Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater when undertaking a system review
Is your case or practice management system (CMS/PMS) not living up to expectations? Not getting value for money? Considering going elsewhere?
Wait: Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
At InQuo, we receive endless enquiries from firms disillusioned with their existing CMS/PMS. They want a new system: bigger, better and faster. Their current applications are clunky; failing to meet their needs.
However, any consultant worth their weight should start with a few questions to ascertain what’s actually wanted from a CMS/PMS. What we’ve found may resonate with you.
We’re going to explore the misconceptions regarding expectations of CMS/PMS applications, and share what we've come to recognise: with efficient training from our highly experienced consultants, and a look at a company's approach to change management, many firms discover their existing systems weren't so bad after all.
Save yourself some money
You'd think that, as consultants generating revenue from advising clients on system migrations, an enquiry about product switches would be music to our ears.
But we know system replacement projects can involve significant investment and have hidden challenges. Our ethos is to deliver the best solutions to clients. Sometimes that means resetting expectations and coaching to get to the root of the problem. Coaching, after all, is what we do. Wholesale change may not be necessary.
Initial discovery
The first questions we ask are: Why do you want to change systems? What is it you’re trying to achieve? Why can’t your current system deliver that for you?
Disenchanted firms often struggle to determine a particular, critical issue from these common concerns:
Lack of system development
Failing relationship between supplier and client
Poor communication
Insufficient training
Staff turnover
Changing business needs
Rising licence fees
If left unattended, these problems feel insurmountable and the appeal of something new is too much to resist.
The decision to jump ship is often made without having real appreciation of what caused those issues in the first place. Guess what happens in five years when they realise a new system wasn't the solution, and the financial and time investment has prevented a focus on more business-critical projects.
Our first recommendation
Our recommendations are driven by the need to pinpoint where your firm is now and what issues you’re aiming to overcome. As the adage goes: you need to know where you've been to determine where you’re heading. By doing so, there's a distinct chance your current vendor could provide a better solution than wholesale change.
Change management
No, don't sack your management team. Look at how you manage change. The key stages below are a great starting point to approach change management projects simplistically:
Identify a need
Identify the solution
Implement the solution
There are vital steps preceding those three established stages to ascertain the “why”; these being to discover why change is needed, recognise the end goal, obtain feedback from stakeholders and redefine objectives based on this combined information.
If you opt to implement change, ensure measurements are in place to check the change has met objectives. Ultimately, what does success look like and how is it measured?
Eight simple questions
Before you decide upon change, ask yourself some questions regarding your current vendors and systems:
Is the technology robust with minimal downtime?
Are helpdesk and support responsive?
Are account management and service delivery effective?
Is there an interactive user group or collaboration forum?
Is there a published development roadmap?
Are products good value compared with others in the market?
Do products have good functionality for your areas of law?
Is the vendor stable financially with proven growth?
Your answers
If the answer to more than half of these questions is “no”, you’re right to consider the appropriateness of your current system. Your decision to move systems is probably the right one.
However, if some answers to these questions are “yes”, you should be careful of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Many deficiencies can be improved with a little effort on both sides.
The current market
The products available within the UK legal sector all present reasonably similar offerings and comply with regulatory requirements. However, there are often major differences in: look and feel; accessibility; ease of deployment; service delivery; matter type coverage; implementation protocols; data conversion process; cost. Ultimately, however, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Organisational priorities
So where do you go now? Finding the right CMS/PMS solution depends on your priorities. Is there high-volume, low-value work which lends itself to automation and workflow/desktop-based functionality?
Are you an agile workforce with mobile accessibility needs for document management and case information? Do you prefer small pond/small fish or big pond/big fish vendors? Do you want a good all-round matter management system but no fancy prescriptive workflows? Seeking a UK-based telephone helpdesk rather than overseas email support? What’s your company's attitude to risk? Are you prepared to be an early adopter or beta site for a fledgling vendor, or are you looking for an established, proven technology solution? Do you have in-house resources to support implementation as some firms don’t have the capacity to take on project of such magnitude? What’s your budget?
Our experience
When it comes to contract negotiation and pricing, some firms can seek savings in questionable places. By stripping out project management and training time to reduce implementation costs, risk is introduced and it can be a false economy.
An average product implemented alongside quality training and robust project management delivers outstanding results. On the other hand, opting for the most expensive product often leaves little budget for training and implementation, and can lead to catastrophic results.
The bottom line
Understand the “why” before you embark on a change of CMS/PMS. Make sure the current provider has no way of solving the problem. In some scenarios, the risk of moving systems far outweighs the effort of maximising the benefits of the current system. That is absolutely not to say that changing systems is never the right course of action. In 50% of cases it’s likely to be the right idea, but imagine being in one of the other 50% when a few simple questions ahead of any purchasing decision could have generated better outcomes for less time and money.
With a relatively small investment of time and resources, and a significant focus on training, it's entirely possible to overcome the issues with your incumbent system and get things back on the right track. Don’t look at a system review as a technology project alone, it’s only by reviewing the people, process and technology holistically within your business that you can truly establish where the gaps are. By enlisting specialist legal sector consultants like InQuo, we can ensure that process is managed effectively, maximising value and delivering positive outcomes that deliver real competitive advantage.