Legal CRM Strategy Corner

Think Pink at ALA

Posted by Jorge Sandrini

Will you be at the ALA Conference in New Orleans? If so, Client Profiles invites you to relax and have fun with us while supporting a worthy cause.

The ALA Conference ENCORE Reception will be held on Tuesday, May 19 in the Exhibit Hall, and Client Profiles will once again be asking ALA members to "Think Pink" and help us support the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation to fight Breast Cancer. Please stop by the Client Profiles Pink Lemonade Stand at booth #741 for complimentary treats or to make a small donation for Breast Cancer research and awareness. Last year's event was an enormous success, with hundreds of ALA members stopping by to say hello, chat with the Client Profiles team and pick up a pink ribbon pin.

With your help and generosity, and with a pledge to match donations by Client Profiles CEO Whit McIsaac, we hope to raise even more than last year's successful amount of $1,200. This year's cash total will once again be donated directly to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

An Economic Stimulus Program for Legal Marketers

Client Profiles has announced the CRM4Legal "Economic Stimulus Act" which allows law firms to acquire CRM4Legal at no cost for the first five user licenses. The program offers law firms the best possible way to begin implementing CRM within their firm, free of the financial risk associated with some law firm technology initiatives. Read the press release by clicking here.

To take part in the CRM4Legal Economic Stimulus Program, please contact Michael White at mwhite@clientprofiles.com. For additional information about CRM4Legal please visit www.CRM4Legal.com.

Focus on Change, Now What? A Perfect Storm…

Posted by Michael
Jennifer Manton refers to the theme of Change at this year’s LMA Annual National Conference and the compelling events facing law firms today as the “Perfect Storm.” Change is something we hear a lot about these days, for better or worse.  In a law firm, like any organization, change is inevitable. Sometimes change is unwelcome, thrust upon you unexpectedly -- sudden changes in financial commitment and “belt-tightening”,  the loss of a client, the firm asking you to do more with less, or a near collapse of the financial markets and global banking systems. Other times you seek it out, hoping that when you emerge from the process you, or your organization, are better for it (or at the very least not looking frantically for the undo command).

We firmly believe the changes to the current legal environment and firm structure does in fact create the Perfect Storm and will ultimately position well-managed and focused law firms to come out of this time stronger than ever before.  However, in order to do so, firms must ride this tide to an end goal of maximizing current resources in a strategic manner, based on clear tactics supported by Firm Strategy.

In legal marketing, one thing is certain. Changing the way a firm develops business in a more strategic manner is Change -- with a capital C.  Not developmental change, the sort that every company engages in to some degree in order to remain competitive. I’m talking about real transformational change, the kind that fundamentally alters the day-to-day processes of your business.

If done right, transformational change can produce wonderfully positive results for an organization looking to move beyond simply remaining competitive. The right CRM system, supported by Firm Strategy, implemented with industry-proven best practices in mind, can unlock a veritable treasure chest of new business opportunities for a law firm serious about advancing towards an integrated approach to attracting, attaining and retaining new clients and institutional loyal clients.

Of course, change is almost never easy. Once you have gotten past the hurdle of strategic Firm support and you have made a compelling business case a CRM system is exactly the type of transformational change your organization needs to support the effort . . . NOW WHAT?  How do you go about selecting a system that ensures success over the long run and ushers in a new era of change -- the GOOD kind – that brings with it maximized revenue and profitability?

You can start by helping to ensure that the system you select addresses what is fundamentally the most serious roadblock to the success of CRM implementation projects today -- user adoption. Without it the system will fail, along with all hopes and aspirations of directing your organization’s business development processes toward the next level.  This incremental approach will be critical to your success (See our discussion on an Incremental Approach to CRM Success…)

The following 5 guidelines present an outline of what to look for when selecting the right CRM system for your firm, one that makes it as easy as possible for ALL users in the firm to become permanently engaged in the process, the most vital prerequisite for CRM success.  

1) Customizable for different types of users (by Firm):
a. If you review our client base, we have firms of all sizes and each with a different underlying core reason for CRM, from the basic “blocking and tackling” of list management and data quality to the most strategic use of the application to manage top clients and strategic growth areas.
b. This also extends to configuring the application to be compelling to a broad and diverse user group by practice and user type, answering the proverbial “What about Me” question…

2) System Functionality:  Everything you read, hear from your peers and have learned from previous CRM initiative failures is that if a CRM product is not an extension of Outlook as the core User Interface, you will not get buy-in from the users. Believe it, this is the primary reason for our success.  We do it better than any other application, because WE ARE OUTLOOK…

3) Data migration & Data Management capabilities:  As stated many times in the past, without quality data, the finest application will not be accepted by the users. Without data quality, there will be a lack of confidence and lawyers will reject the system. A fine balance of change reporting and oversight is required.  Most importantly, data quality must be driven by the necessity for there to be a single shared source of the truth.

4) Ability to merge with existing workflow:  Our competitors have attempted to change the way lawyers and secretaries work with their applications and have failed.  For a CRM system to be used and accepted, it must evolve to meet the current work patterns and access/interface the users know and are accustomed to working in.  If you take the approach that users will change their behavior and work patterns for the good of the firm, you are sorely mistaken.

5) Future potential for development of the software:  Of equal importance is the ability to grow and evolve a CRM applications use without the need to buy additional modules, or develop new functionality.  The application must be built on an open and integrated Microsoft product platform in order to future proof the firm’s investment now and well into the future. 

Final Words…
Stay the course as you navigate this tumultuous time. Firms that do will come out stronger than ever and clearly distance themselves from their competitors. If we learn from what is going on in the financial markets and other down industries, their investments are in efficiency (technology) and tools to enhance customer satisfaction and effectiveness (CRM and Digital Marketing.)  Set a clear strategy, learn from other industries and focus on Revenue Growth. If the task you are doing does not drive the ability to support revenue generation, leave it in your stack of to-do’s…

How to achieve more in the current economic climate

Posted by David

The one question that is consistently being asked by our customers is, “How can Client Profiles help our law firm save money?” Well, the depth and breadth of our products and solution offerings is a huge asset, especially in times like these. We have many solutions that can save law firms money, and we are being more proactive in sharing these cost-saving ideas with our customers.

 

CRM4Legal helps law firms capture and keep track of the pulse of their clients. Having a keen understanding of the mood of the client is important in economic downturns when law firms are especially vulnerable to client churn.

 

Winning new clients in a tough economy is challenging. For those law firms with an eye on success, as opposed to mere survival, this is an ideal time to implement a CRM solution that can deliver client insight quickly, and offer value for the long haul. End users of these solutions are more motivated than ever to learn how to use them, and incorporate them in their daily work routines. Depending on which CRM system is selected, law firms can also achieve cost savings.

 

And when the economy does get back on the rails, law firms that have made investments targeted at managing their client relationships effectively will be the first to take advantage of growth opportunities.

 

In challenging economic times, law firms do not have the balance sheets to justify lengthy and capital intensive CRM system implementations. With CRM4Legal, law firms can quickly and affordably roll out a CRM solution. CRM4Legal provides all the functionality required by law firms to more effectively manage their clients at a predictable cost, on a per-user, per-month basis through Microsoft Financing.

 

Here are the top five value propositions on how CRM4Legal can help your law firm make and save money:

 

Retain clients and revenues

Let’s face it—law firms are especially vulnerable to client churn in a tough economy, which is precisely when they can least afford it. Microsoft CRM4Legal can help ensure that clients stay loyal, and that the firm keeps the revenue they provide flowing in.

 

CRM4Legal:

 

·         Streamlines the management of client relationships.

·         Enables rapid analysis and response to client inquiries.

·         Connects practice management data to improve the client experience.

·         Builds sustained relationships and new opportunities.

·         Drives client satisfaction and retention.

·         Answers the key questions of: who are our clients, what do we do for them, how can we do more.

Increase operational efficiency

Microsoft CRM4Legal can eliminate duplicate data entry, improve demand forecast accuracy and timeliness, and deliver an enhanced client service experience at a lower cost.

 

CRM4Legal:

 

·         Eliminates contact-data re-entry due to integration with Microsoft Outlook.

·         Can be adopted rapidly across a national or international network of offices.

·         Tracks and manages client opportunities and relationships.

·         Gives users visibility into data needed to gain more accurate demand forecasting.

·         Improves performance and cost-effectiveness.

·         Enables rapid response and closure to client inquiries.

Increase law firm staff productivity

With a centralised location for all client data, reliable and instant access to that data, and automated workflows replacing manual processes, Microsoft CRM4Legal improves office and court room productivity alike, as well as reduce overhead.

 

CRM4Legal:

 

·         Centralises client data for easy, reliable access.

·         Offers workflows to eliminate manual, inefficient processes.

·         Improves remote and mobile access and reduces overhead.

Eliminate unnecessary marketing spend

Continued marketing is especially vital in a tough economy, but it is equally important that it be targeted, and that the full marketing value of the Internet is harnessed. Nothing achieves this like Microsoft CRM4Legal.

 

CRM4Legal:

 

·         Allows marketers to create targeted lists and integrate campaigns and client events with practice groups and individual law firm partners.

·         Enables automation via online marketing programs, event registrations, newsletter subscription and statistical analysis – emails opened, click throughs, bounce backs etc.

Leverage existing IT investment/fits with your systems

Tight integration between Microsoft CRM4Legal and other familiar Microsoft tools, such as Microsoft Office, drives seamless interactions with existing applications and helps law firms avoid significant ongoing costs.

 

CRM4Legal:

 

·         Works the way your current technology works, so it fits easily into your existing systems, helping to maximise your current investments in Microsoft technology. The result is greater ROI.

·         Simplifies access to data due to tight integration with a broader suite of familiar Microsoft tools, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office Communications Server and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server.

After more than two decades of arming its law firm customers with a competitive advantage, Client Profiles has established itself as one of the leading Microsoft consultancies worldwide.

From aligning law firms’ business and IT strategies and improving business processes to deploying and supporting solutions that accelerate business results, no other technology partner offers more comprehensive information technology solutions and services than Client Profiles. Last year alone saw CRM4Legal selected by law firms in 15 cities and 4 countries, totalling over 7,000 seats, including 2,000 seats in Europe.  Law firms around the world are turning to Client Profiles for strategic legal business solutions and consulting services.  Visit www.CRM4Legal.com to view our case studies and learn how to achieve more in the current economic climate.

Focus 2009: Year of the Client - get ahead with new CRM initiatives

Written by Candice Hill, Business Development Manager, Altair Computer Systems, New Zealand

This is an ideal time, while there are fewer projects on the go, for staff to prioritise scoping, implementation, training and roll-out of new client care initiatives.

If staff have less billable work output, and you are still paying base salaries (for support staff – full salaries, regardless of utilisation), then maximise this time to gather as much accurate information as possible on clients and prospects, update marketing lists, verify contact details/Christmas card lists, etc.   

Implementing a system like CRM4Legal will provide the repository for all of this information to be centrally stored.  I know of a large multi-national company that did this in a quiet time in the past and they had their staff busy finding out information such as spouse name, children’s names, birthdays, etc to put into their CRM system.

When things are busy again, will you be too busy to implement new client management systems?  Think of rollout, training, etc.   Will not being able to implement get you further and further away from your client management and maximising revenue goals? 

You can use CRM4Legal to help you create relationships that aren’t based on the immediate selling of your services, but when things pick up again, it will be your firm that has established strong relationships and a rich, accurate database to springboard from (it’s all about the long term view, but using this time to intelligently gear up for the inevitable good times when they roll on back).

When things are moving again, will you need to employ new lawyers to grow your firm?  Will CRM4Legal assist you in attracting good fee earners?  Will they see having CRM4Legal as an advantage to their own “practice within a practice”?  If you don’t have it, will other firms that have more robust CRM systems be of more interest to them?  CRM4Legal will need to be in place when things pick up in order to take advantage of this.

Are your major competitors taking the conservative road and putting all projects on hold?  If so, is this an ideal time to get ahead?  This benefit may not just be felt now, but for a significant time into the next growth period.

On the other hand – are your competitors using this time to quietly gear up themselves?  Can you afford not to be? 

CRM4Legal is all about finding out who your clients are, what you do for them, and how you can do more.  During these quieter times, this couldn’t be more important.  While most of the ideas addressed here focus on using this quiet time to gear up for when things are better, it shouldn’t be forgotten that the system will also help you right now.  It will help you retain clients, cross-sell a broader range of services, maximise earnings from clients, and secure new clients.

Even the most negative recession analysts say that the economic downturn will last approximately two years, nearly one year of which has already passed.  If we were to start a project in three months’ time, with a 6 month finance holiday, things should be almost turning around by the time the first monthly payment is due on the system.  However, the system will be all ready to go, the database will be clean and accurate, and the staff all trained in order to take advantage of the upturn in business.  On this basis, it may be possible to start this project much sooner than you otherwise think, even if all new projects are on hold, based on a decision to limit capital expenditure.  That is, it may be nearly a year before any expenditure is necessary.  Conversely, if we were to wait until the next growth period before even beginning to evaluate new CRM tools, then there may be a year, or even more, of the new growth period without the benefit of having CRM4Legal.

How to achieve more in the current economic climate

Posted by David

The one question that is consistently being asked by our customers is, “How can Client Profiles help our law firm save money?” Well, the depth and breadth of our products and solution offerings is a huge asset, especially in times like these. We have many solutions that can save law firms money, and we are being more proactive in sharing these cost-saving ideas with our customers.

 

CRM4Legal helps law firms capture and keep track of the pulse of their clients. Having a keen understanding of the mood of the client is important in economic downturns when law firms are especially vulnerable to client churn.

 

Winning new clients in a tough economy is challenging. For those law firms with an eye on success, as opposed to mere survival, this is an ideal time to implement a CRM solution that can deliver client insight quickly, and offer value for the long haul. End users of these solutions are more motivated than ever to learn how to use them, and incorporate them in their daily work routines. Depending on which CRM system is selected, law firms can also achieve cost savings.

 

And when the economy does get back on the rails, law firms that have made investments targeted at managing their client relationships effectively will be the first to take advantage of growth opportunities.

 

In challenging economic times, law firms do not have the balance sheets to justify lengthy and capital intensive CRM system implementations. With CRM4Legal, law firms can quickly and affordably roll out a CRM solution. CRM4Legal provides all the functionality required by law firms to more effectively manage their clients at a predictable cost, on a per-user, per-month basis through Microsoft Financing.

 

Here are the top five value propositions on how CRM4Legal can help your law firm make and save money:

 

Retain clients and revenues

Let’s face it—law firms are especially vulnerable to client churn in a tough economy, which is precisely when they can least afford it. Microsoft CRM4Legal can help ensure that clients stay loyal, and that the firm keeps the revenue they provide flowing in.

 

CRM4Legal:

 

·         Streamlines the management of client relationships.

·         Enables rapid analysis and response to client inquiries.

·         Connects practice management data to improve the client experience.

·         Builds sustained relationships and new opportunities.

·         Drives client satisfaction and retention.

·         Answers the key questions of: who are our clients, what do we do for them, how can we do more.

Increase operational efficiency

Microsoft CRM4Legal can eliminate duplicate data entry, improve demand forecast accuracy and timeliness, and deliver an enhanced client service experience at a lower cost.

 

CRM4Legal:

 

·         Eliminates contact-data re-entry due to integration with Microsoft Outlook.

·         Can be adopted rapidly across a national or international network of offices.

·         Tracks and manages client opportunities and relationships.

·         Gives users visibility into data needed to gain more accurate demand forecasting.

·         Improves performance and cost-effectiveness.

·         Enables rapid response and closure to client inquiries.

Increase law firm staff productivity

With a centralised location for all client data, reliable and instant access to that data, and automated workflows replacing manual processes, Microsoft CRM4Legal improves office and court room productivity alike, as well as reduce overhead.

 

CRM4Legal:

 

·         Centralises client data for easy, reliable access.

·         Offers workflows to eliminate manual, inefficient processes.

·         Improves remote and mobile access and reduces overhead.

Eliminate unnecessary marketing spend

Continued marketing is especially vital in a tough economy, but it is equally important that it be targeted, and that the full marketing value of the Internet is harnessed. Nothing achieves this like Microsoft CRM4Legal.

 

CRM4Legal:

 

·         Allows marketers to create targeted lists and integrate campaigns and client events with practice groups and individual law firm partners.

·         Enables automation via online marketing programs, event registrations, newsletter subscription and statistical analysis – emails opened, click throughs, bounce backs etc.

Leverage existing IT investment/fits with your systems

Tight integration between Microsoft CRM4Legal and other familiar Microsoft tools, such as Microsoft Office, drives seamless interactions with existing applications and helps law firms avoid significant ongoing costs.

 

CRM4Legal:

 

·         Works the way your current technology works, so it fits easily into your existing systems, helping to maximise your current investments in Microsoft technology. The result is greater ROI.

·         Simplifies access to data due to tight integration with a broader suite of familiar Microsoft tools, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office Communications Server and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server.

After more than two decades of arming its law firm customers with a competitive advantage, Client Profiles has established itself as one of the leading Microsoft consultancies worldwide.

From aligning law firms’ business and IT strategies and improving business processes to deploying and supporting solutions that accelerate business results, no other technology partner offers more comprehensive information technology solutions and services than Client Profiles. Last year alone saw CRM4Legal selected by law firms in 15 cities and 4 countries, totalling over 7,000 seats, including 2,000 seats in Europe.  Law firms around the world are turning to Client Profiles for strategic legal business solutions and consulting services.  Visit www.CRM4Legal.com to view our case studies and learn how to achieve more in the current economic climate.

Focus - 2009 "Year of the Client"

Posted by David

Whether we like it or not, the current economic climate will separate the weak from the strong.  For many law firms, a key factor will be how well they understand that the core of an effective strategy is aggressive client focus!

 

In a downturn, client assumptions about the future are driven by fear and uncertainty more than objective realities.  Any decline generates the obvious and predictable belt-tightening; clients delay necessary decisions, choose more inexpensive options, and avoid discretionary spending.  However, it’s critically important to recognise that, beyond these generalities, each downturn produces its own unique pattern of changes in client needs, priorities, and behaviours.  As a result, an economic downturn can create opportunities for law firms that can understand these changes, think creatively, and use the situation as an opportunity to strengthen relationships with their most valuable clients.

 

One of the worst things a law firm can do is to take its eyes off of their clients.  However, when threatened, most firms have a tendency to adopt an inwardly-focused, “survival mode,” mentality.   They focus on operational and financial controls and stop investing in what appears like discretionary initiatives aimed at strengthening relationships with clients.  By not being fully focused on the client, they end up accelerating client and revenue attrition while undermining their longer-term competitive strength.  There are three things we recommend based on the work we’re doing to help law firms deal with this challenge:

 

1.     The first priority is aggressive focus on and investment in your best clients and prospects.  During economic decline, a relatively small number of your best clients will provide an even larger share of your profits, while the often larger ranks of marginal or unprofitable clients will create even more of a drain on the firm.   The first thing to do in a recession is to clearly identify who your most valuable clients are and invest in strengthening relationships with those clients.   This includes collaborating with those clients to understand and address their changing priorities, restructuring your offerings around their unique needs and, as necessary, restructuring engagement / financial terms.  It also includes focusing marketing and business development efforts on the most valuable, winnable clients and making sure that you’re not wasting resources on clients that are not going to engage and that are unlikely to be profitable.

 

2.     The second priority is watching, talking with, and listening to clients more closely in order to identify creative ways to address subtle changes in their needs, priorities, and behaviour.  It’s critically important to NOT rely on your traditional assumptions about what’s important to clients.  Instead you need an informed view of how your client needs are changing as dark clouds appear on the horizon.  You need to think creatively about ways to meet those changing needs and address those needs in order to strengthen the relationship, generate more value, make their lives easier, or make their businesses easier to run.  Not surprisingly, client actions will increasingly be driven by emotion rather than rational consideration.  By getting closer to clients you can identify ways to proactively address client emotional needs and reactions. 

 

3.     The third priority is identifying and eliminating the negative experience elements that drive attrition. Most law firms unintentionally frustrate and annoy clients in ways that they can’t even begin to understand.  Recent studies have shown that, while the economy has been weakening, tolerance for bad service has been diminishing.  For example, a recent Customer Experience Study found that 87% of consumers have stopped doing business with an organisation after a bad customer experience, up from 80 percent in 2007 and 68 percent in 2006.  84 percent of consumers indicated they would tell others about a bad experience - up from 74 percent in 2007 and 67 percent in 2006. In fact, blogging about negative experiences is on the rise: 22 percent of consumers this year have posted negative feedback about a company, vs. only 13 percent in 2007. 58 percent of U.S. consumers said that in a down economy, they will always or often pay more for a better customer experience.

 

In many cases, the negative experience elements that contribute to attrition may be relatively easy to fix without major investment.    The trick is to be able to clearly identify these things with an unbiased and unfiltered, outside-looking in perspective.  Over the past decade, we’ve worked with many firms on rapid Client Relationship Management implementations that are designed to deliver immediate outcomes and fast ROI.  Typically, over the course of 4 weeks, we can quickly deliver a solution that provides immediate benefits in knowing who your clients are, what you do for them and how you can do more.  In many cases it comes back to the basics of identifying who knows whom, effective client communications and ensuring quality of data in the systems utilised.  In a recent case, these improvements included new templates for introducing and recording new clients, an ongoing communications program that helped deliver higher retention and expanding the schedule of educational events and networking opportunities for clients.

 

The way through tough times is to intelligently create more value for others.  One of the surest ways there is for making sure that you end up being the strong rather than the weak is avoiding the tendency to become self-absorbed and maintain a clear focus on the clients that are, ultimately, the source of your success.

CRM4Legal Captures LTN Readers Award

Posted by David

Client Profiles has been honored by legal-industry peers as part of the sixth annual Law Technology News technology awards program. Readers of Law Technology News recognized Client Profiles with three 2009 Law Technology News® Awards, representing outstanding achievement in legal technology.

 

CRM4Legal placed extremely competitively, capturing a silver in the CRM category! Finishing second only to Lexis Nexis' CRM entry speaks volumes about how far CRM4Legal has come in such a short period as a relative newcomer compared to the more "established" systems in the market.

 

With our world-class Microsoft-based platform and a growing customer base, we are poised to achieve "leader" status and capture gold next year!

 

The awards will be presented at the LTN Technology Awards Dinner at LegalTech New York on February 2, 2009.

CRM4Legal.com -- New Site Launch

Posted by David

Following consultation with law firms, our global partners and staff, and nearly three months of work by a team of designers, developers and copy writers we have just launched the new website for CRM4Legal during Monday (8 December).

 

Feedback

 

Leading up to the new design we met with both law firms and staff to elicit feedback on what people thought was missing from the old site.

 

Those sessions were very helpful and provided much greater insight into what firms needed from a new CRM4Legal website.

 

Re-design Goals

 

Our re-design goals were quite clear:

 

-          Make the site easier to read and navigate (improved “look and feel”)

-          Offer enhanced resources and improved content – specifically addressing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and product capabilities – CRM4Legal is more than just “marketing and business development” for law firms.  Firms have been keen to understand the business benefits of enhanced client care and mobility amongst others

-          Describe the business benefits and communicate ROI that marketing, IT, practice and general managers can use to “sell” the value of CRM4Legal to law firm partners

-          Communicate where firms can get local help and support  through the global network of CRM4Legal partners

 

On the whole we have managed to achieve these goals, laying the foundation for even greater site improvements in 2009.  The online visitor now has access to information related to the benefits of the CRM4Legal product and how it is significantly different to other legal CRM systems from a user experience perspective. New content focuses on ROI for law practices deploying the system, with a specific focus on how CRM4Legal helps law firms increase revenues, reduce costs, automate workflow, improve service and drive quality and growth.

 

“Going Live”

 

Going live with a site is a strange experience of mixed emotions. There’s a combination of both elation that the site is going live, mixed with a little anti-climax and the nervousness of waiting for law firm feedback, hoping that we haven’t missed anything obvious.

 

Feedback has been positive thus far and we look forward to receiving any suggestions that will help make the site even more useful and informative.

Evaluating the purchase of a true Relationship Management, Marketing and Business Development System

Posted by Michael

 

I was in a demo a couple of weeks ago and realized a firm had caught a torrid case of Demo Fever…

This post will likely come off as a rant, but it has been bottled up inside of me for too long…  With my years of experience, and the scars to show for it, leading or being involved in some 200 law firm CRM projects with Lynch Marks and Client Profiles, I have gleaned a bit of experience along the way…  Some thoughts:

·         ERM… SchmERM:  I challenge anyone to this debate.  Plain and simple, CRM comes first!  Anyone that tells you different is working their own agenda.  ERM technology is fabulous, BUT THE RESULTS NEED TO BE ACTIONABLE!  You need a clean repository to feed this rich and vibrant data.  I love ERM, but it will fail without a CRM system in place to actually do something with the results.

·         We integrate with Outlook:  OMGosh, let’s define integration!  Linking from Outlook is not integration!

·         Product X is the Gold Standard:  Gold Standard of what…  Failure.

·         We need a CRM “gatekeeper” Steward:  Why…  It is a proven fact that a fleet of data stewards do not know the data better than the users do.  Make them accountable for their data.  YES, you do need someone to be responsible for your critical data, but only focus in on your most important contacts and minimize your investment in this function.  Statistically, 90+% of contact updates are accurate, why feed the beast of Data Change Management…

·         How many times do you need to try to go to market to get it right:  Think integrated practice management and marketing systems…  Too many cooks, diverse technologies and competing priorities…

·         Proposal Smoke and Mirrors, Vapor Ware, Gobbledy Gook:  I pity firm’s as they try to hone in on evaluating vendor proposals and comparing like for like total cost of ownership today…

When evaluating the purchase of a true Relationship Management, Marketing and Business Development System.  Some key points to consider…

From my days as a Consultant assisting firms through product selection, my personal mantra was to help firms stay away from demo fever.  Focus their attention on their firm’s unique core requirements.  Rabidly trying to keep their focus and not get caught up in the glitz and glimmer of a sales professional’s demonstration. 

Remember Lawyers need three things to effectively adopt and use a CRM system:

1)     Relationship Intelligence:  Knowledge of who we know and at some level more importantly who we do not, with the ability to seamlessly track business development activity and other contact touch points;

2)     Rational List Management:  it must be easy to add contacts to mailing lists based on interest.  “Don’t show me another paper based view of my contacts on lists”; and

3)     Data Quality: Clean data without the need to employ a host of data support staff.  The system must support the internal processes and not require the firm to invest in many people to administer the system.  Let’s make the users have some level of accountability for accurate data, supported by strong duplicate detection capability and simple data integrity reporting.

Above all, ease of use is the key!   Every vendor says they “integrate” with Outlook.  Only CRM4Legal is built from the inside out as a core component of the Microsoft Office Suite and integrated Microsoft tool stack.   

Don’t buy the sales pitch, Check references, tear the proposal apart to effectively compare what you are buying and more importantly what you are not….

Important proposal points for review:

Software purchase: 

·         Per User License purchase, or subscription model ???  What happens in year 4 and after? 

·         How many modules do I need to buy in order to get the functionality demonstrated?

Annual Maintenance: 

·         What is included?  Software Assurance, Upgrades, Help Desk Support…

·         How many upgrades can we expect? Future and historical?  How much do I need to plan in services to deal with upgrades?

Consulting Services:  What is included?  or more importantly, what is considered Out of Scope!!!  This can be a huge point of contention when evaluating proposals.

 A complete proposal requires:

·         Project Management

·         Technical Implementation Support

·         Discovery, Design and Project Planning

·         Data Migration

·         Training (IT, Marketing, Trainers, Help Desk, End Users)

·         Best Practices Documentation

·         Ongoing resource staffing and support