Many firms, however, are beginning to wake up to the undeniable benefits of strategic digital transformation, particularly as it affects and augments human resources and team management.
If these new tools and technologies were growing in importance prior to 2020, the era of widespread remote work has made them indispensable. With that said, below are 5 important HR and team management tools that law firms can implement right now.
Goal Tracking
Goal tracking applications and software help teams set and meet team goals by providing a road map and sending updates and reminders so that people remain on track. Law firm goals are varied and often include things like professional development, prospecting and onboarding new clients, meeting retainer targets, among others.
The legal task management software is one exceptional tool that will allow law firms to manage and track time-specific tasks easily.
One of the most beneficial aspects of goal-tracking tools is their ability to help firms to break their objectives down into smaller sub-goals and tasks that are actionable and achievable. This makes it easier to accomplish goals in steps, which helps reduce the feeling that certain things are unattainable or insurmountable while also providing people with the necessary encouragement and, when necessary, guidance.
Recognition
Recognition and particularly peer-to-peer recognition software has grown in popularity over the last year as companies have sought ways to keep remote workers engaged. Recognizing employees, whether they are lawyers or those in any other profession, has been shown to improve job satisfaction and pride in work, which in turn encourage people to do their best for the firm.
Recognition from one’s peers is especially meaningful, and many of the most popular programs are built on the premise of accessible and versatile peer recognition that allows coworkers to congratulate and provide one another with social capital for a job well done. Rewards, mentions and recognition can be accumulated and converted into points that can be cashed in for things like PTO, gifts, and benefits.
Benefits Administration
Benefits management software is useful because it allows employees to track their own benefits program, giving them summaries, options and walking them through important administrative components. A benefits administration software is a helpful tool for law firms because it saves time for HR, is more convenient for employees, and the automated nature of the platforms makes it easier to stay on top of and in line with the relevant compliance issues.
Project Management
Project management tools come with a wide range of benefits for law firms, including faster case handling, lower training costs, fewer write-offs, improved client service and more revenue. To approach legal work from the standpoint of project management requires a paradigm shift within many law firms away from atomized independent work, but when implemented, allows more optimized case workflow, improved cost management, and better collaboration between not just lawyers and paralegals, but all business functions.
CRM
A customer relationships management system allows law firms to better understand and tailor their interactions to--particularly their marketing and outreach material--their clients while providing the data necessary to market to new ones successfully. A law firm that trains all of its employees in the use and leveraging of CRM data makes intra-firm communication easier, thus allowing for superior customer service.
Conclusion
HR and team management automation and digital transformation have been slower in the legal profession than in many others, but firms that fail to leverage the many helpful technologies, both general and ones geared towards law firms, are putting themselves at a disadvantage. The above HR and team management tools are just some of the options on the market, but they are good starting points for firms trying to make the most of digitization.