Symphony Profile – Simple cost effective batch scanning solution for Worldox

We've just completed testing of the new version of Trumpet's Symphony Profiler batch scanning software in our Tampa office, and we are so impressed with the functionality that I thought I'd share it with our ACG followers.

Symphony Profiler, (previously known as Express Profiler), is used to streamline the scanning process in a law firm using Worldox, by following the adage that it is generally preferable to scan large quantities of documents in a single process, and then use a software application to separate out individually documents and save them to your Worldox document management system directly.

Profiler does this with the use of barcoded Cover Sheets, which are pre-printed ahead of time and issued to each Worldox user based on the number of documents they might scan together in a batch. In our office, most of the consultant Worldox users have a single sheet, whereas the administrative team has 20-30 cover sheets each because they often scan 20-30 different documents at one time (i.e. the mail).

When a user is ready to scan a document into Worldox, they simply click the Profiler icon in their Systray (the bottom right corner of the task bar near the clock), and they are then presented with the usual Worldox Profiling window. The user selects the appropriate Profile Group, Field Values and Description (i.e. Client, Matter, Doc Type and Document Name), and then clicks okay, whereupon they are prompted to enter the five character Cover Sheet code from the cover sheet that they will place on top of the document they are going to scan.

We printed our cover sheets on bright green paper, which greatly assist with retrieving them after that scanning process, as your cover sheets are constantly reused. You can scan multiple documents at once by just stacking the images and coversheets into a single pile, and are limited only by the number of pages that your scanner can hold in its feeder at any one time. Profiler will then separate out the documents automatically when it processes the images.

The beauty of the process is that the user feeds the cover-sheeted documents into ANY scanner - the scanner output image just needs to be pointed to a designated "processing folder". We use a central multi-function printer which scans to a network folder - these are the most common scanning systems we see in offices around the world. However, I have also setup my personal Fujistu Scansnap scanner to save images to that same central processing folder, which works well if I am scanning a small batch of documents or can’t be bothered walking down the hall to the MFP scanner.

After scanning, the user extracts the cover sheets from their documents - and that's it! When you look in Worldox, you will magically find all of your images saved with the appropriate profile information. And if you want to make the whole process really slick, add on the Symphony OCR module to provide text searching of your images, and the Worldox Productivity Notify function to alert users that new images have been added to their cases.

Symphony Profiler costs $750, plus $65 per user per year. Call us for a demonstration or more details.

How many Justin Biebers could I fight at one time

I'm so glad that my daughter has emerged unscathed from the Bieber frenzy of tween-dom. She has now become skeptical of the whole pop music machine - a great attribute for a 12 year old.

So I thought I would check out "OatMeal's" Bieber-fighting quiz - happy with my results:

Created by Oatmeal

Product Review: Worldox IPad App / Worldox Web Mobile

My years of diligent service to our clients have finally paid off, as I was recently bestowed with an IPad2 in recognition of my long service as a legal technologist. I greeted the arrival of my new gadget with childlike excitement, as it would allow me to continue using my favorite IPhone App, Angry Birds, in its full IPad high definition glory!

It was also suggested, that as the resident document management guru, I should review the much anticipated Worldox Web/Mobile app on said IPad.

Of course, much has been made of the “rebirth” of the tablet concept, with the IPad leading the way in popularity (much to the chagrin of Android tablet users), and World Software Corporation have been quick to anticipate the market direction by releasing a FREE app for users to access Worldox Web Mobile on their devices.
Yes, the Worldox app is free! My pet peeve with the “app” culture is that so many of the things that we take for granted, are free in the PC world. Yet, those same features have to be purchased as apps on our tablets.

What is actually missed with all the hype over the new Worldox IPad app, is just how awesome the required Worldox Web Module is in its native raw browser format, without even using the IPad app!

You see, to even consider the IPad app, you must have installed and configured the Worldox Web Module (see prices below). This module is installed on your IIS Server (Internet Information Server), which for smaller firms, is typically your main/domain controller server. The Worldox Web Mobile program “listens” for inbound Worldox Web transmissions from the internet, where they are then forwarded to a Proxy Worldox Web Server. In smaller firms, this is usually installed and run on your venerable Worldox Indexer machine. The Proxy server authenticates the user requests (via a double layer of passwords), and then presents that user with the Worldox Web interface in their browser or device.

Once installed and configured (don’t even consider trying this without consultant help), you can use any of the standard PC browsers (IE, Firefox, Safari) to access your Worldox system. The Worldox Web page in your browser is instantly recognizable - with all of your bookmarks and favorites buttons will be right there in front of you! Simply search and you will see document listings just like you would on the “terrestrial” version of Worldox.

Double clicking on a document will download the document to your location (where you can edit it, and even upload it back into Worldox). Much more importantly, you can view the contents of the document right there in the browser window, and its crazy fast! This is the more common approach for using Worldox Web – perhaps you just need to verify information within a document while on the road or in court, so previewing is very much front and center in the mobile version.
So too is the ability to email the document – just click the send button and the document is attached to an email and is instantly whisked off via an SMTP request thorough your exchange server to the email address you specified, with the option of adding additional notes in the body of the email.

All this sounds brilliant (and it is!), but the “free set of steak knives” that come with the product, is the ability to do ALL of this in the browser of your smartphone! Yes, you can search, preview and email from the tiny little window on your Blackberry, IPhone or Android. All thanks to Worldox Web’s ability to transpose it’s pages into a “Mobile View” – where all of those pretty graphics are replaced with more workman-like drop down lists to accommodate the often limited bandwidth available on a smartphone.

Which brings us back to the Worldox Pad App. Download it from the ITunes store, and then click on it, and you will be instantly transported to your Worldox system – once again re-producing your list of bookmarks and favorite files. Now just dive through Worldox just like you would back at the office to locate your files. Previewing documents is a dream thanks to the luscious HD graphics on Mr Jobb’s latest toy, and the nifty way that you can use your fingers to squeeze or widen the document makes viewing a cinch. You can email your documents too, and they are actually sent through the regular email on your IPad rather than handed off to be sent on your behalf via the exchange server.

There is no download function built into the IPad app – but you can get around this by simply emailing the document to yourself. Likewise, there is no upload function, but again you can get around this by calling up Worldox Web in the IPad’s Safari browser – you get all the same options (including Upload, Check-In, Check-Out) that are in the regular PC based browsers.

Up until the moment I downloaded Worldox App, my IPad was solely used as tool for allowing Angry Birds to attack Hungry Pigs. Now, my IPad has been transformed into a bona fide business system! I use the Worldox App to call up project scopes and technical documents while I am onsite. If I need to upload my project notes to the office, I simply launch Worldox Web via the Safari browser.

And those Angry Birds are now my second favorite app!

Worldox Web Mobile: $1595 + support
User Licenses: $49 per user + support
Consultant Costs: ~$1500 (incl. training)
Call us and we’ll setup a live demo for you!

Scanning For Road Warriors - Fujitsu S1100

I never visit a client office without bring along a scanner, whether it be for demonstrating paperless systems, training users on document management processes or just scanning in my expense receipts in my hotel room at night.

For several years, my trusted traveling companion has been Fujitsu's S1300 mobile scanner, and it has performed admirably even though it has taken some pretty bad beating. I estimate that the scanner (measuring 12" x 4" x 4" ) has been around the world 2 or 3 times now...and still pumps through 8 pages per minute even though the button cover is super glued on and the document feed tray sports a "duct tape" hinge.

At a recent Legal Technology show, Fujitsu Scansnap product manager, Derek Flower, spied my intrepid traveling companion gracing the spotlight at the document management booth I was manning. He suggested that a better solution for me would be the new Scansnap S1100 and begged me to try it.

So, a few weeks ago I took possession of my new traveling companion, and my immediate reaction when removing it from the box was "You have got to be kidding me!". Measuring 1" x1.5" x 11" and weighing less than a pint of beer, I was concerned that that there must be critical components missing and even double checking the box.

I installed the ScanSnap Manager software that ships with the S1100 (really just an update, as I had been using the same software with my S1300), and plugged in the single USB cable between the scanner and my laptop (there is no separate power source), flipped open the little paper feed flap and was rewarded with the reassuring blue glow of the Scan button that this little guy was ready for business.

One thing to be aware of with any of the "ultra portable" scanners on the market is that they do not offer multi-page feeding - meaning that you have to scan each page of a multi-page document individually. The S1100 gets around this by giving you a few seconds between each scan to insert another page into the feeder - which it just adds to the current scan image. This works really well, as there are no buttons to push or options to click on your computer -you can just concentrate on loading your pages into the feeder.

The ScanSnap Manager program is still industry leading in it's simplicity - allowing for multiple scanning profiles - I use one that crops my receipts into nice tight pdf images in gray scale so the accounting department can read them. I have another scan profile that loads anything I scan as an email attachment and another that will scan directly to my PDFDocs program for editing and redacting. A single mouse click prior to scanning loads your chosen profile.

Of course, for those firms that use the Worldox document management system, the greatest feature of the ScanSnap manager is that it links directly to Worldox...you press the blue button on the S1100, your pages scan, and the next screen you see is the Worldox profiling window. It is just that slick!

It also ships with FineReader, so you can convert your scanned images into editable MSWord documents while on the road. Another feature that I was amazed at was the ability to scan credit cards and driver licenses, thanks to the straight feed option that can be used when scanning.

My new sidekick has settled nicely into life on the road!

Model: Fujistsu ScanSnap S1100

Price: $190 (use Google Shopping to find the best deals)

Performance: Scans 7 pages per minute, up to 600DPI resolution

Pros: Portability, extensive software

Cons: Does not use TWAIN or ISIS drivers - you must use the included ScanSnap Manager software to control images from the device

Full Details: http://scanners.fcpa.fujitsu.com/scansnap11/s1100.html

PDF documents not saving to Worldox from your browser?

Over the last few months, I have noticed quite a few instances of issues with Worldox not popping when PDF documents are viewed online using Internet Explorer or Firefox and then attempted to be saved.

It appears that the save screen title has been updated by Adobe for it's browser plugins during one of the myriad of updates that bombard the user (I gnash my teeth whenever I see the Adobe Updater spring to download yet another trivial update to Flash or Reader).

Anyway, this new screen title is not reflected in the current REV from Worldox Software. I have found a simple fix to correct the issue is to edit the WDHOOK32.INI file in the Worldox App folder.

Backup your WDHOOK32.INI file and then find this entry in it:

[Internet Explorer!Save PDF]
Active_Trigger=1
ModuleName=IEXPLORE
ApplicationClass=IEFrame
PopupClass=#32770
PopupTitle=Save PDF File As
Process_Type=2
MessageID=71

Change the popup title to read "Save PDF document as ...":

[Internet Explorer!Save PDF]
Active_Trigger=1
ModuleName=IEXPLORE
ApplicationClass=IEFrame
PopupClass=#32770
PopupTitle=Save PDF document as ...
Process_Type=2
MessageID=71

Now let's fix it for Firefox while we are at it. Look for the following entry:

[Adobe 9.0!Save PDF Firefox]
Active_Trigger=1
ModuleName=FIREFOX
ApplicationClass=MozillaUIWindowClass
PopupTitle=Save As…
PopupClass=#32770
Process_type=2
MessageID=71

Change the popup title to the new window name of "Save a Copy..."

[Adobe 9.0!Save PDF Firefox]
Active_Trigger=1
ModuleName=FIREFOX
ApplicationClass=MozillaUIWindowClass
PopupTitle=Save a Copy...
PopupClass=#32770
Process_type=2
MessageID=71

Reload the Worldox client and test...should fix your issue (if not, reload your backup WDHOOK32.INI file and call support).

Do you know your software key code?

Several incidents at client offices over the last few months have highlighted an issue that has cost my clients dearly - the loss or misplacement of key codes for Microsoft Office products.

My experience is that most users just accept the presence of the MS Office suite on their PC, as it typically comes pre-installed on the PC from purchase. Consequently, the CDs that actually contain the installation files and the license key codes are neglected and lost.

The problem comes when we have an integration issue with MSOffice (API dll files are often damaged or missing) and a 3rd party product (such as Worldox), where we have to repair the Office installation. This will require the original installation CDs for that particular flavour of MS Office. As MS Office is offered in a myriad a of different suites, it is impractical for us to carry the complete catalog of MSOffice CS, we request the installation disks from the client - only to find out that the CDs can not be located!

Similarly, and much more serious, we sometimes have to uninstall and reinstall MSOffice completely and will need the product keys for MSOffice - which is located on the back of the CD case. We have had cases where clients who claimed that owned the product having to go out and buy another copy simply becuase they could not located the CDs and key codes. This is a waste of hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars.

To avoid this unecessary issue, I would suggest that you make sure that all CDs are stored in a safe (and known location), and that you pr0actively record the product keys for MSOffice on your PCs (and all other installed products for that matter). This can be accomplished for free using the personal auditing software from Belarc.

Called the Belarc Advisor, this downloadable utility will analyse the hardware and software installed on your system, and even provide your with the license key codes for all your applications. Simply print out this report and store it with those CDs...you'll have prrof of ownership and piece of mind...and make my job so much easier!

You can download Belarc Advisor here.

Gross Misuse of Powerpoint (and other applications)

Last year I found myself in a meeting with a VOIP Telephony Provider and was stunned when the sales engineer displayed a diagram of the Voice Mail system using, of all products Microsoft Publisher.

My colleagues and I found ourselves giggling at the cartoon-ish graphics and "word art" that this Call Routing Flowchart were drawn with. In a single moment, we had lost techno-respect in this engineer and his misuse of technology (using Vizio, PowerPoint or even just MS Publisher in a Preview mode would have worked far better). A professional in his position should know better.

Several months ago, I received and invitation to a golf tournament, sent to me as an Excel spreadsheet attached to an email. The entire text of the event was inserted into one big cell. The sender is not the most sophisticated user, but now they had broadcast that fact to over 100 people.

These experiences were brought back to me when I attended a Parent Orientation night at my daughter's middle school last week. A teacher from each of her classes was to spend 10 minutes giving parents an overview of the student requirements and expectations for the year ahead. Being a somewhat modern school equipped with digital projectors and screens, most teachers made use of PowerPoint to assist with their presentations - and the results varied in hilarity.

I recall the Chorus teach showing us a PowerPoint in full edit mode, and click on the slide thumbnails to display each slide. She would then add text to the slides as she deemed necessary. Together, we witnessed the creation process of her presentation. Other teachers used fonts that were far too small or impossibly large. How about a yellow background with white text? My eyes were in agony just trying to focus on that one.

My personal favorite, was the PowerPoint where the teacher simply read out loud the slab of text on each slide…without even looking at the audience (perhaps this was apt as it was her Reading class teacher).

My daughter explained that a large proportion of their classes are taught using PowerPoint, which done correctly can be of enormous benefit, providing the teacher abides by the idea that PowerPoint is best used to highlight important points on a subject - and not to be the subject of the presentation

Now, I don’t want to come across as a techno-snob, but I would strongly urge all users of productivity applications (Word Processors, Spreadsheets, Presentations) should as a minimum know when to use and when not to use an application.

I've said it so many times…nobody is above TRAINING!