P2P

14 P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | W I N T E R 2 0 2 2 using a single technology product to solve all your eDiscovery or compliance challenges just because that's the way the MSP prefers to work. As new data types, devices, applications, and communications platforms proliferate, the technology to manage the resulting complexity is constantly evolving. A good partner will select best-of-breed technologies tailored to your project. 3. Responsiveness Legal teams work on tight deadlines, often staring unexpected developments in the face as projects unfold. It's also common to work across multiple international time zones. You'll want to ensure your MSP is available whenever you need them. For our part, we always factor in custom availability, because that's the reality of what our customers need. There's also the issue of response time. With the urgency of the matters we work on, Level Legal lives by a 30-minute turnaround time in response to a customer request – and in practice we are usually faster. You deserve a partner whose team members understand the importance of quick and timely responses. Nothing else will do. 4. No surprises Ask your prospective service provider how they handle scheduling and adherence to budget and deadlines. No one should have to wait until the last days to discover that their project has run over budget or the deadline is in jeopardy. Our customers expect an MSP who can provide peace of mind. If you want an update by phone, text, or email at 5 p.m. or 8 a.m. every day, will your MSP commit to that? We defuse the possibility of unpleasant surprises by adding a daily dashboard to our detailed reports. These are provided at a customer-specified time so they can review while drinking coffee or riding the train. The dashboard covers a selection of key, agreed-upon KPIs, such as budget, schedule, current spend, the likelihood of needing additional hours or manpower, and how we're tracking to time. If, for example, on day three the budget is at 35% of the project but only 10% of actions are completed, we can have a conversation about what is going on. Were expectations set too high? Are we not moving diligently and quickly enough through our tasks? 5. Intangibles Don't be afraid to ask qualitative questions. Ask the MSP about customers they've found difficult, and why. Ask how they've dealt with challenges and failures. Encourage them to talk about their greatest successes, what differences of opinion emerged during a project, and what motivates their teams. One of the most important agenda items of our weekly internal meetings is the part where we discuss how our customer service has resulted in surprising and delighting the customer. We explore why we've received feedback like, "I never believed you could do this so quickly," or "Thank you for catching this before it turned into a problem." Part of our modus operandi is to continually move the project beyond its stated boundaries. How can we innovate, save time, start early course correction, help the customer report upwards, and help the legal team look better? This is a great topic of conversation with a potential supplier. At the core of this approach is a combination of intuition and close attention to detail, which means that tasks are completed diligently, on time, efficiently, and in a way that frees you to achieve your own daily goals without distraction or worry. 6. Listening skills Don't neglect to check your prospective MSP's communication style. Do they ask questions and give considered feedback that shows they've listened to you? Or do they prefer to talk about themselves? How do they demonstrate they understand your organization, why you're considering hiring them, and how your priorities and needs are unique? Often in an RFP, an MSP gears its pitch toward the organization as an entity rather than you as an individual. Unsurprisingly, this can cause problems. Listening closely is the most important part of the problem-solving process, and at the outset an MSP needs to delve deeply to understand their customers' desired priorities, time frame, internal processes, current work streams, existing technologies, and budget. The organization should ask detailed questions about datasets, custodians, who handles the data, what the possible exposure is, and what might be the best (or less optimal) potential outcomes. Embedded in the concept of good service is the MSP's ability to understand who they're communicating with, their reporting needs, and the nuances that will make their (and your) life better. F E A T U R E S

• Cover