Our "Good for each other" dossier approach

Our approach
Clients choose MAES Civil-Law Notaries because they trust that MAES Civil-Law Notaries understands their social position and needs. They expect us to add value by serving them impeccably, diligently, and with integrity. We, in turn, strive for high customer satisfaction.

Project and risk management tools
By applying project and risk management tools, we can work efficiently and cost-effectively, and we pass this advantage on to our clients. We therefore conduct a significant amount of work online and have well-organized our file processes – the workflow.

My Notary File
Our online services demonstrate our ambition to stay one step ahead and embrace change. For example, we offer all our clients—also in accordance with applicable privacy regulations—a personal online My Notary File via our client portal, easily accessible from the homepage of our website. My Notary File is a secure digital vault, available anytime, anywhere, for file management, communication, and collaboration. This allows our clients to access their files 24/7, 365 days a year, online, from home, the office, or anywhere in the world. Just like us, they can download and upload documents within this digital environment.

Workflow
We provide real-time visibility into the progress of a file's work process for our clients, ourselves, and other stakeholders. To achieve this, we use a workflow, which can be monitored from My Notary File. Essentially, the workflow means that each file has a procedure list with the following six phases:

1. Client and case acceptance phase
2. File start-up phase
3. Questionnaire phase
4. Treatment phase
5. Passing phase
6. Post-work phase

The six stages of the workflow
Each phase has a list of procedural tasks. This makes it clear to everyone involved who is performing what in the file and when. Everyone can also see what is expected of them and when. This optimizes communication with each other and reduces the risk of errors and reputational damage.

Client and case acceptance phase
First, you must accept the digital quote or order confirmation that we send you by email by clicking on the link in the quote or order confirmation.

File start-up phase
Once you've accepted this digital quote, we'll be happy to start the process for you. You'll then receive a link from us to log in to your My Notary File.

Questionnaire phase
We will provide you with a questionnaire via your My Notary File, asking you to complete it in full. We will only begin processing your file after receiving this questionnaire. This will only be different if the investigation pursuant to the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Prevention) Act requires us to conduct further investigation.

Treatment phase
Based on the fully completed questionnaire(s) you provide, we can provide you with targeted advice and prepare the draft deed(s) and other documentation accurately, quickly, and efficiently. By using digital questionnaires, we also avoid having to call or email multiple times to gather information. For efficiency reasons and your convenience, we prefer to do this correctly the first time.

Passing phase
After you have approved the draft documentation, the documents can be signed by the parties and the notary at our office or another location to be agreed upon—in person or under power of attorney. This is also called the execution of the deed(s).

Post-work phase
After the deed is executed, we'll finalize everything properly, and you'll receive a digital copy of the deed(s) in your My Notary File. It's entirely up to you whether or not you print the documents and store them in hard copies in a binder or otherwise. Your My Notary File will remain fully accessible to you even after the deed(s) are executed. We don't lock your My Notary File. And that's convenient. This way, you'll never lose the documents, and they won't accidentally reach those they're not intended for.

Suggestions for improvement
If you encounter anything during the handling of your case that you think could be improved, could be different, or isn't working properly (for example, a bug or if uploading a document unexpectedly fails), please share it with us. This observation will help all our clients and our team. That's what we call "Good for each other"!