Hello, I’m Rob Mattern, President at Mattern. Welcome to the early Summer 2019 edition of Mattern Matters.
Introducing “Meet the Consultant”
If the summer is usually when things at the office slow down, somebody forgot to tell the consultants at Mattern. We continue with engagements on a number of fronts, including outsourcing of office services, equipment, off-site records storage, and overall Information Governance. In this edition,
we inaugurate “Meet the Consultant” a section that highlights our team members and their recent success. We are proud to kick it off with Consultant, Ben Schmidt. Ben has done extensive work helping firms renegotiate their off-site storage contracts, comprising a mix of incumbent renewals as well as service provider migrations. Recently, Ben assisted powerhouse Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry, develop and negotiate a plan that allowed the firm to achieve a 0% permanent withdrawal fee and 40% savings.
Going for Information Governance Gold
Mattern finds that firms continue to realize they need a defensible program for proper information handling. Whether this is driven by client scrutiny as part the engagement process, or the risk of data breach, firms are implementing programs that identify where information resides, ensuring proper visibility, and securing firm systems. This truly entails a change management program whereby the firms garner key stakeholder buy-in, set user expectations, and align systems in support of the overall program. Official records entail both physical and electronic information, and proper disposition is required for both. This edition of the newsletter highlights one such Information Governance engagement Mattern conducted, as well as a recent article featured in ILTA’s Peer to Peer: “Going for Information Governance Gold.”
Can Your Firm Get Out of Offsite Records Storage in 10 Years?
Earlier in Spring, we hosted a complimentary webinar “Get Out of Offsite Records Storage in 10 Years.” The high turnout shows that firms are starting to get serious about attacking their off-site holdings. Included is a brief overview of what was discussed and the valuable insight that was gained from the audience participation. Don’t forget to request a recording of the webinar by emailing ssechter@matternassoc.com.
Outsourcing Contracts – A Major Player in Your Firm’s Outsourcing Success
Mattern continues to see the procurement consolidation of Multi-Function Devices (MFDs) and printers. But a good place to take a hard look at is your equipment outsourcing contract, in fact, the structure of your contact is a strong determinant of the savings and efficiencies your firm will get out of the engagement. Recently Mattern assisted an Am Law 100 firm decrease monthly spending and enter a contract that guaranteed them multiple benefits including backfill allowance, penalty-based service agreements, right size staffing configuration and more. Read about this with the case study provided in this newsletter.
Is it the write-offs or is it the clients causing decline in recoveries?
While there is no doubt that larger clients have been taking a stronger stance against cost recovery, there has been an increase in internal write-offs by 18% and, for charges that do make it to the invoice, there has only been a decline of 4% over the past decade+. This disconnect is at the heart of the piece we include in this newsletter, “Is it the write-offs or is it the clients causing decline in recoveries?”
As always, please let Mattern know how we can assist you with one of your business process operations. From a current state assessment to recommendations on the best path forward (either in-house or outsourcing), Mattern has assisted with many of the same problems facing your firm today.
Read the full Mattern Matters Early Summer 2019 PDF, here.
