?
Yes. While such a thing is difficult to prove, there are frequent discussions at management level that Patricia® is enabling us to grow our practice with fewer staff than would have been required without Patricia®. As one example, we have no file clerks because we have no physical files.
“USERS CAN HAVE AUTOMATIC INSTRUCTIONS ON THEIR DESKTOPS THAT ADVISE HOW TO MEET A PARTICULAR CLIENT’S SERVICE STANDARDS.”
Do you feel that you have received an adequate return on your investment and has Patricia® perhaps assisted with bottom line profits?
Yes. In fact the track record of success is such that the firm continues to invest further in configuring Patricia®, now employing four people whose only job is firm automation. Make no mistake, the investment is significant and should be, but the rewards far outweigh the investment and the returns are better than if we were running the old-fashioned way.
Did you find Patricia® logical and intuitive, hence easy to learn?
Yes. In my experience, the main barriers that can happen with learning Patricia® largely come from the fact that it literally rewrites the way IP law is practised. To address this fact, before we begin training our employees on Patricia® we give them basic background in project management philosophy, such as a basic background in Gantt bar charts. Once people understand that philosophy and open their mind to another way of
thinking about managing legal services, it becomes quite easy to explain Patricia®.
We are also excited each time the Patrix team brings out enhancements to the user interface, as each release streamlines training and usability.
Which aspects of the product do you find the most beneficial?
We use nearly all of Patricia®’s features, so the ‘most beneficial’ aspects have changed over time as we continue to make use of Patricia®’s many features. At the beginning it was the document management system which allowed us to have paperless files from the day the firm was founded. Shortly aſter, we uniquely configured the workflow engine to our firm, which drastically improved our time management and quality. Next came the letter generation tool and batching. Currently our firm is working on
74 World Intellectual Property Review September/October 2013
Andrew Currier is a recognised leader in the Canadian IP field. He combines experience as a lawyer at one of Canada’s most respected law firms with practical business experience gained as general counsel and vice president of IP for a Toronto Stock Exchange-listed company, along with an active practice involved in invention and innovation mining and then draſting originating patent applications for international filing for clients ranging from inventors to established global technology leaders.
Andrew Currier is a co-founding partner at Perry+Currier Inc. He
currier@pckip.com
can be contacted at:
rolling out the financial engine in Patricia® and we are very, very excited about what this will do for firm productivity. Te net effect of all of these features is fantastic.
Are you satisfied with Patrix Support and other services provided?
Te Patricia® support team is extremely responsive. Within 24 hours we have preliminary feedback and most issues are resolved quickly or are faithfully flagged for future releases. It’s also easy to reach the chief technology officer in the event we are having any complex issues that the day-to-day support team cannot handle.
Do you feel you have built a trusted relationship with Patrix and its staff both on a professional and personal level?
Yes most certainly. We have personal relationships with many people at Patrix and it is great to know there are many ways to engage.
Would you swap Patricia® and Patrix for any other product/supplier you know of?
It’s very difficult to conceive switching away from Patrix. Te Patrix team also continues to invest in enhancements to Patricia® and with that kind of partnership there is no need to look elsewhere.
www.worldipreview.com
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