SELECTING CASE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE 

The temptation to purchase the new and shiny is built into our consumer DNA these days. We are on a constant cycle of purchase, update, and replace with our fingertip technology. When it comes to managing your law firm and running your cases, who has time to stop and update their case management software?  Some firms never get around to it, finding themselves suddenly forced to have their IT company perform several consecutive updates within a matter of days, leaving the firm open to down time, data loss, and security events. Even worse, some firms are facing the end of life of their on-prem software, wondering where to turn. 

What a way to lose money. 

Below, are 1=3 Consulting’s Top 10 tips for a successful case management evaluation: 

1. Work with a consultant. An experienced consultant will guide you to the right choice for your firm and manage every step of the evaluation process. The best consultants will be a neutral advocate working for you and introducing you to the right fit, even if that means asking other subject matter experts to join the conversation. 
2. Create a tech budget. You may have gone years without paying for case management software. (Oh, you are paying, all right – we will cover that in a future blog post.)  Now you must consider monthly or annual subscriptions and the cost of any integrations you may need.  
3. Curate a tech team. Include high trust staff members who open cases, run reports, and prepare billing in the evaluation process. Sales Executives love demo calls with decision makers who can freely sign deals, but this often leaves out the back office and those who are intimately familiar with the needs of the firm.  
4. Ask about updates/access. Ask if the solution is truly cloud based, meaning your data and documents can be accessed from anywhere there is an internet signal or cell data and is updated automatically and seamlessly. Are updates seamless or do you have to schedule them? 
5. Practice due diligence.  If you require a specific feature or report, ask the Sales Executive to show you exactly what you need.  If the Sales Executive tells you that a feature exists but cannot demonstrate it, make a note to follow up.   
6. Ask for a demo account and test it. If you are working with a consultant, ask them to set up a demo account and populate it with dummy data so you have a more robust test environment. 
7. Accept the trade-offs. You will trade off features when you move from one solution to a new one. Make sure you and your staff are willing to live with the new features you are gaining while leaving some old favorites behind. 
8. Confirm your operating system is supported. If you are Mac, Windows, or both, confirm the features work. 
9. Determine what migration looks like. Make sure you have a full understanding of what data is being migrated from your old system and who is doing that work. 
10. Invest in training. Many solutions offer online training webinars, short video clips, and a specific number of hours to onboard your team. Ask your consultant if they offer customized training sessions designed to set every member of your team up for success. 

One of the greatest disappointments we at 1=3 Consulting have is when we learn a law firm has been “sold” into an old, outdated program that requires massive server space, processing power, and manual updates. We are often asked to step in and right the ship. If you need guidance to avoid a similar pitfall, take advantage of our free 30-minute consultant to get on the right track.