There’s no need to dread training
Does just about anything sound more appealing than sitting through a training session? When your legal department adopts new case management software law, training is an important part of the implementation process. Most people cringe when they think about it, but that’s because they’re envisioning sitting in a classroom while someone reads from a manual or shows a generic video.
The team members at Legal Files Software know that no one likes to learn this way, so we have a different philosophy of training. We offer practical, hands-on training for the real world by reacting to each client’s needs and developing matter management solutions to meet them. Our goal isn’t to bore you by telling you to turn to page 46 of the manual. Instead, we strive to help you learn how to use our tools to make your office more organized and efficient. This isn’t just training. It’s the first step of implementing effective legal operations.
The importance of training to learn your new system
Has this ever happened to you? You buy a new product that promises to make your life easier, but as soon as you get it, you realize that you don’t know how to use it. You then struggle to learn the ins and outs on your own, only to become more frustrated than when you started.
This happens to all of us at one time or another, but you shouldn’t have to deal with this when you get a new legal matter management system. However, many software providers don’t require or even offer training for new clients. You’re left to wonder how you’re expected to learn how to make the best use of your new system.
Without training, it is possible to learn by doing, but this can cause your productivity and work product to suffer as you learn the ropes of the new system. You can also resort to online tutorials for guidance, but you can’t become proficient in a new system just by watching videos. You need both online and in-person training for everything to come together.
A look at the Legal Files Software training philosophy
Our team believes that showing someone how to use our software is the key to making their purchase a success, so we require training with the purchase of our government workflow software. This is a requirement because we want our clients to be successful, and decades of experience has shown us that trying to train yourself often results in failure.
When most people think of training, it’s very different from the Legal Files Software model. Our implementation specialists are more like consultants. They look at how each client operates and help all clients tailor and use their new system in a way that best fits their needs, jurisdiction and practice area. This means that Legal Files Software will end up looking different for each client.
The actual training process is much more tailored, engaging and interactive than most people think. In fact, several clients have recently told our implementation specialists this after completing our training sessions. These large-scale projects involved multiple implementation specialists and both in-person and online education. At the end, the clients all provided positive feedback. The words “educational,” “helpful,” “intuitive” and “fun” all came up—and the overall consensus was that they were glad they did it.
A look inside a training session
During our training sessions, we show clients how Legal Files Software works, help them gain basic competency skills through hands-on training and demonstrate how the software can work in their practice environment. This process is more than just telling and showing them how to use the product.
It also involves asking questions to find what works for them. Our team members use their knowledge of similar clients and how they use the software. This results in training that is much more specific, customized and dynamic.
We utilize a scaffolding approach in our training. Our implementation specialists start with classroom training, which serves as the baseline, then they move onto individualized training, which is designed to help users reach the next level. Throughout this process, we continue to look for ways to customize the system for our clients while we answer questions and clarify areas of uncertainty. Training with Legal Files Software is the opposite of boring and cookie-cutter.
Our clients get other benefits from training. We don’t have trainers on our team. We have implementation specialists and business analysts who know how Legal Files Software works and can communicate that information to the client. Our software is designed for the non-technical user, but it’s so customizable that there’s a lot to learn. Luckily, the software is so user-friendly that a little bit of education goes a long way.
Training as an ongoing need
We believe that the need for training never stops, so we offer it every time we introduce a new feature. We also provide it for new hires who will be using our legal matter management system. The options for new employee training are extensive—and can also apply to employees who need a refresher course or who would like to take their skills to the next level. We can do dynamic training and Q&A sessions as part of onboarding or follow-up training.
With this training, you’re getting answers from someone who understands Legal Files Software and how to apply it to different industries and organizations. New and existing employees can make the best use of the software, so it’s worth the extra time and effort to train.
Many of our clients think of training as an investment. When you give your employees training, you get to see a larger return on investment much sooner. Several clients have spoken to Legal Files Software team members after their training and said, “I feel like I can actually use this software now. I never felt that way with other systems.”