RFID File Tracking is Better Than Hypnotism
Filed in archive Case Studies by Anita Campbell on January 22, 2005

Having worked as a lawyer in a firm and in company legal departments, I can tell you that keeping track of client files can be a major challenge. The larger the law firm premises and the more files, the bigger the challenge, of course.
One of the interesting and valuable uses of RFID is for file-tracking solutions. File folders are tagged with RFID tags. Handheld tracking devices can be used to locate missing files on the premises.
Lost files are not only a major hassle in law firms, they can mean a malpractice case. The stakes can be high -- monetary liability, public reprimand, even temporary suspension from the practice of law in some jurisdictions.
I remember such a situation when I was working in a law firm. A young attorney misplaced a case file that held original evidence (signed trust document and power of attorney) needed for a civil trial. Without the documents, the case would have been severely compromised. You could see the attorney thinking her career was ended before it ever got started -- not a pretty sight.
I remember the panic the firm's partners exhibited as the trial date drew closer. We practically tore down the walls looking for that file. It was not a fun place to be, as we were all accused in turn of losing the file even if we had nothing to do with the case. Secretaries were in tears.
Eventually, out of desperation, one of the partners suggested hypnotism. So the young attorney was hypnotized.
Amazingly, it worked! The attorney remembered that the last place she had the file was near a copy machine. Everyone had looked behind that copy machine and hadn't seen anything. But this time they actually moved the copy machine. There it was! The file had fallen down the crack behind the machine and apparently slid underneath it upon hitting the floor, which is why no one saw it the first time around. But it had been there all along.
An RFID file-tracking solution would have found that file and avoided all the angst -- and the hypnotism.
3M has a couple of case studies profiling law firms using its RFID file-tracking system. They're worth a read.
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