“The program won me over right away.”

Mr. Nauer, how did it come about that you introduced ALAN?
“I first heard the name of this software when a new employee started working for us. She is an intern and told us about a colleague who had a very good experience in a similar office. That’s when we got in touch with ALAN Software AG.”

So there was a need?
“Absolutely, we didn’t have any specific notary software before, wanted to modernize, digitize, increase our efficiency and achieve professionalization. And last but not least, we also wanted to increase employee satisfaction and remain an attractive employer.

That makes sense. When was that and what happened next?
“Udo Schneider gave us a demonstration of the program and I was convinced right away. I had looked at a competitor’s product before, but ALAN was clearly more mature and, above all, more notary-specific. That was in January 2021.”

You decided to implement ALAN?
“And that was in the same month. Udo Schneider provided us with goal-oriented training on a few days, from one date to the next we were able to gain experience and then ask questions accordingly. A good combination of learning by doing and excellent training. We can also call anytime now and get the support we need.”

Then the goals you mentioned at the beginning have been achieved within a month?
“For the most part, yes. We then started in March to create sample deeds and standard contracts. Of course, this requires an initial effort, but then we work very efficiently. But we’re not quite where we want to be yet, maybe not pulling every mail and every document into the ALAN yet. It’s a process, but we’re on our way.”

Are all your employees actually equally satisfied?
“Now yes. In the run-up, only our accountant was a bit skeptical. But everyone was quickly convinced and we really enjoy working with it.

What do you see as the advantages of the software?
“That it was created for the notary business. We have a clean accounts receivable control, everything is perfectly filed, clearly arranged, everything is quickly and effortlessly at hand, of course also for accounting. ALAN means a quantum leap for the professionalism of the firm.”

There were no difficulties?
“On one occasion, FIVE launched a new version without informing our IT. As a result, the system crashed. But I think you learn from mistakes like that.”

Then would you recommend ALAN Software AG to others?
“Yes, I would. Clean quote, true to budget in every way, the additional services we used were and are charged transparently: I am very satisfied.”

Lawyer’s and notary’s office Lukas Nauer
Attorney at law lic iur. Lukas Nauer founded his office in 1996 and today employs eight to ten people. The focus is on changes of ownership and purchase agreements, but also on all classic notarial services, from marriage contracts to wills and business foundations. The advocacy business, which originally had equal rights, is now responsible for only a small part of the activities.

Document generator creates focus on notary business
Faced with a notary merger, two philosophies and two software solutions had to be merged into one. Florian Schneider, Managing Director of FSP Notare AG in Aargau, tells how this exercise succeeded.

Florian Schneider, FSP Notare AG is a young company that emerged from a merger of two well-established notary’s offices, right?
Exactly. In October 2017, the notary’s office Hänggli + Schneider AG, founded in 1961, merged with the notary’s office Klöti, which had been in existence since 1973, to form FSP Notare AG. This allows us to exploit valuable synergies. At the same time, we increased the number of employees to 14.

Is the introduction of ALAN related to this merger?
It so happens that Udo Schneider from ALAN contacted us at exactly the right moment to introduce ALAN. The program is not yet so well known in Aargau. But in view of the fact that we had to reconcile two notary philosophies and two software worlds, a third-party product was just right. Especially since we were immediately convinced that ALAN had the necessary flexibility
has to be adapted to our needs. In particular with regard to the additionally used document generator, we were able to contribute our practical knowledge for further development.

Narrate.
Many notary offices use existing documents for a document, such as a purchase agreement, and overwrite them. But it is much less error-prone if you have a template for it. The data is available in the ALAN database. The text generator retrieves these and automatically inserts the correct data in the right place: Here the price, there the buyer, here the seller, of course always grammatically correct. This is done with a few clicks and the program generates a ready-to-use text, which is then also available for subsequent documents. There is no – again error-prone – repetitive work, you can focus on the essentials and work efficiently.

Was that already in a form that served you?
Not quite. We helped to develop it further with our precise ideas and experience. These adjustments must have been quite challenging for the FIVE as well. But the team was always open to our ideas and worked in an extremely solution-oriented manner.
Then the implementation also went smoothly?The challenge here was that the data had to be migrated from two different notary programs and we also had common customers, so there was a risk of duplication. After ALAN was installed at the beginning of April 2018, we first migrated the data from one program and then only migrated those from the second at the beginning of July. In the meantime, our people had to work with two softwares in parallel. Then, little by little, we created the templates for the document generator. Unified, with one software and one generator, we are working now since February 20

So it’s been a long road for you?
What took time above all was to program the document templates according to our ideas. But this very big work is extremely worthwhile, I can only advise every notary colleague to take this time. After that you work super efficiently!

Do the “normal” modules from ALAN also prove themselves?
Absolutely, yes. It is very convenient to have service recording and accounting in one system. One can read in e-banking orders or, for example, record work started over the turn of the year, to name just two examples. This all works very comfortably.

Then you are satisfied with ALAN?
More than that! You are really taken seriously and look for solutions together.The FIVE people act in a very customer-oriented way.

Thank you very much for the interview!

Rolf Lehmann is about to retire. For this reason, he has downsized his law and notary office. ALAN, which has accompanied him for many years, has also proven its worth in this step.

User-friendly
He got to know ALAN at his then larger law firm, where new software was being introduced. “We had several products demonstrated to us, and it quickly became clear that ALAN best suited our needs,” Lehmann says. It was immediately recognized that the program was exceptionally user-friendly: “The clear design of the interface ensures intuitive usability and the program is logically structured,” he praises.

Proof of cover
A convincing example, for example, is the “proof of cover” function, which is very important for a notary. “It really works with a single click,” Lehmann says. “Of course, legal compliance is also key: the program is audited by the association, you have certainty.”
Lehmann also sees a decisive advantage in the fact that ALAN runs absolutely reliably. “You need virtually no support. And if there’s ever a change, for example in VAT, it’s perfectly prepared and can be introduced seamlessly.” ALAN is started in the morning when the computer is switched on and closed again in the evening, he says: “It’s constantly in use.”

Downgrading
With the downsizing of his office, Lehmann now has only one license resolved. Instead of a server, it has a Synology data mirror. “There are only four of us now and we have an ALAN notebook, but even in this constellation the program proves itself. I can really recommend it in every respect.”