Digital White Papers

ILTA WHITE PAPER: NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.ILTANET.ORG 25 data migration, data integration and workflow approvals and notifications. Adopt change management principles. Without executive buy-in, programs like this often fail before they get off the ground. Firm leadership must be engaged and openly supportive. Firms must develop and deliver context-based training sessions, appropriate for both lawyers and support staff, so individuals are taught the correct ways to input information and understand how an automated NBI process supports the firm's strategic business objectives. Once you have executive buy-in, supported by trained lawyers and staff, your firm is ready to take advantage of the benefits of back-end automation. The business inception landscape is continually evolving, and elevating your NBI process is not a one-time effort. Applaud yourself for your efficiency initiatives achieved thus far, and continue to look for additional opportunities to improve the approach. Ongoing collaboration and communication across functional areas including risk management, finance and marketing, and the firm's partners who bring in work, can help you conquer any hurdle and accomplish your goals to further improve processes. CLEAR THESE HURDLES AND TRANSFORM NEW BUSINESS INTAKE Fully understand the average time it takes to open a new matter. If it's taking more than a couple of days, on average, to open a new matter, the process could be too linear or approval routing might be sitting in someone's inbox and holding up the process. Reviewing the time it takes to process a new business request is essential for firms looking to make improvements. Use the right platform. Leveraging technology by standardizing a platform across the firm can facilitate best NBI practices while ensuring business objectives stay top of mind. Firms can benefit from partnerships with integrated software solutions, either out-of- the-box or customized solutions. By integrating technology into the NBI process, law firms reap the benefits that automation brings, such as the consistent capture of information and eliminating redundant efforts, all of which ultimately reduce risk for the firm and free up time for attorneys. Build out your preferred platform, and take the time to test it. You can view this as the "beta" stage for your newly automated NBI system. When configuring the software, take a systematic approach to building upstream and downstream integrations. After populating metadata, you'll want to fully test Breaking down silos, centralizing data repositories and establishing all-company procedures will better equip firms looking to expedite their NBI process in a secure and streamlined way.

• Cover