B2C, B2B, and M2M are acronyms that most of us are familiar with, but there is another one that technology seems to be slowly eliminating, and that is P2P, or person-to-person. Especially in our era of IOT (Internet of Things), we are trying to become so reliant on technology to educate us and let us do the least amount of work and research, including social interactions, that we can forget the most important part of the technology: the people behind it and the people that it serves.

Since law firms rely so heavily on technology vendors to help with their day-to-day processes, it can be easy to overlook the true value of human interaction. Since we will never be full robots, we need to remember that the lifeblood of any business include real people who make real livings and who work hard to make sure that law firms have the tools to service their clients in the most effective ways possible. Technology and software will never be able to truly replace the value of a one-on-one meeting with a client. That meeting will be recorded, transcribed, stored, analyzed, referenced, edited, and printed through your software vendors, but your impressions, feelings, attitudes, and interactions will be highly personal and your effectiveness as a person and an attorney will depend on whether or not that client comes back to you.

Without undermining the value of effective technology in the office, it is important to note that continued interactions and collaboration will be highly reliant on technology; but, initial impressions and interactions cannot be altered or determined even through the best technology in the world. As we embark into 2015, let's tip our hats to technology and how it makes our life easier to manage, and our business more profitable. But, let's also reflect on the people that bring us that technology, and our clients who rely on it and how we can better serve them as people, and not as assets.

See how NetDocuments is working hard to put your clients first through advanced collaboration and security tools: