SOA Allows Management of Multiple Sites
By Glenn Gordon
Sentinel Development Solutions (SDS) provides both web-based and web-enabled collection solutions. The web-based application is hosted by SDS and accessed by an SDS-supplied web browser. The web-enabled product is client-server based, installed by the customer and accessed by users employing an interface downloaded from SDS and installed by each individual user. The interface uses tools that are part of a standard Internet Explorer browser with items added by SDS for authentication and security. This Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) framework allows the management of multiple sites and access by remote users over the Internet.
SDS now offers a number of segmented solutions, all under the umbrella name of eCollections, with eCollections.Law being the product of interest. eCollections.Law is available as either an on premise or web-based product. The latter comes with an uptime guarantee and two secured hot backup sites to provide a comfort level for remote users.
Interface
eCollections.Law is organized into two separate modules, the Collector Desktop and Management. Each module can be launched independent of the other and both appear as similar 2-pane windows. For the collector, SDS has placed all the necessary information on the Collector Desktop Account Summary screen. Here debtor information can be viewed and/or changed, payment plans arranged, letters sent, notes taken and reports viewed — encompassing the vast majority of what needs to be done to collect on a debt.
Features and Functionality
eCollections.Law tackles head-on what are probably the two largest headaches associated with the litigation aspects of collections - legal forms and file transfers. To cover the latter, Sentinel EqX, short for Equal Exchange, provides a means to exchange data between
eCollections.Law and any other system. Account forwarders can place accounts and attorneys can receive them from any system without having to write interfaces or perform data-mapping exercises. Intelligence is built into the Sentinel EqX tool to normalize and validate the data to confirm, for example, that the city and state match the zip code. Both sides receive confirmation that the file was received and it is immediately ready for use. Real-time exchange is possible if the other system supports it, with batch exchange available as an alternative.
A recent enhancement to the eCollections.Law document management system addresses the legal forms question. Forms for courts at all levels are available directly from eCollections.Law, with updates made weekly.
Another recent expansion of capability is in the area of trust accounting. Multiple clients can be worked in a single trust account, and each can have its own trust account or multiple accounts. The software tracks all court costs and filing fees to assure proper reimbursement. To make things easy for accounting a general ledger interface is included for major accounting software packages.
Support
First-level eCollections.Law support is provided on a 24/7/365 basis. Training is provided on the same basis. An annual service release fee covers new product releases that occur at least twice yearly.
Summary
eCollections.Law offers a choice and flexibility of an installed or ASP application along with a full-featured legal application. The addition of a constantly-maintained court forms feature is a time-saver and an essential tool to work through the legal paperwork maze.
June 2008 www.CollectionAdvisor.com