Keep every engagement, field note and piece of evidence on one record.

An investigation firm holds some of the most sensitive records a small business ever keeps. Client identities, subjects, photographs, statements and findings all belong to one matter. Yet they often sit across email, a shared drive, a phone gallery and a paper file that only one investigator has seen.

Case and billing tracking for investigation firms starts with the engagement record. Intake, the conflict check, the signed terms, assignments, notes, evidence and the final report all attach to it, so nothing about a matter lives only in one person’s head. Roles decide who sees what. Every change is logged.

A new enquiry comes in from a law firm, an insurer, a corporate security team or a private client. The principal checks the name against past and current matters, agrees scope and a retainer, and opens an engagement before anyone is committed. Investigators are assigned by skill, licence and availability. Some work is desk research. Some is surveillance over several days, and some is serving papers or taking statements in another city.

Field notes, photographs and video are captured on the job and filed against the engagement, with the investigator and the time recorded on every entry. Time and mileage are noted as the work happens. Subcontracted investigators in other regions report back on their own schedule. A written report goes to the client for review. The invoice follows against the retainer, and closed files are kept for the period your own policy and local rules require.