Juan José Ruiz Ortega, Incumbent notary, Notaría 99 Estado de México • Interview
Notaría 99 Estado de México is banking on technology and extensive digitalization to drive its future strategy.
What is the main added value that you offer to the market?
Notaría 99 Estado de Mexico is currently the only notary firm in Mexico investing heavily in digitalization. Most notaries in Mexico only have basic websites while we offer communication channels through our website and social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others. We want to offer customers the possibility to have better communication with the notary through such tools. We want to make our clients’ life easier by simplifying notary processes. We have already programmed the launch of our pilot application at the end of 2020, which can be downloaded for free from the Apple and Android Stores. The application will enable clients to check the status of their procedures in real-time. Customer service over the telephone can be complicated. Long waiting times can wear clients out. Plus, those who have already signed the deed want to get in touch with the notary right away. The worst situation is when a client who has been dealing with the notary for months faces problems when reaching a customer service representative. All of the company’s account on social networks are reviewed daily. We have also managed to obtain new clients through such platforms. We have also answered requests from captive clients at the notary.
How have your clients reacted to the digitalization of your platforms?
Clients are already using our social media networks to get updates on the status of their writings. Digitalization has pushed us to do a deep restructuration of the firm, not only in terms of investing in systems but also training. We have hired a number of young people over the years. As a public notary, we have to take care of every legal aspect of the procedure. This is part of the process. It is the lawyers who review documents, laws, international treaties, and jurisprudence; however, many lawyers are not trained to handle all the latest technologies and innovations we are introducing. This is where the youth comes in. The people we have hired are system engineers, network engineers, and business administrators.
What inspired Notaría 99 Estado de Mexico to focus on digitalization?
The need to digitalize the company was a consequence of our work with Infonavit, which is an important Mexican agency that grants credits to workers. As one of the first institutions to digitalize all its procedures in Mexico, Infonavit started requesting electronic submissions of all the paperwork, and as a result, we began training ourselves to meet its demands. Over the years, we become one of three most-important notaries in the State of Mexico and one of top-10 nationally. Simply put, we started our digital transformation journey because we realized that it is the future. Clients will always prefer to complete the majority of the procedures online rather than coming to the office for every step. So far, we have invested around MXN5 million. The application that we are developing will cost us around USD60,000. As one of the 10-largest notaries in Mexico, our team comprises more than 100 people. In comparison, most notaries have only 20 employees.
Why is it important to promote and hire young talent?
Mexico has the advantage of having a young population in comparison to other countries around the world. Unfortunately, as a notary firm, it is challenging to promote young talent in Mexico because laws in the majority of the country require a notary to be at least 40 years old. There are some exceptions though. For example, I became a notary when I was 26 years old because the law was different back then. I was the youngest notary in Mexico at the time. I am taking advantage of my age and gaining knowledge about all the latest technology and innovation in order to provide my clients a unique offering. ✖
The first notary firm in Mexico to go digital
Invested USD60,000 in mobile application