Interview with Holly Wood on England & Co Solicitors’ Transition to Diktamen Cloud Digital Dictation

Holly Wood, Equity Partner at England & Co Solicitors, shares her experience of moving the firm from a patchwork dictation setup to Diktamen Cloud Digital Dictation, and the positive impact it has had on staff and workflows.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role at England & Co Solicitors?

Holly Wood: “I’m one of the Equity Partners at England & Co, alongside another equity partner and a salary partner. Together we make all of the management decisions for the firm, including those around technology and operations.”

What prompted England & Co to look for a new digital dictation solution?

Holly Wood: “We previously had what I’d call a bit of a ‘bootleg’ dictation system. It wasn’t reliable or consistent. When I joined the Partnership, I wanted to streamline some of our processes. I came across Diktamen through a Google search, and after speaking with the team, I found it was not only simpler but also more cost-effective compared to other providers like BigHand. It felt like the right move.”

How would you describe your experience working with Diktamen and their team?

Holly Wood: “Just so good — really, so good. We’re not very IT minded here, so it was such a relief to have people I could just email or call, and they would guide us through. The implementation itself was very easy, and since we started using it, we honestly wouldn’t have anything else. It’s the best decision we’ve made. Even when I spoke to the other Partners, I said I couldn’t believe we hadn’t done it sooner.”

Were there any concerns when transitioning to a new system?

Holly Wood: “Naturally, we were worried about how easy it would be to get started given that we don’t have strong in-house IT skills. But Diktamen’s support made all the difference. The onboarding was straightforward, and it didn’t cause any disruption to our work. Everyone just adapted quickly, which was a pleasant surprise.”

What stands out about Diktamen compared to your old system?

Holly Wood: “The consistency and ease of use. Before, dictation felt clunky and unreliable. Now, it’s smooth and just works. The fact that we can use it across desktop and mobile means our solicitors have the flexibility they need. For us, it’s been transformative.”

Based on your experience so far, would you recommend Diktamen to other firms?

Holly Wood: “A million percent. We already have recommended it. It’s simple, effective, and the customer support is second to none.”

Digital dictation is often seen as a traditional working method. How do you see its role at England & Co?

Holly Wood: “It’s still absolutely essential for us, and Diktamen has made it better. Some of our more traditional staff like to work in the way they always have, and that’s fine — the platform supports that. But at the same time, it gives our younger staff the flexibility they expect from modern software. It bridges the gap really well.”

What about the future — are you exploring other technologies or AI?

Holly Wood: “Yes, definitely. For us, just moving to a proper talk-to-text solution was mind-blowing. But now we’re much more open to new tools. I’m really keen on AI and anything that can help us work smarter. My fellow equity partner is more cautious, but even she’s starting to see the benefits. We’ll definitely be looking at what else Diktamen can offer, especially around AI in the near future.”

What advice would you give to other firms thinking about switching to Diktamen?

Holly Wood: “Don’t overthink it — just do it. The transition was so easy, the product is brilliant, and the support is fantastic. It’s made such a difference to our firm.”

Thank you for your time, Holly. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience with Diktamen?

Holly Wood: “Just that we’re genuinely so pleased we made the switch. It’s improved our workflows, saved time, and taken away the stress of dealing with unreliable systems. I can’t recommend it enough.”