In Part 1 of this series, we explored why collaborating with the right experts is critical to the success of any modern eDiscovery process. In this segment, we take you on a journey into how this approach played out for a multinational corporation facing tight regulatory deadlines.
When a client faced the daunting task of collecting, reviewing and producing over a million Zendesk tickets under a tight regulatory deadline, they knew that their legacy systems were not fit for purpose.
A customised solution, built by a team of expert implementation partners, turned what could have been discovery chaos into a systematic and speedy regulatory resolve.
The client, a multinational enterprise, received a regulatory inquiry involving a complex, high-volume dataset. Not only did it need to secure and analyze over a million Zendesk customer service tickets, but it also had to ensure each record retained critical metadata and tagging. This data had to be delivered in a format acceptable to the regulator within two months.
The stakes were high: delays, formatting errors or missing information would have triggered compliance penalties and increased exposure for the client. To add to the pressure, the project fell due during the holiday season, a period marked by limited internal resources.
Customisation and integration were the perfect solution
Immediately, the Control Risks team brought together experts in data analytics, custom development and eDiscovery project management. Rather than locking into a single prebuilt workflow, the team mapped the project to fit both the unique data structure of Zendesk and the legal team’s strategic review needs. The team’s approach involved:
- Reviewing the client’s existing operational workflows and data
- Examining the Zendesk platform’s unique data structure
- Extensively consulting with legal teams to define review requirements
- Converting Zendesk tickets, their associated attachments, comments and metadata into the Relativity Short Message Format (RSMF)
Our conversation provided the client with a structured view of its data, offering clear visibility into conversations and support actions. More importantly, it enabled the regulator to easily upload and analyse the data within its own systems.
Collaboration drives efficiency
As review began, the legal team realized more context was needed: specific attachments, special tags and linkage to original Zendesk records. Since the processes and development groups at Control Risks were working side by side, they adapted the workflow without discarding previous work. When new needs emerged, features and datasets were layered in on top of the originals, giving the team the ability to continue the review without losing ground.
One of the most valuable aspects of this partnership was the deep integration between technical experts and project managers who understood the legal workflow. This meant requirements for defensibility, review readiness and production compliance were always front and center. Every technical innovation was immediately checked against what the legal team actually needed for the matter and the ultimate production.
The balanced and responsive approach paid off. Within two weeks of starting the collection process, the team delivered the first batch of tickets to kick off the review. Ultimately, the full set involved more than a million Zendesk records and over 200,000 were produced by the regulatory deadline. The client succeeded in meeting all compliance requirements and avoided costly rework or backtracking.
The broader lessons
This project proved that customized eDiscovery processes save time, reduce costs and deliver high-quality results.
- 1. Engage early with technical and legal stakeholders: Ensure project managers, data analytics experts and legal teams are aligned on goals and requirements from the start.
- 2. Design for flexibility: Choose workflows and formats that can adapt as new data or needs emerge. Do not lock yourself into a rigid process.
- 3. Prioritize metadata and context: Retain as much information as possible during conversions. This makes searching, tagging and regulatory production much easier and more defensible.
- 4. Integrate project management with technical solutions: Avoid silos between developers and legal project managers. Regular check-ins and collaborative planning prevent costly rework.
- 5. Use Incremental delivery: Aim to get the first batch of data out for review early. This allows for real-time feedback and quicker adjustments.
- 6. Document everything: Keep a clear record of data handling, transformations and workflow decisions for compliance and defensibility.