White Glove. Boutique. Customized. One-on-one. Attentive.
When correlated with clothing, cars, spas, dining, or design, these terms tend to correspond with both expensive and slow. When it comes to discovery, however, Prism Litigation Technology upends that stereotype by offering white-glove services that actually save our clients’ money, resources, and time — particularly when compared to big eDiscovery vendors.
Hard to believe? The following comparisons explain why you should settle for nothing less than Prism’s customized, meticulous, and attentive white-glove approach to eDiscovery.
Focus on client needs vs. focus on “making numbers” and EBITDA
White-glove treatment means client satisfaction reigns supreme. This involves learning each client’s specific needs, budget, and timeline. Prism consultants appreciate the importance of taking the time to understand each client and customize its services accordingly.
Conversely, with larger ships to keep afloat and investors to please, big vendors typically focus more on the bottom line, which means encouraging increased client spending. Client goals become subjugated to the vendor’s revenue model — more services and collected data volumes means more fees collected. To keep private equity sponsors happy, profitability targets drive the services offered, rather than a focus on what’s best for the client.
Belief in data reduction strategies vs. “collect everything” mentality
By targeting data sources and documents that are most relevant to a matter before collection, the high cost of processing, hosting, and review is greatly diminished. Clients also benefit from having faster access to the information needed to build an early case strategy. Prism’s individualized approach to discovery, which includes intelligent data collection and targeted search, dramatically shortens the discovery timeline and reduces overall client spend.
On the other hand, collecting more means the fees garnered from processing and hosting will be much higher — great for the vendor’s bottom line, but not for the client’s. It is in the vendor’s best interest to collect as much as possible and store it for as long as possible. We often see vendors proudly proclaim on social media about the large volumes of data being processed, seemingly without regard to the implications for clients of having done so.
Customized technology recommendations vs. pushing clients into proprietary systems
White-glove treatment means that a vendor works for the client, not the other way around. Being able to assess and offer the most efficient technology for each matter is the priority. Prism’s consultants consistently review new technologies to stay on the cutting edge of discovery. Our goal is to recommend the best solution to meet clients’ needs, without bias.
Big vendors often create proprietary systems or lucrative partnerships that they pressure clients to adopt, whether or not it is the best fit. Their business model is to sell the technology in their portfolio — which is usually drastically limited from industry options — rather than finding the best solution for each client.
Precise and understandable invoicing vs. vague, incorrect, and/or surprise charges
A white-glove consulting firm takes time when creating invoices to ensure that each charge ties to the agreed-upon work and budget of the client. Each invoice is checked and double checked for accuracy. Clients receive reminders when billable events are likely to occur, so they can take appropriate action to avoid unexpected charges — e.g., moving stagnant data into an archive rather than keeping it in active review.
Large-volume vendors often don’t have the time or processes in place to review individual invoices and issue them without checking for errors or incorrect entries. Items are often vague and not tied to specific tasks. Clients frequently receive unexpected charges because they were not warned of impending deadlines or when old data continues to be hosted that should have been archived or removed.
Focus on closing matters quickly vs. desire to extend timeframes to garner higher fees
Prism’s customized discovery process is laser focused on getting the work done in a timely fashion and within client budget expectations. To accomplish this, our consultants do everything possible to speed up the discovery timeline by targeting relevant data quickly, utilizing advanced data reduction techniques, defensibly reducing the number of custodians and data sources on hold, and employing advanced search and review workflows. When unexpected changes or potential budget overruns are identified, clients are promptly notified.
Big vendors thrive when matters drag on for long periods of time. Hosting fees continue without regard to case activity levels or client budget concerns. Often, clients are not notified and their accounting team continues to make the payments. There is no incentive to proactively work to release data or speed up case timelines, as this actually reduces profitability.
Dedicated, solution-oriented project management vs. order-taker mentality
White-glove discovery means that dedicated project managers work collaboratively with clients to provide holistic advice, rather than simply perform piecemeal services. Prism consultants work hand in hand with clients to understand the nuances of each individual project and recommend innovative solutions — often deviating from traditional discovery workflows in order to increase efficiency and cost effectiveness.
Big vendor contacts tend to act more like order takers and are not trained or are discouraged from recommending customized solutions that would be better suited to meet client goals. This fosters a status-quo mentality of employing the same overused discovery methods, stifling the creative thinking that could identify a more effective solution. The sheer volume of orders necessitates use of cookie-cutter services that may or may not be in the best interest of the client.
Treating all projects equally vs. prioritizing big clients
Prism believes that all projects, no matter the size or duration, deserve white-glove treatment. Every request receives a prompt, high-quality response from an experienced consultant who understands the overall project goals. At Prism, every client — big or small — is a VIP client.
The profit-motivated vendor prioritizes clients who spend more. Speed in responding to questions, scheduling, or even processing queues may depend on the perceived value to the vendor. Engagements with less than $100,000 in anticipated spend are often considered a loss leader; thus, service levels depreciate.
Driven by client success vs. driven by profits
The bottom line for a white-glove discovery provider is client success, with the understanding that each client may define success differently. Prism’s team focuses on helping clients achieve their goals, not ours. We strive at every point in the litigation lifecycle to increase efficiency, lower costs, and mitigate client risk. Our belief is when our clients succeed, we succeed.
For a big vendor, profit is king. The easiest way to higher profit is to increase the volume of billable services performed. This fosters an “assembly-line” mindset — guide as many clients as possible into a standardized workflow that can be repeated over and over. Rather than viewing each project individually to determine the best solution for the client — which takes more time and effort — the goal is to do things as quickly as possible so they can move on to the next project. Volume outweighs individualized service.
The Bottom Line is the Bottom Line
The best part about choosing Prism’s white-glove discovery approach? Our discovery services do not incur the dreaded white-glove prices. Instead, we break the stereotype that customized, high-quality, and attentive service means breaking the bank. Because we build each discovery workflow based on specific client goals, keep a close eye on budget, and seek at all points in the process to reduce recurring fees, you can enjoy white-glove treatment at outlet pricing. Now, that’s a bargain.
It’s time to expect more from your discovery provider.
To find out how Prism can work to meet your discovery needs, schedule a free consultation today.