When it comes to case management software then we typically associate it with solicitors, law firms and legal departments who are looking to manage their, usually large, case load electronically and online. Though perfectly suited to this type of industry it is software whose elements can be used in many industries.Case management systems are typically made up of several functional elements which come together to give a lawyer all that they need; these are:

• Electronic Case Management
• Time Recording
• Document Management
• Workflow or Business Process Automation
• Reporting
• CRM – Customer Relationship Management

Taken individually each of these elements can be used by any business to manage its processes, customers and administration.First and foremost, if you are company who has to provide services which need to be billed and accounted for on an hourly basis then time recording may well be a feature of your business that a client asks for. This can be quite difficult to utilise if you are not used to using it, but other industries such as Architecture, Accounting and IT Support often use time recording on a day to day basis as a way of monitoring their time and billing their clients.Secondly is document management, something which many businesses struggle with. Using document management within a case management system means that you are able to accurately track and record documents in the right place and against the right case. The beauty of integrating the two features also means that you can also utilise precedent management and template libraries to quickly merge information and produce template documents.Another thing which many businesses are keen to do is automate. This is something which is especially important for small business who may not have the time or man power to go through everything manually, or large businesses who do not want to waste precious time and resource training new staff. By automating as much of your process as possible you can spend more time refining your internal processes and improving your customer service.The last two important aspects are reporting and customer relationship management (CRM). When it comes to reporting you need to know what you want to get out, but with CRM as long as the data is held it can be reported on. CRM allows you to capture and monitor all of the important information about your customers and prospects, their relationship with you and others and their interests in terms of the products and services you offer.So you don’t just need to be a lawyer to use case management, it has many features which can be utilised by all businesses, regardless of industry.Tricostar’s Timebase Case Management System is proving to be the leading choice when authorities are looking for a pure web based shared service Case Management System.  If you would like to explore how your Authority can achieve the same benefits, both within and between authorities please contact us.