Top 5 Ingredients to a Successful Office 2010 Rollout
I’ve had the pleasure of working with a number of firms both large and small over the last 18 months as part of our consulting team providing guidance on how to achieve a better level of user adoption in an Office 2010 rollout. I also presented a session at the ILTA conference in Nashville this past August on Office 2010 Success Stories. As I look back on what commonalities the most successful projects have, I’ve identified the following top factors that impact the success of the projects:
1) Listening to Learners
The best ask for and act on feedback provided by the user community. Without a doubt, seeking and asking on feedback boosts user adoption of technology, ranging from firm-wide surveys that solicit input on training durations and learning preferences, to smaller role-specific focus groups that further define technology decisions and training topics.
2) Planned Communication
From the initial firm-wide announcement of the firm’s decision to move to Office 2010 to the ending communication to celebrate the success, the most successful firms invested in and followed the who, what, when, where and why of good communication. Creative in their approaches, the best of the best included a project theme and logo that allowed for branding of all project related communication. They also used a variety of communication vehicles to keep the firm informed including email, technology commercials, posters, rollout specific portal pages, testimonials (both written and video), executive briefings and WOW sessions.
3) Supported by Upper Management
There is no surprise that the best projects had full support of firm management. The projects were not viewed as IT projects, but critical initiatives planned by, supported by and driven by those at the top.
4) Targeted Learning Opportunities
With shorter classroom durations and the potential of lawyers not attending classroom training at all, these firms saw the risk and got creative in providing a variety of learning opportunities. They all focused on the “learning” and not on the “training.” Before migration, they provided users access to Office 2010 in the form of the Microsoft home use program, virtual environments, learning kiosks and targeted lab opportunities. They used E-learning content that focused on the new features in Windows 7 and the new user interface in Office is a jump start to learning. One-on-One coaching was offered to partners in lieu of classroom training. Hands on training opportunities were offered to all learner audiences. Many broke down the training into shorter pieces allowing for greater participation and less time away from the desk.
5) Intentional Floor Support and Coaching
Longer floor support durations with more people on the floor to encourage learning to continue and to bring learning closer to the work flow was a key factor to greater user adoption. One-on-one coaching continued with partners and many firms extended this offering to associates as well. During targeted floor support, each user received on average five visits over a five day period of time. Each visit would focus on five to seven topics that were vital to that user’s success in adopting the new technology. Daily floor support huddles provided the vehicle for feedback to the training team and a way to document frequently asked questions that could be shared with both the help desk and the user community.
How many of these factors are you using or planning to use in your next technology rollout? For more information on tools that support these factors, be sure to ask your Traveling Coaches Account Executive about our Windows 7/Office 2010 Rollout Materials. To share your success story with us, please contact me at clemaire@travelingcoaches.com.
Added Bonus! An Office 2010 and Windows 7 Word Search
Games are a great way to increase learning and build awareness around new terminology and concepts. Here’s a freebie Word search on Office 2010 and Windows 7 vocabulary. Coaches Connection – Word Search Puzzle
The Decline of Email (again)
Everything is cyclical. First comes an emerging technology and if it’s worth its weight in code it is refined, implemented to exhausting ends then vanquished once a more useful technology comes around. Queue the theme song from The Lion King. While making my rounds of geek tech sites in recent months I’ve picked up on the “email is dead” theme more than once. Ok, I’ll bite.
It seems like email has been around as long as computers and for many of us that might as well be true. Why has email been able to avoid the same cycle as many other technologies (or at least enjoy an extremely long cycle)? The answer is simple: it has always worked. Conversation tracking, a sort of document storage with the use of attachments, calendaring and task management also grew out of email in an almost organic way.
I guess it’s not fair to talk about the ying of email without talking about the yang. Expensive software licenses, servers and a small army of IT support personnel are required to maintain the email of a firm. Additional software is often purchased to limit the amount of spam received and automatically archive older messages. All of this adds additional administrative overhead when it comes to security and email policies. Oh well, all necessary evils right?
Even considering the administrative and monetary costs, if email ultimately works why are some declaring it to be on the decline? There are varying answers that all lead to the same conclusion: when it comes to technology, we are all more sophisticated now. Social media is more mature today providing many of the features only found in email just a few short years ago. Calendaring, document sharing, task management, search and filtering have all found their way into the social media landscape. The ability to chat (video or otherwise), message, schedule meetings, etc. is leaving more and more organizations to ask: Why do we need email – at least internally? Why deal with all the spam of email when it’s not necessary? Why worry about managing the cost of software, servers and support when everything seems to be moving to the cloud?
Of course we’re not ready to put email to pasture just yet. There are still kinks to work out and questions to answer but the rumblings among peers are getting louder. When you want to email a link to this blog to a friend or coworker, will they have moved on to a more current method of communication?
Lessons from the Road – Focus Groups
This will be a shorter post than I usually write. I’ve been traveling for a client facilitating focus groups for the last two weeks and my mind is still very much “focused” on that topic. (And well, to be honest, I’m also a little tired as I sit here at the airport waiting to fly home.) I know I’ve shared my thoughts on focus groups before, but the last two weeks have been so insightful that I had to share more with you.
Let me start by saying, if you aren’t talking to your users about what they need –either from a support perspective or learning needs evaluation–you really must make an effort to do so. The users I spent the last two weeks with were incredibly grateful for the opportunity to talk about how they work and how they learn. The most appreciative group was the lawyers and we’d asked them to spend an hour and a half of their day with us. Many came in and told us they only had about 30 minutes for us, but every one of them stayed after the end of the session to share more thoughts.
What can you learn? Every firm is different, but I’ll share some of my experiences from this two week run of focus group sessions. A trend that surprised me was the lawyers requesting hands-on training. We don’t always hear that, but it was important for these lawyers. Another trend is the rise of the PDF in the document workflow. Many lawyers are starting to receive client document edits in PDF format with bubble comments or some other form of PDF document editing. Track Changes continue to make document collaboration a challenge. Most users were receiving documents with Word Track Changes and most had developed a workflow to deal with those documents that allowed them to use the internal comparison tool as much as possible.
So I challenge you to talk to a few users about how they like to learn and how their work has changed in the last year or two. And look for more lessons from the road as I travel around and learn new things about how users work.
Evaluating Your Program
It’s time for end-of-the-year evaluation and for some, 2012 budget submissions. It’s also a great time to step back, reflect on our Learning and Development (L+D) efforts over the past 11 months and start thinking about where we want to be this same time next year.
The difficulty in self-evaluations is accuracy. An honest evaluation requires us to separate our heart from our brains and our emotions from our logic. Doing this as a group and including all the members of our L+D team—training, curriculum, HR, IT, Leadership—increases accountability. Bringing in a focus group of users also provides us with more accurate feedback from which to glean an honest evaluation. Just like creating a learning plan for our users, we as learning developers need to know where we are and where we want to be in order to develop a successful plan for the future.
Journaling is regularly used as a path to self-discovery and accountability. As you reflect on your successes, failures, strengths and pain points in the realm of L+D, put pen to paper to answer the following questions:
1. What is my learning strategy and how does it align with the firm’s business strategies?
- How is the learning strategy implemented?
- What key performance indicators (KPIs) are used to measure results?
- What actionable information do the KPIs provide?
2. How do L+D assist in identifying the needed skills in the incoming workforce?
- Is my new hire program hitting the mark?
- What additional on-boarding programs are involved?
3. How does leadership demonstrate their support to the L+D function? (recognition, ownership, communication, teamwork, funding, tools, technology)
4. What KPIs are used to determine L+D’s impact on business performance?
- What metrics are used?
- How often are they reported?
- How do you evaluate the needs of each practice area, position and individual user?
5. What process do you follow to develop and deliver learning solutions where and when your users need it?
- What metrics do you use to assess their effectiveness?
6. In the past 12 months, what steps have you taken towards personal professional development and how have you developed your L+D staff?
Being honest with ourselves is one hurdle to overcome, but getting honest feedback from others is another. The fear of repercussion and offense is real. No matter how excellent a rapport we may have with our L+D team and users, it does not negate the emotions-factor. Using a survey tool to gather information anonymously or bringing in an impartial outside third-party vendor to gather information is critical to the evaluation process.
Last, the conveyance of and reaction to feedback is a stressful moment for both the deliverer and the recipient. In either capacity, how we handle this moment will set the stage for all future evaluations. Realize that this is our personal moment for growth, knowledge and enlightenment. Great ideas hatch from the ability to identify a problem and deliver a solution. Use this time for reflection and innovation to not only increase your professional development, but to develop a strong learning program for your firm and users.
Circling Back to Google+
Depending on the blogs you read, Twitter accounts you follow or Google+ Circles you find yourself in, it is reported that there are currently somewhere around 50 million confirmed Google+ accounts. Not too shabby for the four month old fledgling of the social media world. Expect this number to continue to skyrocket since Google+ (G+) has moved from field trial mode to open beta as of last month. Haven’t had a chance to get your hands dirty with G+ quite yet? Well, let’s kick the tires on this bad boy, check under the hood and take it out for (another) spin.
The Show Room Floor
Upon first jumping into G+, I find myself running through a social media checklist almost subconsciously. This is kind of my techno-geek way of adjusting the seat, rear-view mirror and setting the radio to the nearest classic rock station. Status updates? Check. News feeds? Check. Photo uploads and sharing? Check. List of ever-growing adoring fans… errr, I mean friends? Check. Messaging? Mobile version? Events? Check, check and check. So why am I here? My current social media solution does all of this already. Why trade it in for G+ or take on another social media platform? Is there even room in my social garage?
The answers to these questions are as plentiful and varied as to why you might find yourself in the market for a new car. More features, easier on the (social) budget or maybe just because it’s so darn sexy. What’s very important to understand is that G+ doesn’t just want to be another social media platform; it wants to replace many of the technical solutions you may already have in place – both personally and professionally. Let’s hit the open road and find out more.
The Test Drive
Circles
Circles, if you haven’t heard yet, are G+’s way of segmenting your audience. This is a good thing. While Facebook doesn’t allow you to pick and choose which of your friends see which of your posts or content, G+ understood right out of the gate that not all “friends” are, or should be, created equal. Circles are simply groups. Friends, work associates, family members, you name it (literally) can all be placed in the circles of your choosing. All with your choice of varying access to the posts, images and videos you share.
Current technology in the G+ Circles crosshairs: any solution maintaining your current contact groups.
Instant Upload
Just like the name implies…Instant Upload takes the headache out of getting the photos from your computer or mobile device directly into G+. And, thanks to Circles, you get to choose who sees what.
Current technology in the G+ Instant Upload crosshairs: Facebook, Twitter and any other platform where you might normally share media.
Sparks
Sparks is a search engine within G+ allowing you to add your search results as interests for a more tailored browsing experience. Think of Sparks as a more search topic specific “Add to favorites” function.
Current technology in the G+ Sparks crosshairs: your current “non-Google” search engine or any search outside of G+.
Huddle
Whoa now G+! If you keep this up you’re going to start making my other social platforms look like a 1971 Ford Pinto. Huddle is group texting plain and simple. This is a huge perk, especially for business. Do you have last minute project changes? Well now you can start a group chat to get your team up to speed and on track.
Current technology in the G+ Huddle crosshairs: email, texting and all other third-party chat offerings.
Hangouts
Hangouts allow you to quickly and easily setup video chats with entire circles. This can happen over any broadband or Wi-Fi connection. Not only that, but you can share your screen, draw together, create and edit documents collaboratively and hold topic-based hangouts. Suddenly G+ isn’t just looking like a sleek hotrod, but also the sensible minivan able to provide many day-to-day business functions.
Current technology in the G+ Huddle crosshairs: GoToMeeting, Skype or Microsoft LiveMeeting; now is a good time to start getting nervous.
While I’m not ready to trade in my current social platform just yet, all of these features have me clearing out that space in my social garage to make room for G+, especially when it comes to using it as a driver for business. What are your thoughts on Google+? Have you or your firm had a chance to implement Google+ or any of its services? Let us hear from you – info@travelingcoaches.com.
Upgrades and User Support by the Numbers
If you have not downloaded Intelliteach’s 2nd Edition Guru’s Guide, do so as soon as you finish reading this post where I’ve put my spin on the data shared in the Guide. It is a treasure trove of helpdesk stats that will benefit any legal technologist. I’ll share the link at the end to make it easy to find.
A Little Background
Intelliteach opened its doors in 1999 to provide outsourced service desk support exclusively to law firms. As of this publication, they are supporting 100,000 users in 50 countries across 1,250 locations. Intelliteach services firms of all sizes and 30% of the Am Law 200. This guide is a compilation of 18 months of data representing 1.2 million service tickets from January 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. For my many friends planning an Office upgrade, the Guide includes analysis from 150 major software rollouts or upgrades from the last 5 years.
What Does the Data Say in General?
No surprise that Microsoft Office comprises the bulk of service requests weighing in at 43% of all tickets. Outlook leads the suite with 22% and Word follows closely with 19%. Assistance with the document management system follows with 19%. Service requests for Office have been increasing each month and more than doubled in the last 12 months. Office 2007 appears to be popular. In Q1 of 2011 it represented 44% of all Office calls across all versions. Just one year prior Office 2007 only represented 22% of Office calls. Office XP calls dropped to 7% and Office 2010 calls were just barely registering at 1%. However, in Q2 of 2011 Office 2010 service requests increased to 3%.
The Guru Guide, p 7
My curious mind wonders if the increase is a result of changes in workflow from staff to lawyer, decreased training durations during rollouts and upgrades or a by-product of the recession that stopped almost all law firm projects for at least a year. Given how busy we are at Traveling Coaches this year, I am keen to see what the numbers will look like in another year.
There is also a notable change in how help is requested. Did you know your legal professionals are increasingly choosing to email for services rather than call? Email today comprises 27% of first contact versus just 10% five years ago. The 69% that call for service are 78% more likely to get their issue resolved during that first call. Support by email actually takes six times longer for final resolution. The Futurist in me was pleased to see that more firms are trying new channels of service such as instant messaging or self-service.
Fun Fact
Which day of the week has the highest service desk volume? Did you guess Monday?
If you do not provide 24/7 help desk support, then you guessed correctly. But for firms with around-the-clock support, Tuesday is actually the busiest day.
Call Volume Increases During Upgrades
The Guru Guide, p8.
Anyone that has survived a major desktop upgrade or conversion knows already that it adds to the volume of support requests and causes some level of strain to existing resource systems which, in turn, has an impact on service quality. Based on the analysis of 150 major software rollouts, the Guide reports that the average ticket volume increased 42% during firm-wide upgrades and took an average of 90 days to return to normal pre-conversion levels for firms with an average of 700 users.
The report goes a little further and shares two sample firm scenarios. Firm A has multiple offices, with international offices thrown into the mix and approaches the rollout using the Big Bang approach. The (Big Bang approach is converting a lot of users at the same time and often includes multiple offices converting at the same time.) Firm A can expect increased call volumes for 5 months before returning to pre-conversion levels. Firm B has multiple offices, but takes the slow approach to the rollout and returns to normal levels in about a month.
If staffing remains the same, expect a few challenges and bumps along the way…such as increased hold time, increased abandonment rates (users give up and hang up) and tickets taking longer to resolve. It all adds up to dissatisfied user experiences. The Guide does not go into detail about the impact this has on the support staff, but it certainly adds to the stress that is naturally part of the job when supporting end-users. Given that users are expecting more hands-on, individualized support today, if your support plan for a rollout is to make-do, take some time to read this report and ponder what it means for your upgrade or conversion project. You can either ramp up and staff extra service desk resources, place some key individuals on the floor for real-time support or communicate to the users that the service response time is going to change for a significant period of time.
If you’ve approached the service response time challenges in a creative way, we’d love to hear about it. Email us at nextgenlearning@travelingcoaches.com.
The Guru’s Guide for Legal Service Desk Support Law Firm Specific Metrics & Key Performance Indicators
2nd Edition, September 2011
Lance Waagner, President and CEO
www.Intelliteach.com/guru
The iPad for Today’s Legal Professional
Malcolm Gladwell defines the tipping point as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.” The iPad won’t likely replace laptops or desktop computers for businesses tomorrow, but they are definitely reaching their tipping point. As a result, iPads are indeed reaching a new level in today’s legal world as well. It fulfills the need caused by the merging of economic, technological and professional changes taking place in our world today. From client communication to trial presentation, from reading and marking up depositions on a plane to Skyping with a client across the globe, the iPad has changed the way lawyers do business. It is allowing them to become more nimble, mobile, responsive and productive.
Here are some of the use cases and areas you might research on behalf of the legal professionals you support in your firm:
Carry rule and procedure books to the courthouse for trials and hearings – The iPad can store manuals and thousands of other legal reference books all on a light, easy-to-read device.
Read and mark up case law, pleadings, discovery, contracts, transaction papers or other documents – The iPad is a great tool for reading PDF files; or most any file. There are also applications that annotate and mark up files. And, documents can be signed or presented to clients for their signature – all right on the iPad.
Select juries or present evidence at hearings or trials – Now available are many applications for the iPad that help with jury selection. The device can also be connected to a projector to show exhibits to a judge or jury in court.
Hold telephone conferences with clients, opposing counsel or others – With the iPad, those teleconferences turn into face-to-face video conferences. The iPad 2’s camera will likely spawn a number of meeting applications for this purpose.
Popular legal-specific iPad applications often recommended:
Trial Applications:
- TrialPad
- RLTC Evidence
- Exhibit A
- Jury Tracker
- iJuror
- Jury Duty
Legal Research Applications:
- Fastcase
Pre-Trial Applications:
- The Deponent App
- iPleading
- Mobile Transcript for iPad
Reference Applications:
- Black’s Law Dictionary
- LawStack
- LawBox
For more information about how lawyers are using iPads in their law practices, check out the following blogs: Tablet Legal (www.tabletlegal.com), iPadLawyer (www.ipadlawyer.co.uk), iPad Notebook (www.ipadnotebook.wordpress.com).
Traveling Coaches
Brie Stampe
Jim Barker
Carolyn Humpherys
Char LeMaire
Gina Buser
Tami Schiller
