IT Strategies to Make Firms More Efficient and Competitive

The genesis of the Information Technology Department was fairly simple in its purpose: Find one of a few available applications to meet a need, get it installed, and support it. IT had never really been viewed as a profit center, only as necessary overhead. In the many years that IT has been fulfilling that role, we've seen an explosion of software and hardware choices to meet all of our daily needs. We're no longer looking at just the core apps as in the days of old, e.g., word processing, spreadsheets, human resources and sales databases. Now, you name the need and chances are good that there is an application out there to meet that need. With this comes a lot of investment: research, trial periods for testing, hardware, software, added personnel, training and consultants to name just a few.

Training and the IT Staff

Importance

As mentioned earlier, great expense has gone into the technology you've purchased. What a fiscal waste to use only a small portion of those capabilities. Someone needs to discover those things the product is said to provide. Not only that, but the information needs to be documented and shared with others in the department. In addition to getting the best bang for your buck, the really good IT people want to learn new technology. As your staff grows in knowledge and confidence, they become more firmly rooted in your department.

ROI

It has always been tough to quantify the return on investment for training. A few things to look for are: 1) fewer Help Desk calls for technical support; 2) fewer complaints from attorneys and staff; 3) noticeably higher morale; and 4) reduction in IT staff turnover.

Soft Skills

Some people may disagree, but a law firm has a very different culture than that of a government agency or corporation. It's crucial that the IT staff understand the urgency of certain matters from a legal workflow viewpoint. Working with an attorney or legal assistant who is under stress should be handled calmly. That said, a mutual respect policy needs to be enforced so that your staff doesn't feel abused either.

Training Resources

Make room in your budget to offer your staff the necessary training. This can take the form of sending them to class, bringing in an instructor, purchasing training videos, books and more.

Perceived Cost and Downtime

It's not just a perception, it's a reality. However if you look closely, you will see that there are indeed times when support calls and projects ease up because of attorney or staff activities, summer vacations, days close to holidays, etc. These are prime times to offer your IT staff training opportunities. As for the cost? Well, just keep in mind how much you've spent on the technology, and don't let that go to waste by not having your staff fully utilize and troubleshoot the features.

A Solid IT Department

As management, you need to be critically aware of how your IT department is running (I'm not talking about micro'managing), what may be causing turnover, and also not be afraid to address the issues that arise.

Kudos

Don't forget to reward the high performers. Money isn't always the driving force here, particularly when it's common knowledge that some firms are struggling financially. Simple recognition and expanded opportunities for a job well done can go a long way in solidifying your IT department.

Dead Weight

If you can't fix it, get rid of it. Easier said than done? Maybe, but your department, budget and the services rendered will all suffer under the weight of it. Yes, I'm talking about people.

Clear and fair goals need to be set and flexible. Issues must be addressed immediately, teamwork must be made an expectation, reviews handled professionally and timely, good attendance stressed, competitive benefits and opportunities need to be provided. If you're doing all of these and your IT person is still not performing, then something needs to be done. Try talking to that person; coach, mentor and train. Throughout this process, these approaches need to be documented. Dead weight can crush those who are performing up to par and beyond. Too many good people burn out or move on because they've carried the extra weight for too long.

Expectations from Those in Need of Support

An extremely frustrating scenario for an IT support person is to be told the issue is critically important, but there is no time to fix it. Problems can't be evaluated and solved with a twitch of the nose or a blink of the eyes. Please let your support person sit at your computer, ask questions, evaluate the issue and propose a resolution. There is no magic bullet here.

Goals

Goals set for IT individuals should be driven by ' and aligned with ' the firm's business goals. And of course, the firms goals are driven by the needs of the client.

Alternative Thinking

We're seeing trends now where law firms are looking at ways to not only cut costs, but to possibly show a profit with their IT investments. While it sounds well and good, a lot of thought and research needs to be explored prior to overhauling your IT department.

Outsourcing Support

Depending upon the size of your firm it may be beneficial to outsource your IT needs to a vendor. This mostly falls in the category of small firms. (Small can be relative, but from what I've heard from IT professionals, we're talking anything under 10 practitioners.) A good vendor will have the resources to provide you with multiple levels of support and expertise, often 24/7. The downside here is that the support contacts may not be familiar with your firm culture, able to give desk-side support, or understand legal documents and the need for expediency. Expectations need to be firmly established, with contacts on both sides making sure to communicate before a potential situation can arise.

Hire Out Your Own IT Support Resources

I've seen it done on rare occasions and have not been a fan. A few reasons against this are: 1) IT needs to focus on a law firm's core business ' providing legal, not IT, services; 2) Which “fire” needs to be put out first? Your own or those who are paying you to provide support?; and 3) Ethical and legal conflicts are bound to rear their ugly heads when documents, and other matter-related projects, come across the IT desk for a technical solution.

Conclusion

To run efficiently and cost effectively, your IT department must understand your clients' needs, then it can look into the software and hardware resources to meet those needs. A healthy, well-educated IT staff can offer more to your firm's bottom line than you may have initially imagined.

The genesis of the Information Technology Department was fairly simple in its purpose: Find one of a few available applications to meet a need, get it installed, and support it. IT had never really been viewed as a profit center, only as necessary overhead. In the many years that IT has been fulfilling that role, we've seen an explosion of software and hardware choices to meet all of our daily needs. We're no longer looking at just the core apps as in the days of old, e.g., word processing, spreadsheets, human resources and sales databases. Now, you name the need and chances are good that there is an application out there to meet that need. With this comes a lot of investment: research, trial periods for testing, hardware, software, added personnel, training and consultants to name just a few.

Training and the IT Staff

Importance

As mentioned earlier, great expense has gone into the technology you've purchased. What a fiscal waste to use only a small portion of those capabilities. Someone needs to discover those things the product is said to provide. Not only that, but the information needs to be documented and shared with others in the department. In addition to getting the best bang for your buck, the really good IT people want to learn new technology. As your staff grows in knowledge and confidence, they become more firmly rooted in your department.

ROI

It has always been tough to quantify the return on investment for training. A few things to look for are: 1) fewer Help Desk calls for technical support; 2) fewer complaints from attorneys and staff; 3) noticeably higher morale; and 4) reduction in IT staff turnover.

Soft Skills

Some people may disagree, but a law firm has a very different culture than that of a government agency or corporation. It's crucial that the IT staff understand the urgency of certain matters from a legal workflow viewpoint. Working with an attorney or legal assistant who is under stress should be handled calmly. That said, a mutual respect policy needs to be enforced so that your staff doesn't feel abused either.

Training Resources

Make room in your budget to offer your staff the necessary training. This can take the form of sending them to class, bringing in an instructor, purchasing training videos, books and more.

Perceived Cost and Downtime

It's not just a perception, it's a reality. However if you look closely, you will see that there are indeed times when support calls and projects ease up because of attorney or staff activities, summer vacations, days close to holidays, etc. These are prime times to offer your IT staff training opportunities. As for the cost? Well, just keep in mind how much you've spent on the technology, and don't let that go to waste by not having your staff fully utilize and troubleshoot the features.

A Solid IT Department

As management, you need to be critically aware of how your IT department is running (I'm not talking about micro'managing), what may be causing turnover, and also not be afraid to address the issues that arise.

Kudos

Don't forget to reward the high performers. Money isn't always the driving force here, particularly when it's common knowledge that some firms are struggling financially. Simple recognition and expanded opportunities for a job well done can go a long way in solidifying your IT department.

Dead Weight

If you can't fix it, get rid of it. Easier said than done? Maybe, but your department, budget and the services rendered will all suffer under the weight of it. Yes, I'm talking about people.

Clear and fair goals need to be set and flexible. Issues must be addressed immediately, teamwork must be made an expectation, reviews handled professionally and timely, good attendance stressed, competitive benefits and opportunities need to be provided. If you're doing all of these and your IT person is still not performing, then something needs to be done. Try talking to that person; coach, mentor and train. Throughout this process, these approaches need to be documented. Dead weight can crush those who are performing up to par and beyond. Too many good people burn out or move on because they've carried the extra weight for too long.

Expectations from Those in Need of Support

An extremely frustrating scenario for an IT support person is to be told the issue is critically important, but there is no time to fix it. Problems can't be evaluated and solved with a twitch of the nose or a blink of the eyes. Please let your support person sit at your computer, ask questions, evaluate the issue and propose a resolution. There is no magic bullet here.

Goals

Goals set for IT individuals should be driven by ' and aligned with ' the firm's business goals. And of course, the firms goals are driven by the needs of the client.

Alternative Thinking

We're seeing trends now where law firms are looking at ways to not only cut costs, but to possibly show a profit with their IT investments. While it sounds well and good, a lot of thought and research needs to be explored prior to overhauling your IT department.

Outsourcing Support

Depending upon the size of your firm it may be beneficial to outsource your IT needs to a vendor. This mostly falls in the category of small firms. (Small can be relative, but from what I've heard from IT professionals, we're talking anything under 10 practitioners.) A good vendor will have the resources to provide you with multiple levels of support and expertise, often 24/7. The downside here is that the support contacts may not be familiar with your firm culture, able to give desk-side support, or understand legal documents and the need for expediency. Expectations need to be firmly established, with contacts on both sides making sure to communicate before a potential situation can arise.

Hire Out Your Own IT Support Resources

I've seen it done on rare occasions and have not been a fan. A few reasons against this are: 1) IT needs to focus on a law firm's core business ' providing legal, not IT, services; 2) Which “fire” needs to be put out first? Your own or those who are paying you to provide support?; and 3) Ethical and legal conflicts are bound to rear their ugly heads when documents, and other matter-related projects, come across the IT desk for a technical solution.

Conclusion

To run efficiently and cost effectively, your IT department must understand your clients' needs, then it can look into the software and hardware resources to meet those needs. A healthy, well-educated IT staff can offer more to your firm's bottom line than you may have initially imagined.