Are We Still Talking About Case Management?

For some organizations, the concept of case management is old news. For others, approaching Laserfiche in the scope of case management is unfamiliar. So, if that's you, please read on!

What is case management?

Most think that case management is a government, insurance, lending, or another type of aid or service activity, and it is. However, let's look at it from an 'object' perspective. A case is a set of documents, data, or files bound by the organization's rules that route through an approval process or a group of procedures and analysis. The case files are kept through the lifecycle until the assigned or mandated disposition occurs.

AIIM has a more precise definition:

"A "case" is a compendium of information, processes, advanced analytics, business rules, collaboration, and sometimes social computing related to a particular interaction with or issue involving a particular party like a customer, supplier, patient, student, or defendant. The case file will involve a collection of customer communications, forms, process documents, reports, and supporting documentation and will need to be managed for compliance and audit."

What's the difference between ECM and case management?

There are no dissimilarities in some instances (I almost wrote 'cases,' HA!). For example, activities like employee onboarding or upskilling and certification management can be built using ECM and are a type of case management. ECM as a horizontal application works best when each case is treated similarly.

The key disparity to understand is that every instance might be different regarding what needs to be done with it. Not just every case, but every interaction could be different, even for one case. You cannot automate fully because each interaction is an exception. However, depending on specific use cases, you might still be able to automate certain steps in case management using a tool like Laserfiche.

How do I know if I need ECM or case management?

Meet with your stakeholders and address this list::

• Make a list of the processes your organization considers to be 'cases.'

• What are your organization's current workflows for handling cases?

• Are your current processes enabling staff to provide excellent service while also being flexible? Is your current caseload reflecting efficiencies in your process?

• Can your employee's problem solve within your system? Do they have a dashboard where they can see if a case is 'stuck?'