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New Scheduling Software for Leading Egyptian Law Firm as
The Arab Spring Brings Changes to the Region
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Hafez Avocats, based in Cairo and Paris, uses Rendezvous desktop and mobile booking solutions to manage internal and client meetings.
Hafez Avocats is recognized
as a premier trial law firm
in the Middle East whose
lawyers, based in Egypt and
France, are reputed for
their prowess. The firm
handles more, larger, and
higher-profile business
disputes than any other firm
in the region. Hafez has the
technical and financial
resources to prosecute and
defend against almost any
case, employing 100 staff in
its Cairo office and another
5 in Paris.
Hafez are an expanding firm
who deal with a lot of
complex litigation, and
recent changes in Egypt have
created new opportunities
for the company. To better
cope with expansion and
development of their
business, Hafez sought a new
booking system for internal
and client meetings. Their
search led them to
Rendezvous Workspace,
the leading scheduling
software developed by NFS.
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What prompted implementation of
Rendezvous Workspace?
Hafez was previously using a legal practice software
solution and one of the biggest challenges they faced
was the issue of cost recovery and chargeback for
meeting rooms and other services. In general this
software doesn't handle costs surrounding room,
resources, and hospitality.
The firm also wanted to give staff better access to room
availability and other things like catering and AV. They
knew that by having accurate information about
availability of rooms, staff could be more productive
and improve their meeting plans. With the help of
Rendezvous Workspace, Hafez employees can now
allocate client meetings and events more effectively
than before, which was on a rather ad-hoc basis. |
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How has the software benefitted the firm?
Motaz Hassan, Applications Support Specialist at Hafez
Avocats, says, "We wanted a browser-based application
to centralize Cairo technology, and the deployment of
Rendezvous Workspace has made it possible to roll
out IT across multiple sites."
"By having the software deployed on iPads, we could
quickly move to a room-based booking module,"
continues Hassan. "Staff can book and check for rooms
available now and in the future without having to go
back and forth. Everything is accessible on the iPad,
with a very simple user interface."
In addition, all service providers at Hafez can now be
given very low-cost iPad touch devices, meaning those
who are not at their desks can still access the most
up-to-date meeting requests, including real-time,
interactive functionality. In this way, status of
deliveries and issues with service providers can be
quickly sent to the relevant people. With better
communications, any problems - such as changes to
meeting times - can be addressed immediately.
"Rendezvous Workspace has provided us with a dynamic
communication experience between service provider and
meeting organizer," Hassan comments.
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Active Directory integration
Now that installation is complete, Hafez have the
ability to profile their clients from anywhere they have
an Internet connection, and control user access.
Rendezvous Workspace integrates seamlessly with Active
Directory integration, meaning that Hafez can now allow
different user groups to be given different levels of
access. In this way certain people can only enter
certain buildings, or book certain meeting rooms.
Remote implementation and training via Video Conference technology
Software implementation dates for Hafez were planned
many weeks ahead but as it happened, coincided with The
Arab Spring in Egypt, so a decision was made to
implement and train Rendezvous Workspace
via Video Conference, given that both companies had
already invested in this technology.
"A winning combination of Video Conferencing,
flexible working, and real commitment from the two teams
made the implementation a resounding success," says
Luis Desouza, Managing Director of NFS.
"As a company we were able to respond flexibly to the
integration of Rendezvous Workspace with other
business applications, such as Accounting and Practice
Management, and as a result a solution has been created
with great potential to make operations more efficient,
insure costs are correctly captured and charged, and
ultimately deliver better customer service."
"We look forward to extending our use of the software
into more management functions, such as utilization
reporting, and gaining a better understanding of
profiling at all our facilities in order to make more
learned decisions when it comes to real estate and other
resource requirements, such as AV," concludes Hassan. |
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