The DANCEL Group
Spector CNE Investigator Lays Down the Law at The DANCEL Group

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The Setting

Industry: Legal Services
Founded: 1984
Employees: ~ 15  

The DANCEL Group is a professional legal services company specializing in comprehensive litigation support including multimedia production for trial. CEO Celeste O'Keefe, with an IT consultant, manages a Windows Server 2007 network with 15 workstations, including laptops, running Windows XP.

"We're a small business that's run like a large company," said O'Keefe. "Dress is casual but we are strict on a professional level. Most of our clients are lawyers, so we are involved with very intense, sensitive data. People we work with depend on us for their lives or money, or both."

The Challenge

CEO Celeste O'Keefe said her office challenge presented in similar fashion to just about any small professional organization anywhere.

"I'd walk up and they'd shut down the computer screen," said O'Keefe. "Even though that activity was limited to certain people, after just a little bit of it you begin to think something is just not right."

In addition to the caution lights in the office, O'Keefe said that while in temporary quarters following Hurricane Katrina in late 2005, her company's Client List was stolen by one of her employees, and she said she never wanted to be in such a vulnerable position again.

"Some people seem to think they can get away with more at a small company," said O'Keefe.

Search for a Solution

"My brother, an attorney who also runs a small professional office, told me about SpectorSoft," said O'Keefe. "He doesn't put up with inappropriate behavior in the workplace and has told his employees if they stray too far off task, they'll be fired."

O'Keefe added that while she is not inclined to question her brother's word, she felt sound business practice dictated looking into at least one additional option.

"I highly value my brother's opinion," said O'Keefe. "He's a very detailed person, but we did look into something else. Although I now don't remember what it was, what I do remember is that SpectorSoft sales and support was so helpful and friendly. They went out of their way."

Discoveries

Spector CNE Investigator enabled O'Keefe to defend firing an employee for cause, eliminating costly unemployment assessments.

"I've stopped unemployment claims after dismissal," said O'Keefe. "As a small business, that's a key savings. When a former employee goes on unemployment, expenses go up."

While O'Keefe appreciates the economics, she said "it's not the money as much as the principle."

	A scenario involving a young DANCEL Group sales representative illustrated Spector CNE Investigator's powerful insight. "It was her first time in outside sales, and it was just not working out as both of us would have liked," said O'Keefe. "We agreed she could look for another job while she continued to work for us, but that her job search would not take place on our time. I found it interesting that she kept wanting to go out of territory. Something was not quite right, but given that she had a laptop computer, I thought there'd be no way to verify her activities. "I called SpectorSoft, however, and I was amazed and pleased to learn that as long as we had the SpectorSoft program installed on her company laptop, the data would be available to me. Sure enough, when I went to look at Spector CNE's reports, I discovered she had done a term paper on my time, PLUS she was looking for a job on my time. She was trying to cover her tracks by deleting emails and such, but with Spector CNE I could see it all. I told her I was disappointed, and let her go that day. She couldn't deny it. "Spector CNE showed me that while I tried to do the right thing, she didn't reciprocate. I DID NOT agree to her sitting at a coffee shop 5 hours a day conducting a job search. She was stealing company time. I told her she not only affected herself, but the ENTIRE TEAM!"
	O'Keefe has used Spector CNE Investigator to "save" a valuable employee, reinforcing her high regard of the software's role in the management process. "I've turned employees around using Spector CNE," said O'Keefe. "I've actually saved someone by showing them my findings ... that they were playing solitaire for four hours. The program worked very well as a tool with this person, because they had the potential to be a very good employee, and I am happy to still have them. When counseling someone, Spector CNE is the piece of the puzzle that solidifies the process. The software gives me something tangible, so I can prove my position ... it's not just their word against mine."

Working with Employees

O'Keefe said based on the makeup of today's workforce, a business tool like Spector CNE Investigator is more important than ever before.

"We're in a techy world and especially with the younger workforce, it's part of their life," said O'Keefe. "They check email ... they check products ordered ... they go on eBay. But we believe, and for the most part take the position, that one's personal life stays out of the office.

"I don't have a problem if someone wants to check something quickly. It's when it's blatant that I have a problem. As far as I'm concerned, surfing the Internet is just one more way to lay down on the job. You didn't have to worry about that ten years ago."

O'Keefe said the DANCEL Group has a written policy outlining appropriate behavior at the PC and on the Internet. "We call it an Electronic Media Policy," said O'Keefe. "It clearly states NO web surfing, and no excessive non-work activities." In addition, O'Keefe said she conducts a weekly meeting at which she regularly offers a verbal reminder to those in attendance. "I remind them we do monitor and if any non-work activity is excessive, it will come to my attention," said O'Keefe.

Spector CNE: The Software of Choice

"The SpectorSoft product and the SpectorSoft organization operate so well, I've just got to believe that it is part of the company culture ... that this performance is instilled from the top down," said O'Keefe. "I even emailed SpectorSoft with that message, and it takes a lot for me to do something like that ... to take that time from my own work day."

"If you listen to the hype, filtering and blocking programs out there are supposedly designed to minimize or eliminate PC abuse," said O'Keefe. "But blocking is so labor-intensive, and because the legal industry searches so much, you just don't want to block universally. I find monitoring to be a better practice."

"I know the Spector CNE install went well because I did not hear anything to the contrary from my consultant," said O'Keefe. "There are no performance issues with PCs or the network, and I can check anytime I want, even when people are on their computer. Pricing? I felt it was competitive, even for a small business."

"Spector CNE Investigator is easy to use," said O'Keefe. "We just pulled the package together ... it didn't require much time, and that's good because I'm a small business and I pay $125 an hour for IT support. Spector CNE is cost-effective and has paid for itself."

"Spector CNE is a great counseling tool," said O'Keefe. "You can put the screen snapshots in front of them and suggest ‘let's get on track ... let's do it right.' Then, if they continue to stray, it's a clear message. Because they engage in inappropriate activities in secret to begin with, and they do it again even after being called on it, that's more egregious."

"Spector CNE is like insurance," said O'Keefe. "It keeps honest employees honest. If there is a workable issue, it can help you straighten them out. If not, you can safely get rid of them with cause. It's just like with video cameras ... people act differently when they know they're on camera."

O'Keefe said she doesn't access Spector CNE reports unless she has reason. "If you watch, you can get the feeling there's a problem," said O'Keefe. "When you get that feeling, you check it out right then ... I guess you could say I use it on an ‘as-needed' basis."

When it comes to dealing with the recent proliferation of Social Networking activities like Facebook and Twitter, O'Keefe said her impression of frivolous and inappropriate activity "includes all of that." "The person I had to let go because she was spending so much time looking for a job on my time was also having a good time on Facebook," said O'Keefe. "Plus, she was regularly tracking a popular reality TV show via Facebook, as was evident from what I saw with Spector CNE. "Spector CNE takes care of the surfing and the Social Networking. When it comes to Spector CNE, I'm a believer. Every small business needs to have it. It's a new world with the technology we have out there, something we need to monitor."

O'Keefe said that in the end, what she accomplishes with employee monitoring software is not only good business practice but consistent with her upbringing and family values.

"I was raised that when you go to work, you work," said O'Keefe. "I want to believe people will do the right thing, but that's not always the case. So instead of worrying, I'll check the PC ... with Spector CNE."

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For more information on The DANCEL Group, please visit www.dancel.com.

For more information about Spector CNE, please visit www.spectorcne.com ... or for more information about SpectorSoft and its other dependable, full-featured PC and Internet Activity Monitoring Software products, please visit www.spectorsoft.com.

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