The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/43128
MAXIMIZING ROI WITH SUCCESSFUL TIME- CAPTURE TRAINING by Hana Woldin, Sales Director at Element55 critical to the bottom line. Successful time-capture implementations capture an additional six billable hours per attorney per month on average, and training attorneys on the new system is key to maximizing its use. B ACKNOWLEDGING DIFFERENT WORKFLOWS The attorney experience with time capture centers on consumption and control. Every attorney has a different workflow and time capture should not try to change how the attorney works. Instead, it should make them more knowledgeable about how they have spent their day. The information should be easily consumable, with the attorney retaining control as to: • What gets captured • How it is presented • Who receives it Because attorneys have different workflows, training is not one-size-fits-all. However, we have found that breaking training into three components gets the best results. INITIAL TRAINING The first training session should be conducted during the first week that attorneys use the time-capture system. It illable hours are the lifeblood of law firms, regardless of whether firms bill by the hour, by the transaction or through various alternative fee arrangements. Capturing the time the attorneys spend on work for their clients is should be brief and focus only on addressing the following four common questions: Where does the information come from? • Desktop • Laptop • Remote Access • Calendar • Mobile Device • Office Phone • Tablet Information from all of these sources is cross-referenced with the firm's backend systems to get the most complete and contextual information into the time-capture system. How do I interpret this information? Focus only on the simplest time-capture delivery vehicle, such as a daily email digest. It should cover the basics of email and only take a couple of minutes to explain. Where does this information go? The policies of the firm should be made transparent, both in terms of retention and in terms of individual attorney privacy, vis-à-vis the firm. How do I control this information? Cover controlling what is captured, controlling what is delivered and controlling who participates (opt-in/out policies). A great time-capture system will offer easy-to- use features for accessing all three aspects of the control. The initial training should cover these so the attorney can make changes or understand how to enlist support staff to implement those changes. 72 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer