Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/74024
Help Us Help You … Make Your Vendors Part of Your Project Team might be available at that time and alert their support team to your needs. By being on alert, your vendors can ensure that any problems that might arise can be dealt with quickly in order to get your project back on track. Documentation and training are vital to the success of any software rollout project. It is as important to your vendors as it is to you that the software is implemented correctly and that your users know how to use it. Ray Zwiefelhofer, President of World Software Corporation, had this to say about the importance of project management and training: "Don't skimp on project management, environment assessment and training. If you don't have the money for thorough project management and training, delay the purchase. If it's not installed correctly or properly trained, there is a very high likelihood of user dissatisfaction." Make sure you are tapping the resources of your vendors for all available training and documentation materials. Vendors know their software best, so they likely are the best source of information. A Good Relationship Is Always a Get Involved Many vendors have beta testing programs and client advisory groups in which you can participate. The beta testing process allows you to give immediate feedback on new products or releases, helping to shape and mold the software into a better product for your users. Client advisory groups are quite helpful to vendors for obtaining feedback on current software, guiding future development and requesting new products. We Want You To Be Successful All of us are in this business to fulfill someone's needs. Your attorneys and staff service their clients. Your IT department provides the support and tools necessary for that service. Vendors provide you with the software and technology to meet those needs. But we can't do this alone. It takes a close working relationship with you, our clients. We want you to meet the needs of your firm, and we want to be part of the team that helps you do that. Tell us what you need, and we'll make it happen. Two-Way Street Developing and keeping a good relationship with your vendors takes a reciprocal flow of communication. Joy at Sidley Austin LLP also had this advice for maintaining a good relationship with your vendors: "As IT professionals, we sometimes complain about not having a 'seat at the table.' So it is important to give the vendor a seat at your table. One of my mantras is that I want to be my vendors' favorite customer. So, give your vendors the information they need (without revealing state secrets), answer the phone when they call and return email messages in a timely manner. When the chips are down, the vendors want to help you." CLOUD TRANSFORMS IT Visit EMC Booth #701 , EMC, and the EMC logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. © Copyright 2012 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. 86225 EMC2 ILTA White Paper 45