Getting Users to Adopt New Productivity Tools

Inertia is a powerful force. While early adopters are eager for the next new technology that can help them do their work better, others have varying degrees of technophobia and are reluctant to give up the comfortable and familiar ways of doing things.

Getting people to adopt productivity-enhancing technology tools requires a thoughtful, meticulous approach. It's not just a matter of installing a tool on everyone's desktop and then hoping for the best.

At Baltimore's Goodell, DeVries, Leech & Dann, I am responsible for installing litigation support software, adding users, populating cases into the system and teaching users. But my job doesn't end at installing and maintaining the application ' a big part of my responsibility involves finding ways to encourage people to fully utilize the applications that we deploy.

The issue is an important one. Our firm has invested significant resources in implementing what we believe are beneficial tools, and it is essential that we derive as much return on investment as possible.

A good example is a case analysis tool that we recently implemented ' West Case Notebook. Three attorneys first used it on various cases on a trial basis. After three months, they concluded that it had a lot of positives and was very useful for organizing and accessing case materials. There was really only one potential negative: Could we get people to use it?

Partner Up

The strategy was to introduce the new application to each practice group by starting with a few partners; the product liability, asbestos litigation and medical malpractice partners. That approach made a lot of sense. The practice leaders have a stake in making sure their groups are as efficient and productive as possible. In addition, they would lead by example, and others in the group would be able to see the benefits of the tool firsthand.

It Takes Time

Patience is key. It took about six months after we rolled out Case Notebook to its initial users before others really started taking to it in significant numbers.

Sure, you can mandate use of a new tool ' just put it in front of everybody and tell them they have to use it. But that's probably not going to be the best way to spur end-user adoption. Rather than force it upon them, you want to lead people to the tool and do whatever it takes to help them realize how it will help their work. New tools take time to learn, and you want people who are motivated to learn how to get the most out of a tool and understand how they can best incorporate it into their own workflow. Everyone has his or her own unique work style, so people may not always see right away how a new tool fits in with their particular way of getting things done.

Understand Roles and Workflows

Attorneys and paralegals have different responsibilities in preparing cases, and they may not use a tool in the same way. For example, some attorneys may be more focused on the ability to annotate, issue code and assign key facts to case documents. Paralegals are more concerned with reviewing transcripts and marking them up after the attorneys set up the issue codes. Different users will derive different benefits from the tool. Some users love the speed and efficiency with which they can find and search documents. Others see the key benefit in terms of more thorough case analysis ' knowing that all relevant documents and legal research are being incorporated.

Leverage the Remote Office Trend

Attorneys are increasingly looking for ways to work more flexibly while out of the office or traveling. Take advantage of that desire to work remotely when introducing new technologies. One partner wanted all of his case documents stored on his laptop so that he could work on them whether he was online or off. He decided to store the files in his profile so that they would be backed up when he reconnected with the network. The problem was that his profile eventually became so large that it was taking him forever to log on to the system, and he would often get error messages when trying to access the files.

When he came to the tech department for help, I showed him the case analysis tool and how he could replicate the case even when he was offline. Now he's a happy user of the tool and can access all the cases when working away from the office.

Show and Tell

Look for opportunities to introduce attorneys and paralegals to the right tools. I was in a meeting with an attorney and he said he had to go back to his office to look up a specific section of a specific transcript. So while we were still in the meeting, I pulled out Case Notebook. I had the case in front of me in about two seconds, did a search for what the attorney was looking for, and pulled the relevant lines from the transcript. He looked at it and said: “Oh, that's exactly what I'm looking for!”

Look for those “aha!” moments where you can show something specific about how the tool enables them to do their jobs more efficiently.

Use Vendor Support

When someone starts using a new tool for the first time, it doesn't always go smoothly. Even after training, the person may have difficulty performing a particular task or might not understand the interface and where a particular function is. Don't be afraid to go back to the vendor and leverage its support teams ' that's why they are there. As well as you may understand a product, someone at the vendor understands it better and has likely gone through whatever temporary difficulty you're experiencing and can address it.

Don't Oversell It

There are many technologies that are advantageous if used properly. But every technology isn't right for every task or for every individual. One of our partners likes to say: “There's never one thing that's the be-all and end-all answer.”

The key is finding those technologies that provide real benefits, address people's needs and are relatively user-friendly. Even then, implementing the tool is only the beginning. No tool is helpful if no one uses it. The key is finding ways to encourage people to learn about the tool and incorporate it into their work.

We've reached the point where each week, one or two people are asking me to install Case Notebook for them. By guiding people toward the tool and showing them how it solves their particular issues rather than forcing it upon them, it motivates them to learn how to get the most from an application, increasing the likelihood that their initial experience will be positive. So far, using this approach, everyone for whom I've installed the tool seems happy with it.

Don't underestimate the power of word of mouth. If a tool is truly helpful, people will get excited about it and begin evangelizing it within the organization.

We're not completely there yet. We want even more people to start using the tool and maximize use of its collaborative elements to facilitate greater teamwork. But by laying the right groundwork, we have the momentum ' and it is building every day.

Inertia is a powerful force. While early adopters are eager for the next new technology that can help them do their work better, others have varying degrees of technophobia and are reluctant to give up the comfortable and familiar ways of doing things.

Getting people to adopt productivity-enhancing technology tools requires a thoughtful, meticulous approach. It's not just a matter of installing a tool on everyone's desktop and then hoping for the best.

At Baltimore's Goodell, DeVries, Leech & Dann, I am responsible for installing litigation support software, adding users, populating cases into the system and teaching users. But my job doesn't end at installing and maintaining the application ' a big part of my responsibility involves finding ways to encourage people to fully utilize the applications that we deploy.

The issue is an important one. Our firm has invested significant resources in implementing what we believe are beneficial tools, and it is essential that we derive as much return on investment as possible.

A good example is a case analysis tool that we recently implemented ' West Case Notebook. Three attorneys first used it on various cases on a trial basis. After three months, they concluded that it had a lot of positives and was very useful for organizing and accessing case materials. There was really only one potential negative: Could we get people to use it?

Partner Up

The strategy was to introduce the new application to each practice group by starting with a few partners; the product liability, asbestos litigation and medical malpractice partners. That approach made a lot of sense. The practice leaders have a stake in making sure their groups are as efficient and productive as possible. In addition, they would lead by example, and others in the group would be able to see the benefits of the tool firsthand.

It Takes Time

Patience is key. It took about six months after we rolled out Case Notebook to its initial users before others really started taking to it in significant numbers.

Sure, you can mandate use of a new tool ' just put it in front of everybody and tell them they have to use it. But that's probably not going to be the best way to spur end-user adoption. Rather than force it upon them, you want to lead people to the tool and do whatever it takes to help them realize how it will help their work. New tools take time to learn, and you want people who are motivated to learn how to get the most out of a tool and understand how they can best incorporate it into their own workflow. Everyone has his or her own unique work style, so people may not always see right away how a new tool fits in with their particular way of getting things done.

Understand Roles and Workflows

Attorneys and paralegals have different responsibilities in preparing cases, and they may not use a tool in the same way. For example, some attorneys may be more focused on the ability to annotate, issue code and assign key facts to case documents. Paralegals are more concerned with reviewing transcripts and marking them up after the attorneys set up the issue codes. Different users will derive different benefits from the tool. Some users love the speed and efficiency with which they can find and search documents. Others see the key benefit in terms of more thorough case analysis ' knowing that all relevant documents and legal research are being incorporated.

Leverage the Remote Office Trend

Attorneys are increasingly looking for ways to work more flexibly while out of the office or traveling. Take advantage of that desire to work remotely when introducing new technologies. One partner wanted all of his case documents stored on his laptop so that he could work on them whether he was online or off. He decided to store the files in his profile so that they would be backed up when he reconnected with the network. The problem was that his profile eventually became so large that it was taking him forever to log on to the system, and he would often get error messages when trying to access the files.

When he came to the tech department for help, I showed him the case analysis tool and how he could replicate the case even when he was offline. Now he's a happy user of the tool and can access all the cases when working away from the office.

Show and Tell

Look for opportunities to introduce attorneys and paralegals to the right tools. I was in a meeting with an attorney and he said he had to go back to his office to look up a specific section of a specific transcript. So while we were still in the meeting, I pulled out Case Notebook. I had the case in front of me in about two seconds, did a search for what the attorney was looking for, and pulled the relevant lines from the transcript. He looked at it and said: “Oh, that's exactly what I'm looking for!”

Look for those “aha!” moments where you can show something specific about how the tool enables them to do their jobs more efficiently.

Use Vendor Support

When someone starts using a new tool for the first time, it doesn't always go smoothly. Even after training, the person may have difficulty performing a particular task or might not understand the interface and where a particular function is. Don't be afraid to go back to the vendor and leverage its support teams ' that's why they are there. As well as you may understand a product, someone at the vendor understands it better and has likely gone through whatever temporary difficulty you're experiencing and can address it.

Don't Oversell It

There are many technologies that are advantageous if used properly. But every technology isn't right for every task or for every individual. One of our partners likes to say: “There's never one thing that's the be-all and end-all answer.”

The key is finding those technologies that provide real benefits, address people's needs and are relatively user-friendly. Even then, implementing the tool is only the beginning. No tool is helpful if no one uses it. The key is finding ways to encourage people to learn about the tool and incorporate it into their work.

We've reached the point where each week, one or two people are asking me to install Case Notebook for them. By guiding people toward the tool and showing them how it solves their particular issues rather than forcing it upon them, it motivates them to learn how to get the most from an application, increasing the likelihood that their initial experience will be positive. So far, using this approach, everyone for whom I've installed the tool seems happy with it.

Don't underestimate the power of word of mouth. If a tool is truly helpful, people will get excited about it and begin evangelizing it within the organization.

We're not completely there yet. We want even more people to start using the tool and maximize use of its collaborative elements to facilitate greater teamwork. But by laying the right groundwork, we have the momentum ' and it is building every day.