Introduction
If you work in an organization that handles a lot of cases, chances are you’re familiar with the term “case management”. But if this is the first time you’ve heard it or don’t know what it means, don’t worry! Case management is just another way of saying “assigning a task to someone else and tracking their progress on that task”. It’s usually used in reference to medical professionals or lawyers but can be applied to any type of business where people need help solving problems or completing tasks. A case management database helps organizations keep track of all their cases so they can be solved properly by whoever needs to solve them.
What is Case Management?
Case management is a system that helps to manage the activities of a case. The term is used in both legal and healthcare industries, but it has different meanings depending on which industry you’re talking about.
In the legal industry, Case Management Software helps lawyers organize their cases by tracking all aspects of each one from start to finish. This includes things like client information (name, address, etc), court dates, deadlines for filing paperwork or responding to requests from other parties involved in litigation (e-mails), updates on pending motions or orders made by judges and so forth.
By having all this information readily available at any time via their case management app on their computer or smartphone while they’re working on other tasks like drafting briefs or filing documents with an opposing counsel’s office – these professionals can reduce costs significantly by not having to spend hours searching through files looking for important details needed when preparing for court appearances later on.
How to Choose a Case Management Database
Choosing the right case management database for your organization can be a daunting task. There are many factors to consider, and you want to make sure that the software you choose will be able to support all of your business processes as well as meet all of your needs.
When evaluating software options, it’s important to consider:
- How well does this database fit with our current processes? Can we easily integrate it into our existing workflow or does it require big changes?
- How well has this database been received by other users in similar industries? Is there evidence that they’re happy with their choice and would recommend it over others on the market today?
Step 1: Understand What you Need from a Case Management Database
To choose the right case management database for your organization, you need to understand what you need from a case management system. Start by looking at the various types of case management systems and how they differ from one another.
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool can be used for managing customer information–including cases–but it doesn’t necessarily have all the features that make up a full-scale case management database program. A CRM might be more suited for organizations that are just starting out in dealing with customers or those who don’t have many cases yet but want to keep track of them on an ongoing basis without investing too much money in software costs upfront.
By contrast, some organizations may have hundreds or thousands of open cases at any given time and would benefit from using an application designed specifically for this purpose rather than trying to shoehorn their existing CRM into serving as both an ERP solution and also handling large volumes of pending work requests simultaneously (or even concurrently).
Step 2: Know the Basic Components of a Case Management System
In this step, you’ll learn the basic components of a case management system. You’ll also get an overview of each component and how it fits into the overall picture.
- Case Management Database: The database is where all your data is stored and maintained. It’s usually a relational database that can be accessed through SQL queries or with other programming languages like Java or C++. It might also come with an application programming interface (API) so that other applications can access its contents remotely over the internet.
- Case Management System: This is what ties together all the different pieces into one cohesive whole–it’s basically software running on top of hardware that allows users to interact with each other via email or chat rooms while accessing their own separate instances within one instance-based system as well as share information across multiple teams/departments within an organization using real-time collaboration tools such as SharePoint Online/OneDrive etc…
- Case Management Software: Any software package designed specifically for managing cases will fall under this category; however many vendors offer several different products under one umbrella name so make sure they’re not trying sell “a little bit” here at first glance without actually providing everything needed by yours truly before signing off on anything!”
RunSensible is a CRM software designed specifically for lawyers which offers case management along with dozens of other features that are included within the subscription plans.
We offer a Free Trial to our customers so they can make sure that RunSensible is the software that best matches their style.
Step 3: Research Your Vendors and Their Platforms
Now that you have a list of potential vendors, it’s time to research them. Here are some questions to consider:
- How long has the company been in business?
- Are they financially stable?
- Do they have a good reputation among customers and industry experts? If so, why?
- Are there any negative reviews or complaints about their products/services online that might be worth looking into further before making your decision (e.g., “this vendor doesn’t answer customer support calls”).
Once you’ve collected enough information about each vendor’s technology, pricing and support options–and if necessary done additional research on their reputation–it’s time to narrow down your list again by using what we call a “Scorecard.”
Step 4: Make Sure the Vendor Meets Your Commercial Terms and Conditions Requirements
In this step, you want to make sure that the vendor meets your commercial terms and conditions requirements. You need to make sure that they offer a money back guarantee, or at least some kind of free trial period so that you can test out their software before purchasing it. The last thing you want is for your organization’s data to be compromised because of an inadequate case management database solution!
The Right Case Management App Makes a Big Difference
Choosing the right case management database can make all the difference in how well your organization runs. While it may seem like an easy decision, there are many factors to consider when choosing a case management database, including:
- How much experience do you want with this particular type of software?
- Is this software compatible with your existing technology stack?
- Can you customize it to fit your needs more closely?
Once you find the answer to these questions, you’ll realize that your job of finding the most fitted case management will be much easier.
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you understand the process of choosing a case management database. It may seem like a lot to take in, but if you follow our advice and keep these steps in mind when shopping around for vendors, it will make things much easier!
FAQ
1. What’s the difference between CRM and ERP?
We have an entire article on our blog that goes into detail about the differences between the two called “CRM vs ERP vs SCM: What’s the Difference?”
2. What does RunSensible offer other than case management?
RunSensible is an all-in-one CRM tool that allows you to manage clients, staff and their tasks and record your clients’ necessary information while keeping all of it safe from malicious activities. It also enables you to communicate with clients and staff from anywhere at any time with ease.
3. Why would I need case management?
Every business needs to keep track of what they do in order to make sure everything is done perfectly. Keeping track of your cases and projects helps you bring your clients the service they expect and deserve so it makes you look more professional as well.