When a proprietary system reached it’s useful life unexpectedly – how a company made the switch – and came out stronger.
Company Profile: A regional Public-Document Research company serving national title companies, lenders, energy companies, law firms and institutional investors with high-volume, high-accuracy document research work.
The Challenge
Years ago, the company invested in a custom-built order and billing system tailored to their operations. While the system served them well initially, years of deferred updates and mounting technical debt eventually caught up to them.
The platform became unstable, slow, and prone to data loss—especially when Users worked at normal speed. Security vulnerabilities began to surface, and support from the original developer was ending. Rebuilding the system from scratch was quoted at over $100K, plus ongoing IT maintenance costs starting at $1K+/quarter.
Meanwhile, employee frustration was growing. The outdated software made day-to-day tasks harder, not easier, and the team felt their efforts were being undermined by poor tools and a lack of forward-looking investment.
The Solution
The company turned to RDS to transition from their failing proprietary system to a modern, cloud-based platform. The onboarding process was fast and efficient. Users were able to create results forms and invoices shortly after training—no long ramp-up, no disruption to client service.
RDS provided more robust features and greater flexibility than their legacy system. The team appreciated the intuitive design, powerful tools, and streamlined workflows. With all client and order data centralized and accessible, collaboration and accountability improved dramatically.
Best of all, the switch to RDS didn’t require custom development or a large IT budget. The platform came ready with everything they needed—no patchwork solutions, no costly tech firefighting.
The Outcome
- 📈 Immediate Efficiency Gains: Up to 60% increase in productivity compared to legacy workflows. Orders no longer slipped through the cracks, and error rates dropped significantly.
- 💸 Cost Control and ROI: The company saw full ROI within 3 months. Operating costs dropped, and they were able to increase output without adding staff.
- 🤝 Higher Team Morale and Confidence: The transition sent a strong message to the team—their work matters, and the company is investing in their success. Morale improved, and so did retention.
- 📊 Better Client Experience: Clients noticed the difference. With faster turnarounds and fewer errors, confidence in the company’s work increased—boosting satisfaction and long-term retention.
Other interesting articles on this topic:
- The True Cost of Outdated Software Michael Schenkel from t2informatik: Why outdated software becomes expensive: risks, warning signs and useful strategies to protect companies from standstills and hidden costs
- Source of Title – Guest Blog, Denise Williams: Finding ways to compete includes technology. Change the game, Raise Your Prices and Reduce Your Costs!