For many companies, implementing case management software will be the best move they ever make. But, it may also be the most difficult. Every software has its own user interface, cost, customer support standards, out-of-the-box features, optional upgrades and more.

For large businesses, it may be more important to offer real-time collaboration than it would be to have automated alerts. For retailers, it may be necessary that the software integrates with your existing fraud detection systems.

Use this guide to learn how to choose the best case management software for your company depending on your size and the cases you investigate.

Download the Buyer's Guide to learn more about how case management software works, the expected ROI and tips on comparing solution providers.

Large Enterprise Companies

Larger organizations benefit from case management software that updates in real-time and allows professionals from teams in multiple locations to collaborate. The software must also be powerful enough to hold a significant amount of data in an organized and protected format.

Jonaura Wisdom, Director of EEO & Civil Rights Compliance at LA Metro, appreciates the benefit of centralized case files for collaboration.

“It’s a one-stop-shop,” says Wisdom. “We don’t have to rely on bodies to provide information. We can just look up the information regardless of who has ownership of the case”.

To learn more about LA Metro's experience with software, download the case study PDF.

Small- to Medium-Sized Businesses

Businesses of this size are often in the midst of outgrowing their current spreadsheet solution. They’re looking to adopt software for the first time and appreciate having advisors who’ll work with them to develop a meaningful, detailed definition of project success.

In addition to more hands-on support and training, small-to-medium-sized businesses should look for flexible software that can be tailored to meet their specific needs. Often, a company of this size doesn’t require a lot of the flashy features that customized software systems provide, and may benefit more from out-of-the-box, wallet-friendly software.

For HR Incidents and Investigations

If your business will be using case management software primarily for HR investigations, look for software that offers configurable role-based access.

Cases of harassment and discrimination often contain confidential information protected by federal and state laws. Software with role-based access avoids compromising confidentiality, helping you keep private data private and stay compliant.

Union County Public Schools (UCPS) uses case management software in part for HR investigations. To answer the district’s need for security, UCPS needed software with the option to set access levels to ensure not everyone has full visibility into party or case information.

For Fraud Investigations

If most of your investigations involve fraud, the best case management software for you will integrate with your existing fraud detection systems. It should be able to connect effectively to funnel alerts, tips and referrals directly into the software.

Even better, find case management software that provides a built-in hotline to ensure every complaint is captured promptly, investigated thoroughly and results are leveraged for better fraud prevention.

For Health and Safety Cases

The best case management software for a company focused primarily on health and safety will provide comprehensive risk management tools. Look for software that makes it easy to create trend reports and analyze incidents by region, country, location, department, type or any other variable.

For Home Health Care Management (HHCM), choosing case management software with good reporting has prompted better training and education, resulting in fewer incidents. The company can now track where the majority of falls occur, for example, and use this information to prevent future incidents by improved training or risk prevention strategies.

Download the HHCM case study here.

For the Education Industry

Before using case management software, Prairie State College had tedious, inefficient processes. “We had an Office of Civil Rights inquiry response…and we didn’t have an easy or convenient way of retrieving any of the documents that they were asking for,” says Tiffany Brewer, Manager of Compliance and Effectiveness. “So, I had to manually compile a 600-page response”.

The best case management software for K-12 districts and higher ed campuses will provide powerful documentation and auditing tools. For those in education, time is of the essence and most of your effort must go towards closing cases, not manually documenting them.