White Papers | On Call Technology Help Can Boost Law Firm Productivity
In the effort to boost profitability, many law firms have implemented various technology strategies and processes that are designed to increase productivity. In the past decade, these information technology (IT) investments have transformed the way the typical law firm operates and, in the process, technology solutions have become tightly woven into the fabric of law office and practice area management.
When properly designed and managed, these systems can provide significant value to a firm both in terms of operational effectiveness and enhanced client service. This translates into strengthening the firm's financial health and positioning the firm to deliver real competitive advantage.
However, for many firms, technology tools fall short of their promise. Sometimes as a result of faulty equipment, but more often due to a lack of training, technology headaches abound. It can be as simple as formatting a document or as complicated as specialized database reporting but the end result is the same: productivity suffers.
The Legal IT Help Desk
Many firms have found that it’s not worth spending lots of time trying to fix technology problems themselves – especially if it takes away from other more valuable activities. Instead, they have incorporated a legal IT help desk into their processes.
Having on-call access to legal expertise can be invaluable. Essentially, any help desk serves as a central point through which a firm’s technology problems are reported and addressed.
Establishing a dedicated staff to deliver these services is critical to the success of any help desk initiative. Depending on the expectations, the firm may find that multiple people with defined areas of expertise are needed.
When hiring help desk staff, it is important to identify professionals with the right mix of technical and customer service skills. Not only must they understand a variety of legal technology applications, they must also be able to communicate that expertise to the law firm’s staff and attorneys. Above all, they must be able to troubleshoot quickly and remain calm under pressure.
Most help desks can address staff problems with the following:
- Document management
- Microsoft Office applications – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook
- Desktop support
- Legal accounting
- Litigation Support databases
- Docketing
- Remote access
- Problems with mobile devices, wireless devices such as PDAs
- Spyware and malware problems
Any help desk initiative can only be as good as the support systems that are placed around it. This translates to establishing a methodology for handling calls (i.e. when to shift a call to a higher level of technical support), using technical resources (i.e. manufacturer’s knowledge bases – MS Technet; Novell Support Knowledge), interacting with pier groups members at other firms (user groups, listserv etc.), and providing support utilities (remote control software).
Also, it is extremely important that these individuals receive continuing education in all of the phases of their responsibilities.
Considerations for Outsourcing the Help Desk Function
While most large firms maintain an in-house help desk staffed by IT experts, this can be cost prohibitive for the vast majority of firms.
Sourcing this function from a legal IT services provider helps law firms level the playing field by cost effectively giving them access to legal technology expertise that would be expensive to maintain in-house.
In addition to the obvious financial benefits of such an arrangement, many firms are finding that the biggest benefit is that it allows them more time to concentrate on their core business: maintaining positive and productive client relationships and doing exceptional legal work. Additionally, having the service on-call gives the law firm total flexibility to meet changing business conditions.
Meanwhile, the sole focus of the help desk provider is to fix technology problems as quickly as possible, helping the law firm reduce wasted time, maximize productivity and increase billable hours.
Other benefits include the following.
- Savings – Costs of help desk operations and personnel can be spread across many firms, so each client pays significantly less than if they created or maintained their own help desk. Further, flexible pricing options can match every firm’s budget with the choice of a flat monthly fee that gives everyone in the firm access, or an hourly fee for each help desk contact.
- Excellence – Having a firm that specializes in legal IT services and support field help desk calls contributes helps achieve a higher rate of first-call problem resolution, which lowers cost per incident and increases customer productivity.
- Know-How – With clients representing a range of different configurations and circumstances, a legal IT services firm offers broader range of knowledge of the technology used to support a law firm. Each time a call is received, the experience gained from a previous caller is used in supporting that user.
- Simplicity – Help desk users get consistently excellent service without the challenges associated with operating a help desk. Because the legal IT services firm accepts the responsibility of personnel management, system upkeep and continuing education, the user doesn’t have these frustrations.
Every time a staff member or an attorney is heard cursing their PC, law firms are reminded just how seriously they rely on technology. Every minute of downtime results in lost productivity and eats into the profitability of the firm. If technology tools have failed to live up to their promise of enhancing productivity, a help desk operated by on-call legal IT experts might be worth exploring.
With the help of these experts, your firm can realize the promise of increased productivity that led to the technology investments in the first place.
Learn how Rafte & Company's IS Helpdesk can boost your firm's productivity and increase profitability.
Dena Rafte is president of Rafte & Company, (www.rafte.com) a leading provider of strategy and technology consulting services for law firms. Rafte & Company provides a full range of consulting and outsourced IT services. Call 800.396.9390.
