As one of Kent’s top law firms, Girlings Solicitors were determined to gain efficiencies and spend less time on painstaking administrative tasks. So they turned to InfoTrack for help. Here’s the story of how the conveyancing team at Girlings transformed those tasks and supercharged their workload.

Case Study

Expertise meets painful processesWith a longstanding history spanning more than 130 years, Girlings Solicitors have an expert team of 19 conveyancers and partners.

But these specialists were performing their conveyancing tasks through multiple providers, including accessing HMRC, HM Land Registry and property searches directly. From searches to SDLTs and AP1s, their workload was disjointed with potential gaps in information and bookkeeping processes.

That in turn meant frustration. There were numerous organisations to deal with, and resolving issues during different stages of the transaction was a headache.

Without a single, dedicated contact to focus on their needs, much time was wasted chasing information and the administration behind the process. And while dealing with unconnected organisations and departments was a struggle when completing a transaction, it was further hindered by having to remember myriads of usernames and passwords for all their different websites. The time had come for change.

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Since using InfoTrack, Girlings Solicitors have successfully been able to:

• Improve efficiency throughout the conveyancing process, particularly post-completion

• Save time by only visiting one site for all their key conveyancing tasks

• Work harder for their clients with the support of a dedicated InfoTrack account manager

If you don’t try, you don’t knowGirlings wanted a system that could be quickly and easily implemented and synchronised across their three UK branches. And with efficiency top of mind during the decision-making process, InfoTrack were selected as best placed to cater to the firm’s needs.

Amy Hanson is a Legal Secretary at Girlings. She and the wider team wanted to give InfoTrack the chance to offer a practical solution to ease some of the burdens surrounding key conveyancing tasks.

As Amy says:

“If you don’t try, you don’t know, and InfoTrack are the only provider out there that is offering everything in one place.”

InfoTrack’s ability to offer Girlings a single platform to complete all their conveyancing tasks, including Land Registry and conveyancing searches, SDLT, AP1 and due diligence checks, ticked all the boxes.

InfoTrack could improve efficiency throughout the conveyancing process, promising to alleviate the range of issues the firm faced in their workflow. No more siloed tasks, time lost submitting forms manually or having to speak to multiple people within several departments and organisations when assistance was required. Requisitions were also called out as being an admin-heavy process in need of improvement, as potential delays in the transfer of title often means longer turnaround times and can potentially lead to unhappy clients.

Reaping all the rewardsSince adopting InfoTrack into their conveyancing workflow in 2015, Girlings save up to 30 minutes per matter – time that was previously lost on administration.

Amy explains that having everything in one place has made the conveyancing process easier and faster. The team finds particular value in the pre-population of forms and fields, namely carrying matter information between the SDLT and AP1 forms, where virtually no manual keying is now required.

“Having everything interlinked saves so much time because we aren’t retyping addresses or risking errors by entering information time and time again,” says Amy.

“The prompts when completing forms through InfoTrack are also very helpful, whether it’s to let us know what information is required, or that we are trying to submit a form too early without all the information.”

InfoTrack’s unique AP1 dashboard has also proved its worth, providing the ability to see a snapshot of the firms’ AP1 applications and status, as well as responding from within the system to any requisitions and uploading any supporting documentation.

“The notifications and status on the AP1 dashboard make it easy for us to manage our applications. I can see all applications from a branch which makes it simple to identify whether there are any applications with impending cancellation dates. It’s an incredibly efficient tool for us.”

Case Study

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Service with a smileWhile the technology is a winner, what about InfoTrack’s customer service? Amy confirms: “InfoTrack are very responsive and always take the time to ensure we understand exactly how to use a product. Their service is very personal and having a dedicated account manager makes having a relationship with InfoTrack easy for us.”

More than just a platform, InfoTrack focus on the needs of the client, with dedicated Account Management and Helpdesk teams. These teams have been instrumental in providing Girlings Solicitors with ongoing support so they in turn can look after their clients’ needs efficiently and accurately. It also relieves some of the pressure, knowing they can rely on InfoTrack to understand what’s required and deliver the right solutions.

Amy explains:

“When we have an issue or a query, we usually just email our Account Manager and within 10 minutes they’ve come back with a solution.”

“It’s nice that we can outline what we need and leave it in the hands of InfoTrack rather than explaining things to several different people and departments to resolve. With InfoTrack it’s much easier.”

Contributing to industry innovationWhile supercharging their own workload, Girlings have also been happy to help InfoTrack focus on innovation in the wider market. Working as a partnership rather than a traditional supplier means benefits for both parties and the creation of innovative products that the conveyancing industry is hungry for.

Amy comments: “We love that we can provide feedback that is genuinely taken onboard to help create new products, that will help not only us but other conveyancers too. InfoTrack actually take what you say and apply it.”

Ludicrous not to...So how does the team at Girlings sum-up the change in their working practices after partnering with InfoTrack?

“With everything in one system, it seems crazy to have to login to several different places just to get your individual results,” says Amy. “You can just log on to InfoTrack for it all and the pre-population saves you from retyping the same information multiple times.”

“To me, it just seems ludicrous not to be using the system.”

Amy and the team at Girlings have felt a sense of achievement in increasing efficiency in their conveyancing practice and are enjoying being able to step away from so much administration. Everybody loves the gift of more time, and they are looking forward to reaping the benefits of further workflow efficiencies with InfoTrack.

Case Study