Rollout Strategies for Success

The challenges of successful software adoption within the law firm environment are daunting. Lawyers historically have lagged behind users in other industries in technology uptake. They have little non-billable time they can devote to learning the nuances of a new software package or attending extended training classes. And unless the benefits of the system are obvious at the onset, they have little inclination to make the time. Everyone knows that enterprise technology is of no use unless it's adopted successfully by the organization, yet internal marketing of new and existing systems is shockingly low. Indeed, the need to formulate a proactive internal marketing strategy within the firm is of fundamental importance when rolling out enterprise software. Law firms have not always done this successfully. This article examines the critical elements of a successful internal marketing strategy and how one firm, Brown McCarroll, used many of these techniques to achieve firm-wide acceptance of its CRM solution.