Customer Success Story – Carlene Patterson

Customer Success Story:
Ascending to Paperless Filing

Carlene Patterson is the Founder and CEO of Ascension Financial Group, LLC, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Prior to her 22 years in the financial arena, she owned an office furniture dealership that she started from scratch and grew to a thriving business. When she decided to make a change, it was a natural for her to get into financial services, as she had been handling that for her business and discovered she loved it. Her focus is on business owners and high-net individuals, working with them on estate planning as well as personal retirement planning. “My goal is to help individuals to really come to a clear understanding of what their goals are. Then we put together a plan, walk with them through the process, and get the job done.”

Patterson had thought about going paperless for many years, but felt like it would be a massive project to convert all their files. “I thought about just starting and moving forward, but I never did do it,” she explains. “It takes stopping your business and looking at it and taking action to do it. It requires time and effort, and we were all busy doing other things.”

“It’s Amazing How Much Lighter You Feel When
You Don’t Have Paperwork Everywhere.”

In the meantime, the paper kept piling up.

“We had file cabinets full of all kinds of paper. Everything we had was in paper files,” she says. Patterson had started to go through files, trying to size them down and get rid of things, but it was a futile effort. As the files piled up, they just kept buying more and more ling cabinets to house the ever-increasing paper.

Carlene became extra motivated to solve her paper dilemma when her son decided he was moving to Costa Rica and taking her grandchildren with him. Suddenly the need to become more portable with the ability to operate from any location became top priority. Being someone who doesn’t ever do anything halfway, Patterson was now fully committed. “I needed to not be tied here to my paper piles,” she says.

Ascension Financial had two options for electronic document management. Patterson did her homework, researching both systems, and chose eFileCabinet. “I really liked the fact that eFileCabinet seemed to be very much in tune with the most recent technology. I really believe this is the most current technology available, and using these tools is what it’s going to take to be successful in our business in the future.”

“It seemed to work very, very well,” Patterson shares. “We had people at eFileCabinet who helped us with the conversion process. They worked hard to make it right. When we had questions or things came up, we were always able to get an immediate response. We had all the support we needed.”

“I really believe this is the most current technology available, and using these tools is what it’s going to take to be successful in our business in the future.”

The Results of Going Paperless?

The seemingly daunting task wasn’t nearly as painful as she’d feared. “It’s freed up a lot of space and time. I can actually pull information up on a client right in the moment and review it with them, from any location at any time. It’s much easier to access information because we can organize it much better electronically than in a paper file. We can get a lot more done quicker. Filing is easier, scanning is easier, finding things is easier, and we’re much more current. All of that makes the operation more efficient.”

“It’s much easier to access information because we can organize it much better electronically than in a paper file.”

Her advice to others who are considering going paperless?

“To people who are starting in the industry, do this right away! Make it part of your process! Don’t let paper build up and have to convert it. For everyone else, if you’re going to convert everything you have, dedicate someone to that process, and have a plan. Think about what you want this to look like, get it organized before you start, and have someone focused on getting that done for you.”

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“Filing is easier, scanning is easier, finding things is easier, and we’re much more current. All of that makes the operation more efficient.”

About eFileCabinet

eFileCabinet is a leading provider of electronic document management software for small to mid-sized businesses. With electronic sharing capabilities and paperless filing, you can cut out pounds of paper and save your business time and money. With features like eSignatures, optical character recognition, instant electronic sharing, and cloud-based file storage, eFileCabinet can bring your office into the paperless era.

Are You Ready to Learn More?

Call: 877‑574‑5505

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