Firstly we define support functions (or shared services) as areas of delivery in a law firm that does not necessarily involve a lawyer. This includes compliance, marketing, HR, secretarial, finance and IT. All have processes and ever-expanding needs (seemingly) but often leaders of these teams are consumed firefighting day-to-day problems to look at how resources can be best utilised.
At Exigent we support all these functions, where we can add value and fit into a defined process. Some of the examples include: completing design work, database management in marketing, managing document production needs, and supporting recruitment through scanning and review of candidate resumes. Our experience is both broad and deep in each area and we have a common theme of optimisation before delivery.
We speak at great length to our clients about optimising processes, increasing efficiency and maximizing the Return on Investments, but do we practice what we preach? We asked this question to ourselves in May 2013…
The first step for our leaders in law firm support functions was to understand what “Lean” meant. Following extensive research and the implementation of Lean Six Sigma at Exigent, these techniques have enabled us to view our procedures with a new mindset and allowed us to ask 1. How can we remove inefficiencies? 2. How can we reduce risk to service delivery? And 3. How can we run a “lean” business that will provide true value to our clients?
The first point that Lean Six Sigma teaches us is that there is little sense in commencing an improved efficiency project without a strategy and clearly defined goals and targets. Our targets were based on improving our Key Performance Indicators and providing our clients with absolute satisfaction by guaranteeing excellent quality and deadline achievement.
In May 2013, Project Green was initiated. Our goals included:
· Increase deadline achievement by 2%
· Increase client satisfaction, <2% rated as unsatisfactory
· Increase productivity by 6%
· Reduce absenteeism to <5%
Following our initial scoping of the project, we decided to embark on our Lean Six Sigma adventure! Over the next 3 months, sessions were held to explain why new processes were to be implemented, our team was given training and our internal data was analysed to ensure we could measure success. It didn’t always go smoothly – changing behaviors is hard and change, itself, can sometimes be hard to swallow but we persevered!
The end of the project does not signal the end of the work. Process efficiency only succeeds when the entire team knows the reason why they must complete the task and each individual has the ability to hold each other accountable. The results must be obtainable but still challenging and the end goal of providing value must always be at top of mind.
A surprise gain as a result, was the new-found skills in the leadership team; confidently being able to discuss process efficiency and challenge ways of doing things. “Let’s map it!” has become a regular phase, particularly when rolling out new services or implementing a new way of working.
We are now working with a range of law firms to map internal processes. The end result may not be outsourcing but it will mean that the objectives of each support function are defined and agreed upon. Without this necessary step, outsourcing is more difficult than it need be. Most of our current clients are looking at modest savings of 15%, we believe double of this is achievable in most law firm environments, especially when deployed using workflow technology.
Written by Elizabeth Albery, Associate Director and Head of Shared Services at Exigent Group Limited.
