Plan a Successful Microsoft Office Rollout

Anyone getting ready for a marathon is ill-advised to just turn up on race day and hope for the best. The same is true for a software rollout. Whether it's making sure you don't start having leg cramps come mile 20 of the marathon, or realize you are completely burning out existing help desk resources with new (just implemented) software questions, there's a common denominator: You have to plan, get fit and train for the go-live day, and most importantly execute on your game plan and training.

Plan: Ask the Right Questions

It seems obvious that call volumes will increase during any legal software rollout. Case in point, Intelliteach's recently published “User Support Guru Guide for Legal Help Desk Metrics & Key Performance Indicators” states that firms that implemented new
major software applications, i.e., Microsoft Office, saw call volumes increase by an average of 42%. So before you start, analyze your call volumes from the four months prior to the pilot to find your average calls-per-user-per-month (take your total head count and multiply by two; that should be a reasonable estimate of monthly ticket volume) and keep measuring for at least three months after the last user is up and running on the new software.

With increased call volumes being a major challenge during software upgrades, it is important to understand why. Are all your calls getting logged with your help desk? Do you have a centralized or decentralized help desk? Do you have some local on-site support? Do all locations log all their calls? Do users bypass the help desk? Are you getting a true picture of your call volume?

Now that there's a better base understanding of call volumes, consider the impact of an upgrade and how it will affect the help desk's long-term user satisfaction, software adoption ' and sanity. It makes sense to look at viable options of managing such volume increases. Some of these include:

Do nothing. Maybe the answer is doing nothing. However, you should be aware ' and make the project team aware ' that if you continue with the same staffing levels, and call volume increases by 42%, then the live rate will drop by 25%. This will undoubtedly lead to help desk frustration and dissatisfied users.

Floor support. Some firms choose to bring in additional floor support staff or ask the help desk staff to perform a floor support role and backfill the help desk. Think about who you choose to use in this capacity. While the willingness to serve as an “ambassador” for the new system by maintaining a positive and upbeat attitude is important, having analysts who are experts on the product, as well as legal experts, is equally critical.

Increase help desk staffing. Consider using an overflow service or recruiting additional help desk staff already well experienced in Microsoft Office 2010 and other law firm technologies.

Avoid burning out help desk staff. Will you be able to accommodate short-term leave or unplanned absences during a rollout?

While there is a lot to consider when preparing the legal help desk for a major software rollout, the salient points below will provide hands-on tips and techniques to try out or integrate into existing plans immediately.

Identify Pain Points

Before you start rolling out a new version of Microsoft Office, understand your current pain points. Look back at past ticket history, review call reports by category and understand if users struggle with outline numbering or whether there are specific Word templates that continuously “break.” Are there areas where users need refresher training? Do you need to lay the basic building blocks of working with Word documents? How easy are your toolbars to navigate? Can the help desk suggest some rationalization as users convert to the new ribbon interface? If you are supporting multiple locations, review the per-user ticket volumes across locations to see if there are significant discrepancies? Does one office have a much higher ticket-to-user ratio? This could indicate that users avoid using the help desk, or that there are specific issues in that office (i.e., network, non-compliance with style guidelines, etc). Do you currently survey your users? What can you learn from that data?

Increase User Communication

Continue to get feedback from users. Consider a survey, not just on every call logged, but survey users on their rollout experience. Pilot the survey the same as you would pilot the rollout.

Make use of user focus groups. Get users involved at the beginning of the rollout ' before you get to the pilot stage. Get them engaged in the decision-making process. However, do not underestimate the importance of transparency in decision-making.
Set the expectations of your user group so that they understand what decisions they can influence, and work with project managers internally to recommend the best fit of “sample” users. Also, in the spirit of better user communication, do not underestimate the influence of “power” or “expert” users, so get them involved early on ' they can become your biggest evangelists.

Training User Needs

It is absolutely necessary to focus on core functionality. However, before you can do that, you need to understand what is core functionality, which may vary by practice group and user type. Be wary of showcasing every new function available in Microsoft Office 2010. It is important to understand how both fee earners and support staff work in individual practices and what features they use on a day-to-day basis. Does the attorney who only ever reads documents on screen really need to understand how to insert citations? The help desk knows your users better than anyone ' leverage that knowledge.

Brand and Promote the Project

When a firm is making a major improvement to its technology, it can be useful to brand the project since it helps to unite communication efforts around a specific, easily remembered theme. When promoting the rollout, don't just tell users about the great new features, think about the strategic issues that relate to business goals, for example, business benefits of the technology, how the project fits into the firm's overall business strategy ' how the project relates to increasing profitability and improving the firm's competitive position relative to acquisition, and maintenance of clients and staff.

Manage Feedback

Make sure users know they are being heard. Consider a specific feedback mailbox. (It is essential, however, that this mailbox is addressed on a timely basis, and not just with generic responses.) Promote the feedback mailbox in all your help desk communications. For example, customize signatures for all IT staff ' “give us your feedback on the new Office 2010″ ' and include a link on your help desk intranet page or at the bottom of call surveys. Make sure the help desk has a complete list of frequently asked questions and workarounds and that the list is updated regularly. The help desk is your frontline and communicates with users on a day-to-day basis.

Conclusion

Involving the help desk in any software rollout is essential because no IT team knows the users better and interacts with them more frequently. Call volumes will go up, but by how much? By reviewing past rollout volumes, identifying critical user pain points and communicating your strategy step-by-step, you can pave the way for a smooth implementation. Once you have finished your rollout, reflect on how it went ' what worked well and what could be improved upon the next time.

Anyone getting ready for a marathon is ill-advised to just turn up on race day and hope for the best. The same is true for a software rollout. Whether it's making sure you don't start having leg cramps come mile 20 of the marathon, or realize you are completely burning out existing help desk resources with new (just implemented) software questions, there's a common denominator: You have to plan, get fit and train for the go-live day, and most importantly execute on your game plan and training.

Plan: Ask the Right Questions

It seems obvious that call volumes will increase during any legal software rollout. Case in point, Intelliteach's recently published “User Support Guru Guide for Legal Help Desk Metrics & Key Performance Indicators” states that firms that implemented new
major software applications, i.e., Microsoft Office, saw call volumes increase by an average of 42%. So before you start, analyze your call volumes from the four months prior to the pilot to find your average calls-per-user-per-month (take your total head count and multiply by two; that should be a reasonable estimate of monthly ticket volume) and keep measuring for at least three months after the last user is up and running on the new software.

With increased call volumes being a major challenge during software upgrades, it is important to understand why. Are all your calls getting logged with your help desk? Do you have a centralized or decentralized help desk? Do you have some local on-site support? Do all locations log all their calls? Do users bypass the help desk? Are you getting a true picture of your call volume?

Now that there's a better base understanding of call volumes, consider the impact of an upgrade and how it will affect the help desk's long-term user satisfaction, software adoption ' and sanity. It makes sense to look at viable options of managing such volume increases. Some of these include:

Do nothing. Maybe the answer is doing nothing. However, you should be aware ' and make the project team aware ' that if you continue with the same staffing levels, and call volume increases by 42%, then the live rate will drop by 25%. This will undoubtedly lead to help desk frustration and dissatisfied users.

Floor support. Some firms choose to bring in additional floor support staff or ask the help desk staff to perform a floor support role and backfill the help desk. Think about who you choose to use in this capacity. While the willingness to serve as an “ambassador” for the new system by maintaining a positive and upbeat attitude is important, having analysts who are experts on the product, as well as legal experts, is equally critical.

Increase help desk staffing. Consider using an overflow service or recruiting additional help desk staff already well experienced in Microsoft Office 2010 and other law firm technologies.

Avoid burning out help desk staff. Will you be able to accommodate short-term leave or unplanned absences during a rollout?

While there is a lot to consider when preparing the legal help desk for a major software rollout, the salient points below will provide hands-on tips and techniques to try out or integrate into existing plans immediately.

Identify Pain Points

Before you start rolling out a new version of Microsoft Office, understand your current pain points. Look back at past ticket history, review call reports by category and understand if users struggle with outline numbering or whether there are specific Word templates that continuously “break.” Are there areas where users need refresher training? Do you need to lay the basic building blocks of working with Word documents? How easy are your toolbars to navigate? Can the help desk suggest some rationalization as users convert to the new ribbon interface? If you are supporting multiple locations, review the per-user ticket volumes across locations to see if there are significant discrepancies? Does one office have a much higher ticket-to-user ratio? This could indicate that users avoid using the help desk, or that there are specific issues in that office (i.e., network, non-compliance with style guidelines, etc). Do you currently survey your users? What can you learn from that data?

Increase User Communication

Continue to get feedback from users. Consider a survey, not just on every call logged, but survey users on their rollout experience. Pilot the survey the same as you would pilot the rollout.

Make use of user focus groups. Get users involved at the beginning of the rollout ' before you get to the pilot stage. Get them engaged in the decision-making process. However, do not underestimate the importance of transparency in decision-making.
Set the expectations of your user group so that they understand what decisions they can influence, and work with project managers internally to recommend the best fit of “sample” users. Also, in the spirit of better user communication, do not underestimate the influence of “power” or “expert” users, so get them involved early on ' they can become your biggest evangelists.

Training User Needs

It is absolutely necessary to focus on core functionality. However, before you can do that, you need to understand what is core functionality, which may vary by practice group and user type. Be wary of showcasing every new function available in Microsoft Office 2010. It is important to understand how both fee earners and support staff work in individual practices and what features they use on a day-to-day basis. Does the attorney who only ever reads documents on screen really need to understand how to insert citations? The help desk knows your users better than anyone ' leverage that knowledge.

Brand and Promote the Project

When a firm is making a major improvement to its technology, it can be useful to brand the project since it helps to unite communication efforts around a specific, easily remembered theme. When promoting the rollout, don't just tell users about the great new features, think about the strategic issues that relate to business goals, for example, business benefits of the technology, how the project fits into the firm's overall business strategy ' how the project relates to increasing profitability and improving the firm's competitive position relative to acquisition, and maintenance of clients and staff.

Manage Feedback

Make sure users know they are being heard. Consider a specific feedback mailbox. (It is essential, however, that this mailbox is addressed on a timely basis, and not just with generic responses.) Promote the feedback mailbox in all your help desk communications. For example, customize signatures for all IT staff ' “give us your feedback on the new Office 2010″ ' and include a link on your help desk intranet page or at the bottom of call surveys. Make sure the help desk has a complete list of frequently asked questions and workarounds and that the list is updated regularly. The help desk is your frontline and communicates with users on a day-to-day basis.

Conclusion

Involving the help desk in any software rollout is essential because no IT team knows the users better and interacts with them more frequently. Call volumes will go up, but by how much? By reviewing past rollout volumes, identifying critical user pain points and communicating your strategy step-by-step, you can pave the way for a smooth implementation. Once you have finished your rollout, reflect on how it went ' what worked well and what could be improved upon the next time.