We sometimes talk about technology in an impersonal way (yes, we’re looking at you, automation!), but technology is highly personal. This is especially true in the legal profession when you’re interacting with a given technology on a near-constant basis.
The truth is that if you want your technology to work, it needs to be endorsed by the very people who will be using it. One of the biggest reasons we see tech problems hindering law firm growth is because their attorneys and staff are resistant to using it or are using it incorrectly.
Minimize Tech Problems by Getting Employee Buy-In Early
When you’re turning to technology to streamline your operations and improve your productivity, it’s essential that you get your team involved right away. That means even as you’re brainstorming and collaborating on building the new processes.
For many attorneys, especially those in smaller firms, they’ve become highly adept and efficient at managing their own workflow. While individualized processes may work surprisingly well for this one person, it may not be what’s best for the firm.
This reason alone, however, is not a good enough justification for changing processes. Your “why” needs to be specific, upfront and repetitive.
For example, if the new process is slower but means that attorneys can now take vacations because the data is in the system, that’s a message worth shouting from rooftops. Whatever change you implement will come with numerous benefits, but to make the change stick, you need to tout those selling points loudly, clearly and frequently to motivate attorneys to change.
Pave the Way for a Smooth Transition
No one likes to have the rug pulled out from under them. Attorneys who have been following the same processes for years (whether begrudgingly or not) may be especially unhappy about an unannounced or unwelcomed change to processes.
You can help facilitate a smooth transition to a new system when you connect your attorneys with IT as the tools are being customized, rather than waiting until you have a solution ready to roll out.
For more suggestions on how to encourage your attorneys to implement a process change, be sure to read this post. Good communication and helping them understand the “why” for any change is important if you want the change to be sustainable and successful.
To get started with a new automated process or to ask questions about your current law tech solutions, contact us at Honeycrisp today.
