Technology in Marketing: An Experience Management Solution

[Editor's Note: With this column, we say goodbye to Nancy Manzo as a regular columnist. Nancy's articles have provided our readership with information on the cutting edge of technology. It's been a real privilege to work with her. Thank you, Nancy, for your contributions to MLF. You will be missed.

Beginning in January, a "new Nancy" ' Nancy Roberts Linder ' will join us as the co-author with Josh Fruchter of this column. Nancy Roberts Linder is the Principal of Nancy Roberts Linder Consulting, a LaGrange, Illinois-based marketing consulting practice for professional service entities, primarily law firms. A more detailed bio will be featured in a future issue of MLF]

The Big Picture

If a potential client called and asked one of the following questions regarding your firm, how quickly and accurately could you answer?

Does anyone have experience with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act?

What gaming experience does the firm have?How many summary judgment motions have we won in the Eastern District of Texas? Can we handle a cross-border M&A deal involving a power plant in Dubai?

Law firms have historically stored attorney biographies, practice descriptions, case summaries, deal tombstones, client success stories and other facts to answer these questions in disparate locations. Tracking down the information in various spreadsheets, hand-written logs, and Word documents proves difficult, but even harder is disseminating the data that is eventually found. A recent ACC Corporate Counsel survey reports that a lawyer's expertise is the single most important criterion when it comes to choosing new outside counsel. As a result, firms that are unable to quickly prove experience and expertise risk losing business and face competitive disadvantages.

Fortunately, technology is now available to help firms organize experience so that it is easier to know what the firm does, prove the work, and understand where it can grow. But there are key steps that must be executed before implementing such a system, as adding a new technology to the firm can't fix a broken process. It is important to consider various processes ' like client/matter intake or docketing ' and define where information is collected and stored.

It is astounding to discover how many places actually house valuable information-proposals, marketing materials, pitch books, deal lists, case management, docket and financial systems to name a few. And even more astounding are the ways in which experience can be leveraged across the entire firm. For instance, one system can publish a single piece of approved experience to the news section on the firm's Web site, strengthen attorney bios online, contribute to industry mini-sites or blogs, and enhance proposals.

A Proven Success

In 2004, Yolanda Cartusciello, Marketing Director at Debevoise & Plimpton, recognized the potential benefits that an Experience Manager system would provide the firm. One central location to store and manage all of the critical experience data would allow lawyers and support staff easy access to both historical and current case information. Yet there was an immediate challenge of determining the best way to capture the existing data and where to put it. And while there wasn't an instant solution, taking systematic steps with established deadlines throughout the process would eventually lead to a credible tool that is now utilized by lawyers, marketers, finance, and business development. She recently shared a three-step process that can help any firm implement and manage a successful Experience Management system.

Create a System

The first step is collecting relevant data. Whether starting from scratch or with endless spreadsheets containing assorted information, it is important to use what is available and then expand. Although content quality is paramount, initial data might be a bit muddled or incomplete. Search for data in all available sources ' lawyers, other personnel, old files, spreadsheets, public cases, press releases ' and organize it so that it is meaningful, complete, and in one place. Try to integrate with other firm systems, such as time and billing or records, to capture additional data.

For example, the marketing department at Debevoise & Plimpton tapped into information from public cases, several departmental databases, lawyer files, and current deals and then translated into an Excel spreadsheet. Cartusciello commented, “We essentially started from scratch and in 2004 we had 2,000 records in our database. We chose to start with one practice group, in order to ease our burden and ensure we had a methodical process that works.” And while data was being organized, marketing staff members met in person with lawyers to explain the new system, get project buy-in, and fill in missing data. Cartusciello continued, “Face-to-face time ensured questions were answered and realistic expectations were created. And it is amazing to discover the knowledge housed in long-term staff members' heads. Remember that not all data is in writing.”

Manage: Staff, Lawyer Involvement, and Process

Implementing an Experience Management system is more than organizing data in a central location and it is not the job of one individual. There are many moving parts that require assistance from a well-organized team. A Director must decide who will work best with the lawyers, as well as who will continue to manage the solution on a daily basis. Debevoise & Plimpton, with a marketing team of 32, assigned one full-time person to concentrate on the system's maintenance. Additional senior-level staff members are responsible for meeting with lawyers to seek approval on experience entered in the system or request additional information. Remember, quality, reliable data depends on lawyer sign off.

In addition to managing the staff, it is important to manage lawyer involvement. Cartusciello notes, “It is critical to win buy-in from key lawyers BEFORE you start implementing a new system. You're going to need their help, which requires their time ' something we all know is very valuable. And let's face it, the system is useless unless the lawyers use it.”

Yet there are ways to delicately handle this process. First, answer as many questions on your own, before seeking input from a lawyer. Overburdening anyone will only deter people from helping in the future. Oftentimes excellent information can be gathered from public sources, press releases, or by simply accessing internal firm systems and the Internet. Cartusciello shares, “We never ask a lawyer for a client's industry. We don't want to waste any of their time.”

Processes associated with an Experience Management system may evolve over time and must be managed closely. Testing the system often is imperative to ensure any glitches are discovered and fixed before major problems arise. Testing will also help refine processes when necessary, such as making technology enhancements or staffing changes. From where will the information come? Who will review and edit the data? How often will the system be updated? Who will be involved in the approval process? Debevoise & Plimpton currently follows these steps to gather and handle experience content:

• An automatic nightly feed containing all new matters from the client/matter intake process goes directly into the system.
• Matter descriptions written by lawyers or secretaries during the intake process are reviewed and edited by a marketing staff member.
• All matters are immediately marked confidential until “ripe” enough to follow-up.
• When “ripe” for public consumption (enough hours worked or time billed depending on the practice), the team seeks lawyer sign off and client permission.
• Regular matter reports are sent often.

Leverage the System

Once an Experience Management system is in place, opportunities to leverage the information are infinite. Expedite proposals, enhance Web site content, immediately respond to client inquiries, improve seminar content, and strengthen public relations efforts using the comprehensive approved data that is now readily and easily available. Debevoise & Plimpton uses its system for pitch content and other business development-related activities, ROI analysis for pitches, financial reporting, League Table submissions, tracking trends related to support practice management objectives, and staffing queries.

Moving Forward

It is clear that implementing a successful Experience Management system does not happen overnight. There are several considerations, including staffing decisions, lawyer involvement, technology options, process enhancements, other system integrations, and capturing the data. Yet following a well-defined and thorough approach will ensure that the system becomes a credible source of information for the entire firm. And when you consider that one piece of experience can be leveraged to so many different places, the benefits far outweigh the challenges.

Nancy Manzo, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is the Practice Director for Marketing Solutions at Hubbard One, where her consulting team helps law firms use technology to achieve their marketing and business development goals. Phone: 206-633-3624, E-mail: [email protected].

[Editor's Note: With this column, we say goodbye to Nancy Manzo as a regular columnist. Nancy's articles have provided our readership with information on the cutting edge of technology. It's been a real privilege to work with her. Thank you, Nancy, for your contributions to MLF. You will be missed.

Beginning in January, a "new Nancy" ' Nancy Roberts Linder ' will join us as the co-author with Josh Fruchter of this column. Nancy Roberts Linder is the Principal of Nancy Roberts Linder Consulting, a LaGrange, Illinois-based marketing consulting practice for professional service entities, primarily law firms. A more detailed bio will be featured in a future issue of MLF]

The Big Picture

If a potential client called and asked one of the following questions regarding your firm, how quickly and accurately could you answer?

Does anyone have experience with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act?

What gaming experience does the firm have?How many summary judgment motions have we won in the Eastern District of Texas? Can we handle a cross-border M&A deal involving a power plant in Dubai?

Law firms have historically stored attorney biographies, practice descriptions, case summaries, deal tombstones, client success stories and other facts to answer these questions in disparate locations. Tracking down the information in various spreadsheets, hand-written logs, and Word documents proves difficult, but even harder is disseminating the data that is eventually found. A recent ACC Corporate Counsel survey reports that a lawyer's expertise is the single most important criterion when it comes to choosing new outside counsel. As a result, firms that are unable to quickly prove experience and expertise risk losing business and face competitive disadvantages.

Fortunately, technology is now available to help firms organize experience so that it is easier to know what the firm does, prove the work, and understand where it can grow. But there are key steps that must be executed before implementing such a system, as adding a new technology to the firm can't fix a broken process. It is important to consider various processes ' like client/matter intake or docketing ' and define where information is collected and stored.

It is astounding to discover how many places actually house valuable information-proposals, marketing materials, pitch books, deal lists, case management, docket and financial systems to name a few. And even more astounding are the ways in which experience can be leveraged across the entire firm. For instance, one system can publish a single piece of approved experience to the news section on the firm's Web site, strengthen attorney bios online, contribute to industry mini-sites or blogs, and enhance proposals.

A Proven Success

In 2004, Yolanda Cartusciello, Marketing Director at Debevoise & Plimpton, recognized the potential benefits that an Experience Manager system would provide the firm. One central location to store and manage all of the critical experience data would allow lawyers and support staff easy access to both historical and current case information. Yet there was an immediate challenge of determining the best way to capture the existing data and where to put it. And while there wasn't an instant solution, taking systematic steps with established deadlines throughout the process would eventually lead to a credible tool that is now utilized by lawyers, marketers, finance, and business development. She recently shared a three-step process that can help any firm implement and manage a successful Experience Management system.

Create a System

The first step is collecting relevant data. Whether starting from scratch or with endless spreadsheets containing assorted information, it is important to use what is available and then expand. Although content quality is paramount, initial data might be a bit muddled or incomplete. Search for data in all available sources ' lawyers, other personnel, old files, spreadsheets, public cases, press releases ' and organize it so that it is meaningful, complete, and in one place. Try to integrate with other firm systems, such as time and billing or records, to capture additional data.

For example, the marketing department at Debevoise & Plimpton tapped into information from public cases, several departmental databases, lawyer files, and current deals and then translated into an Excel spreadsheet. Cartusciello commented, “We essentially started from scratch and in 2004 we had 2,000 records in our database. We chose to start with one practice group, in order to ease our burden and ensure we had a methodical process that works.” And while data was being organized, marketing staff members met in person with lawyers to explain the new system, get project buy-in, and fill in missing data. Cartusciello continued, “Face-to-face time ensured questions were answered and realistic expectations were created. And it is amazing to discover the knowledge housed in long-term staff members' heads. Remember that not all data is in writing.”

Manage: Staff, Lawyer Involvement, and Process

Implementing an Experience Management system is more than organizing data in a central location and it is not the job of one individual. There are many moving parts that require assistance from a well-organized team. A Director must decide who will work best with the lawyers, as well as who will continue to manage the solution on a daily basis. Debevoise & Plimpton, with a marketing team of 32, assigned one full-time person to concentrate on the system's maintenance. Additional senior-level staff members are responsible for meeting with lawyers to seek approval on experience entered in the system or request additional information. Remember, quality, reliable data depends on lawyer sign off.

In addition to managing the staff, it is important to manage lawyer involvement. Cartusciello notes, “It is critical to win buy-in from key lawyers BEFORE you start implementing a new system. You're going to need their help, which requires their time ' something we all know is very valuable. And let's face it, the system is useless unless the lawyers use it.”

Yet there are ways to delicately handle this process. First, answer as many questions on your own, before seeking input from a lawyer. Overburdening anyone will only deter people from helping in the future. Oftentimes excellent information can be gathered from public sources, press releases, or by simply accessing internal firm systems and the Internet. Cartusciello shares, “We never ask a lawyer for a client's industry. We don't want to waste any of their time.”

Processes associated with an Experience Management system may evolve over time and must be managed closely. Testing the system often is imperative to ensure any glitches are discovered and fixed before major problems arise. Testing will also help refine processes when necessary, such as making technology enhancements or staffing changes. From where will the information come? Who will review and edit the data? How often will the system be updated? Who will be involved in the approval process? Debevoise & Plimpton currently follows these steps to gather and handle experience content:

• An automatic nightly feed containing all new matters from the client/matter intake process goes directly into the system.
• Matter descriptions written by lawyers or secretaries during the intake process are reviewed and edited by a marketing staff member.
• All matters are immediately marked confidential until “ripe” enough to follow-up.
• When “ripe” for public consumption (enough hours worked or time billed depending on the practice), the team seeks lawyer sign off and client permission.
• Regular matter reports are sent often.

Leverage the System

Once an Experience Management system is in place, opportunities to leverage the information are infinite. Expedite proposals, enhance Web site content, immediately respond to client inquiries, improve seminar content, and strengthen public relations efforts using the comprehensive approved data that is now readily and easily available. Debevoise & Plimpton uses its system for pitch content and other business development-related activities, ROI analysis for pitches, financial reporting, League Table submissions, tracking trends related to support practice management objectives, and staffing queries.

Moving Forward

It is clear that implementing a successful Experience Management system does not happen overnight. There are several considerations, including staffing decisions, lawyer involvement, technology options, process enhancements, other system integrations, and capturing the data. Yet following a well-defined and thorough approach will ensure that the system becomes a credible source of information for the entire firm. And when you consider that one piece of experience can be leveraged to so many different places, the benefits far outweigh the challenges.

Nancy Manzo, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is the Practice Director for Marketing Solutions at Hubbard One, where her consulting team helps law firms use technology to achieve their marketing and business development goals. Phone: 206-633-3624, E-mail: [email protected].