News

Rekoop helps deliver NatWest benchmarking report

Thu, 17 Sep 2015 10:18:00 GMT

Rekoop has teamed up with NatWest and Taylor Mowbray to deliver the first Benchmarking Report for the SME accountancy sector.

Rekoop proves upwardly mobile with Eversheds signing which is a very nice idea

Tue, 05 Nov 2013 11:39:00 GMT

In early September NatWest, Taylor Mowbray and Rekoop launched the inaugural Financial Benchmarking Report, a publication that benchmarks the financial performance of accountancy firms generating fees of less than £30 million.

On Monday November 9th we'll be coming together again to host a free breakfast seminar for accountancy SMES in which we'll be running through the report's key findings, understanding how and where improvements can be made, and looking at the role time capture can have in driving both profit and performance.

Rekoop sets Gold standard for time capture

Mon, 16 Sep 2013 10:37:00 GMT

Time capture specialist Rekoop has announced details of another win in the UK mid-tier. Following on from the Clarion Solicitors deal in July comes news that full service firm Anthony Gold has signed to roll-out Rekoop for mobile. The project will see the deployment of Rekoop across a mix of iPhones and iPads, with full integration with the firm’s Norwel practice management system.

David Smith, the firm’s Head of Compliance, believes the case for the Rekoop solution is overwhelming: “We had an issue in that, while time recording is firmly embedded within the firm, we didn’t have an effective means to capture time accurately and thoroughly when out of the office. So once mobile, we were losing time and, of course, money. We’ve calculated that if each user captures just one extra unit per month through Rekoop, the system will pay for itself - and given the very slick and engaging nature of the mobile app, we’re confident that users will now be capturing 100% of their time regardless of location.”

Phil Wedgwood, Rekoop’s CEO, believes mobile is increasingly a key driver when it comes to time capture: “We’re talking to a lot of firms like Anthony Gold who have had time recording in place for years, but whose systems haven’t kept pace with the changing work habits of fee earners, and whose functionality doesn’t extend beyond their desk. But with so much work done away from the office these days, that is potentially a huge amount of time either going completely unrecorded or recorded inaccurately. With Rekoop, the time capture interface is always with you, on your smartphone or tablet, and entry and review just come down to a couple of swipes and clicks.”

Rekoop rocks all over the world

Tue, 13 Aug 2013 10:35:00 GMT

Time capture specialist Rekoop has announced details of its latest signing, this time in Australia. Perth-based Lavan Legal, recognised as one of the region’s most innovative law firms, is set to deploy Rekoop to its 180-+ staff, integrating with Aderant Expert.

The roll-out will comprise Rekoop Desktop, the primary time recording interface; Rekoop Digital Footprint, which monitors user activity in the background and encourages more accurate, complete time capture through configurable prompts; and Rekoop for mobile, extending functionality to iPhones, iPads and BlackBerry devices.

Lavan Legal’s IS manager Marco Marcello explains the drivers behind the project: “As a forward thinking firm, we’re always looking at ways of doing things better, faster, and more efficiently. We’ve had our own in-house time entry system for some years but felt that now was the moment to bring in a specialist solution, with its richer capabilities and dedicated development program.

We liked the concept of time capture, the automatic finding of ‘missed’ time, but we were also mindful that our fee earners were used to the more traditional ‘clocks and timesheet’ approach. With Rekoop, unlike some competitor products we looked at, we weren’t going to have to force them to choose, as the software supports both active and passive approaches equally well. So we felt confident that we had a system that gave us every chance of the positive adoption and buy-in that is so crucial to the success of law firm IT projects. A 4-week pilot of Rekoop has subsequently confirmed that but interestingly, it has also highlighted just how easily users are transitioning to the time capture method and how valuable they find it in helping them recreate and record their day accurately.”

Phil Wedgwood, Rekoop’s chief executive, comments: “While there were a lot of other factors in the mix – our mobile capability, our technical delivery and our commitment to R&D, for example, it was always this notion of user freedom, the fact that we don’t impose any particular style of working that was going to win the day. Lavan Legal didn’t just want the best, most advanced system for the sake of it, it wanted a tool that was of genuine use and convenience to its fee earners. And while the primary driver may not have been to recover more time, the pilot has already shown it’s been a welcome by-product – and with the full roll-out imminent, they’re well set to ‘Rekoop more’.

Rekoop celebrates third anniversary with intent

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:32:00 GMT

The recent news that DLA Piper has selected Rekoop as its new time capture solution is the surest indication yet that there’s a changing of the guard in this sector of the legal technology market. And as the vendor celebrates the third anniversary of the launch of its game- changing Desktop offering back in 2010, it is intent on marching on and upward.

For so long dominated by Carpe Diem, to the point where it effectively became synonymous with time recording, the market today looks very different: Rekoop now has five of the top 15 UK law firm brands, more than any other, and is the only vendor left in this space solely dedicated to time capture. It is also the only supplier based in the UK, selling and supporting its UK and European clients directly.

For Rekoop chief executive Phil Wedgwood, these are all factors that he hopes will propel Rekoop to the same levels of synonymity as Carpe enjoyed in the 90s. “You can still talk to finance directors and managing partners today who will quote Carpe at you, such was its dominance in its day. But the time recording market is much changed, particularly in the light of the recent acquisition of DTE Axiom by IntApp. Of the 75% of leading firms who have purchased a dedicated time capture solution, it is Rekoop that has the largest share. That translates into a strong geographical spread too, from global giant DLA Piper and UK top ten firm Norton Rose to the biggest firms in Ireland and Spain.

“For all our big hitters though, we mustn’t forget that this is an ‘everyman’ solution that is used across the entire legal market. Our recent partnering agreement with Advanced Legal and our current list of mid-tier clients, including a growing base in both South Africa and Australia, should help propel us down the same path so successfully taken by the likes of BigHand – one that sees our software being used globally by firms of all sizes.

"As regards the technology, we see ourselves as the only vendor wholly focused on time capture, which means 100% of our R&D effort is going into make our solutions the most advanced, powerful, intuitive and agile as they can be. It’s this single-mindedness that has allowed us to catch-up and overtake our competitors in a relatively short timeframe.

“In this period we’ve developed a system that allows for both passive and active time entry; we’ve introduced seamless mobile solutions for both Blackberry and Apple devices; we’ve set the standard for native iPhone and iPad applications, fully leveraging the functionality of Apple iOS as opposed to just mimicking PMS web views; and we’re shortly set to launch the latest version of our software which, for the first time anywhere, will automatically complete a fee earner’s timesheet without any user input required.

“It’s the speed and quality of our technical development, coupled with our proximity and responsiveness to our users, that will hopefully see Rekoop take the place of Carpe as the perceived default choice for time capture. But there’s still plenty of work for us to do to ensure that law firms are maximising their efficiency and in the best position to ‘Rekoop more time’.”

Rekoop goes large with DLA Piper

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:28:00 GMT

Time capture specialist Rekoop has marked the end of a successful first quarter with details of its largest ever contract win. It has been appointed by global giant DLA Piper to implement its mobile time recording solution to potentially 2500 lawyers worldwide, with only the Americas falling outside the scope of this project.

DLA Piper has completed a pilot scheme prior to moving quickly to a phased roll-out. Project managers and participants have already been very impressed by the seamless integration with Elite, the speed of delivery and ‘get and go’ usability of the software, which is being deployed across a mixed environment of BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad.

Project manager Alice Creaser commented: “The slickness of the interface and the sheer ease of use of the Rekoop product were key factors in our decision-making. That the technology is device agnostic and affords the same simple user experience regardless of platform was equally persuasive, while from an implementation perspective, the potential for a rapid, ‘light touch’ roll-out will hugely accelerate the initiative.”

Phil Wedgwood, Rekoop’s CEO, is delighted by the win: “We’ve been working very hard over the past couple of years to make the case for Rekoop as the default choice for any firm serious about time capture. We’ve been quietly going about our business, contracting with top 10 UK firms, and those in the top 100, as well as the largest firms in countries such as Ireland and Spain, while also developing firm footholds in South Africa and the Pacific Rim. They’ve seen the qualities of the solution, the fact that it can flex to individuals’ way of working while performing consistently across different devices, and ultimately just making very easy work of a historically heavyweight burden. The signing of DLA Piper puts another huge name in the Rekoop camp, and hopefully several more thousand advocates for the technology.”

Rekoop bigs up its latest iPad release

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:25:00 GMT

Time capture specialist Rekoop has announced a major update to its iPad app, making it one of the most powerful native apps in the legal sector.

The latest release brings the look and feel of the Desktop software to the mobile device, along with most of its features, creating a perfectly seamless, device and place agnostic environment for time recording.

Headline improvements include the automated timesheet, allowing users to manage cloud-based activity suggestions from their PC and other office systems; the introduction of multiple timers, mirroring the advanced timers of the Rekoop Desktop; and enhanced enterprise level security, offering protection comparable to leading mobile device management solutions without the additional license overheads.

CTO Phil Ashworth comments: “Fee earners can now access their full timesheet from their iPad and enjoy the same user experience, functionality and security they have on their Desktop. In terms of time capture/recording apps, this is the biggest development thus far within the sector: it’s maximising the potential of the native app, combining the inherent slickness of iOS with the power of Rekoop to deliver class-leading performance for fee earners on the move.”

The new app is now available for download from the App Store.

Rekoop focuses further on UK with Conway appointment

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:23:00 GMT

Global time capture specialist Rekoop has announced the expansion of its business development team with the appointment of Alan Conway. Alan, who joins from managed services specialist e-know.net, will head up sales efforts in the UK as Rekoop looks to consolidate on its considerable success to date.

CEO Phil Wedgwood comments: “The UK is one of our strongest markets, with Rekoop already being used by 5 of the top 10 UK legal brands, but we’re keen to further demonstrate that this is an ‘everyman’ solution that scales for any size of law firm. Alan has a wealth of experience of selling into the top 250 and his arrival will give a real impetus and focus to our continued expansion and drive to become the default choice for time capture.”

Alan Conway is looking forward to his new role: “Dedicated time recording solutions have not been around for that long but firms are quickly embracing them. Rekoop works well with all PMS solutions, extending seamless functionality across a mix of mobile devices and platforms, and driving 100% adoption through improved usability. Rekoop has proven it has the answers for firms around the world and we’ll now be reinforcing that message to top and mid-tier law firms in the UK.”

Good time down under for Rekoop as latest win goes live

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:07:00 GMT

Time capture specialist Rekoop has announced details of its latest contract win and go-live in the Asia Pacific region. After a successful six-week trial of its integrated desktop and mobile time application, Rekoop has now rolled out the solution to Brisbane-based commercial firm McMahon Clarke.

The deployment has seen the introduction of Rekoop Desktop, the primary time recording interface; Rekoop Digital Footprint, which monitors activity in the background and encourages more accurate, complete time capture through configurable prompts; and Rekoop for iPhone and iPad, enabling the seamless recording of time even on the move.   Commenting on his firm’s choice, Sean McMahon, managing partner, said: “We were looking for a product that would make light of the time recording burden. We need our fee earners to be billing their time promptly and with precision, but we were also mindful that different fee earners have different preferences as to how they record time. Rekoop really appealed because it gives users the option to take an active or more passive approach while still ensuring that everything is tracked, captured and entered. The common interface across devices is slick, familiar and highly intuitive, which has removed any barrier to positive adoption. It also allows for a seamless transition whether staff are in or out of the office, and having the ability to record time easily anytime, anywhere is already impacting significantly on billable hours.”

Phil Wedgwood, Rekoop’s chief executive, is keen to stress the flexibility of the Rekoop proposition. “We’ve worked hard to make it ‘fit’ regardless of incumbent systems or user preference. So it’s PMS –agnostic, enabling firms to extend the functionality of any of the mainstream practice management systems; it’s device-agnostic, working equally smoothly across PC, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry or Playbook; and it’s behaviour neutral, allowing users to choose between active and passive approaches to time recording without sacrificing any of the accuracy or completeness of detail.”

Rekoop takes its time with Spain's largest law firm

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 12:52:00 GMT

Rekoop has announced details of its latest client win and go-live in Europe. Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira, Spain’s top law firm, has recently rolled out the rekoop solution across multiple platforms to some 1000 users, integrating with the firm’s SAP enterprise management system.

The project led with the introduction of Rekoop for BlackBerry for all lawyers, and this has recently been followed up with the deployment of Rekoop Desktop, the primary time recording interface; rekoop Digital Footprint, which monitors activity in the background and encourages more accurate, complete time capture through configurable prompts; and Rekoop for iPad, in support of Cuatrecasas’s ‘Bring Your Own Device’ policy (BYOD).

IT director Francesc Munoz is confident of a strong return on investment from the rekoop solution: “As I see it, we only need every individual to capture a few more minutes every day for rekoop to pay for itself many times over. This is the goal, to use it. For the first time, our lawyers have a really flexible, easy to use tool that is available wherever they need it – on their laptop, on the their BlackBerry, on their iPad. It’s a common and friendly interface, everything is perfectly synched with our back-end. To capture time as they go has never been so simple. No two individuals are alike in the way they like to record time entries and one of rekoop’s great strengths is that it lets the user choose how to interact with it – it doesn’t impose a set way of working. For the Spanish lawyer, that is always going to be a key selling point!”

Phil Wedgwood, rekoop’s chief executive, stresses the realities of the return on investment potential. “We’ve had clients turn around and tell us that our software has paid for itself in the first week. Project that over the course of a year and you can see the direct impact effective and efficient time recording can have on the bottom line. That’s very much down to users wanting to engage with the system, rather than resist it – and that’s why so much development effort has been poured into making it one seamless experience regardless of device. With BYOD starting to influence IT strategy more keenly, we expect the multi-platform operation enjoyed by Cuatrecasas to become very much the norm.”

Rekoop proves environmentally friendly

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 12:47:00 GMT

Time capture specialist Rekoop has announced further success in the professional services market with the signing of leading environmental consultancy Redhills.

Redhills has chosen to deploy Rekoop across its nationwide team of 250 staff, including its 140 strong team of surveyors, analysts and field engineers to enhance the management of resourcing and performance, as well as more accurately gauge the costs of service delivery.

Rekoop’s ability to integrate with a number of key business systems, including its ERP system Sage and vehicle tracking applications, will generate a 360° view of the business in real-time: tracking 140 individuals making multiple site visits in a day, often across multiple contracts. Monitoring resource utilisation proactively will enable Redhills to deploy its surveyors and site teams more efficiently, thereby further improving customer service. Time and productivity data will also allow better analysis of the costs and value of projects and contracts.

Robert Patterson, Finance Director, Redhills, explains: “To more objectively determine how we are performing on jobs, from both a service and profit perspective, we need to capture the time spent by our site staff on each job and each component of the job. Rekoop will bring all this data together and afford us a single unified view of performance; the resultant visibility will make it easier for us to keep resources closely aligned with client requirements and to assess the true costs of contract delivery. The degree of insight and business intelligence that Rekoop will afford us will be pivotal in keeping Redhills client-centric and competitive in a highly price sensitive market. Redhills is constantly striving to continuously improve its business and client service and investments in carefully selected technology helps to facilitate this. ”

Phil Wedgwood, CEO, Rekoop, adds: “We’re seeing a growing trend amongst those managing complex networks of sites and contracts on behalf of clients to be able to get to this 360° view on operations. When you’re using a variety of systems to support a large mobile workforce, getting that bird’s eye view can be nigh on impossible; Rekoop allows you to build that view based on time but integrating other data sources to give you a comprehensive record of activity. And as it all happens invisibly, without any extra burden placed on staff, there’s no risk of the sort of user pushback that can so easily derail IT projects.”