5 Secret Managed Services Activities that Boost ROI and Transform your Firm?s PMS System

The legal landscape has undergone significant change in the last two years. Remote and hybrid work are replacing traditional work models, support staff teams are shrinking, office space is being reconsidered? Today?s law firms look very different from what they did pre-2020.  

One thing that hasn?t changed is the need for a reliable, high-performing practice management system (PMS). 

Many firms are turning to application managed services contracts as a means to achieving this ever-elusive goal. We?re seeing an uptick in this service as firms streamline their workforces and realign their processes to accommodate this new normal.  

As with any legal tech investment, the name of the game is maximum ROI. This holds true for managed services as it does for applications, hardware, cloud computing, etc. We see a lot of firms using managed services as a virtual babysitter; the legal tech provider is viewed as a glorified IT team. However, managed services contracts cover a lot of system-boosting offerings?many of which law firms aren?t aware of! 

So, the question is: 

How can you maximize managed services ROI if you?re not even aware of all the available functions? 

You can?t. 

Many of the unfortunately underused managed services functions we offer have an enormous impact when it comes to creating a reliable, high-performing PMS. Firms are missing out! And paying the price not only in today?s system performance, but also in the system?s future readiness.  

Here are five managed services offerings we see law firms overlooking that greatly improve PMS performance and increase managed services ROI. You need to take advantage of them to extract as much utility as you can from your PMS. 

1. Functional testing 

System testing is a huge speed bump for law firms. We see firms avoiding upgrades and implementations because they don?t have testing capacity. Instead, they cling to their outdated system missing out on new functionalities, new technologies (hello cloud computing), and improved security measures.  

Out of all the system testing available, functional testing is among the biggest. It ensures your application does everything you expect it to do correctly. Functional testing ensures workflow and productivity remain on track with minimal interruptions. And yet, most law firms don?t have the time or personnel to perform functional testing. This leaves the firm with two options: risk purchasing a new untested system or stick with the old, familiar (yet outdated and inadequate) system. Neither are optimal solutions. 

Under a managed services contract, functional testing becomes a more manageable lift. The managed services provider brings those two key elements?time and personnel?to the table, taking the majority of the workload off the firm?s internal team.  

Keep in mind, functional testing isn?t a process that can (or should) be shouldered by the managed services provider 100%, but their input greatly accelerates the process. For example, the managed services provider can confirm whether a customization works, but firm personnel must validate the customization?s appropriateness and accuracy. The managed services provider can shoulder the majority of the functional testing work, but the work is a collaboration between provider and firm personnel.  

Managed services promote this provider?firm partnership, which can reduce functional testing time from months to weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the firm. Including functional testing in your managed services contract gives your firm the freedom to maintain an updated system without the apprehension associated with buying a new, untried system or sticking with an old system?both options carry potential vulnerabilities that can be exploited. 

2. System maintenance 

System maintenance seems like an obvious managed services activity, right? So why is it included here? Because numerous lesser-known system maintenance activities can move your system beyond mere consistent, predictable performance to a clean, agile infrastructure. 

For example, regular SQL Server checks bring behind-the-scenes improvements that significantly impact system health. Although SQL is a universal platform, your firm?s queries, indexes, and workloads, etc. are not. They?re unique. Including monthly SQL Server reviews in your managed services package gives you the opportunity to fine tune your SQL Server parameters and adjust them to your needs and goals. From tailoring indexes to repairing poorly constructed queries, this simple managed services addition allows your firm to sidestep costly repairs and performance issues.  

Other proactive system maintenance activities include: 

• Historical data cleanup. Many law firms don?t have or use a systemized data retention policy. The result is huge amounts of outdated data clogging the system and hindering its performance. Managed services teams can establish a scheduled protocol for removing this historical data before it gets unwieldy and causes larger problems. 
• General application maintenance. Day-to-day activities result in myriad small issues that users bypass or forget in the workday hustle and bustle. These seemingly inconsequential issues accumulate over time and eventually impact system performance and the user experience if left untended. For instance, error messages that go unaddressed eventually cause major interruptions. Incorporating general application maintenance into managed services agreements is an opportunity to analyze these small issues and address them before they get out of hand. 
• Instance cloning. Copying or cloning data is a common safeguarding practice in law firms. It ensures a data backup exists. Although this is a seemingly straightforward process, cloning data and re-installing it correctly isn?t as cut and dry as many users think. Adding instance cloning to your managed services contract ensures you have a working data clone, that it will be re-installed correctly, and, most importantly, that the application will continue to function properly after the clone is live.  

• Full system operation. True system health includes more than ensuring you have clean data, working customizations, and updated applications. A deeper layer to your tech infrastructure exists, and it is frequently neglected or dismissed. A prime example is load balancer analysis. In-house IT teams may check and balance on-prem loads, but neglect applying analysis to off-prem servers and nodes. Managed services teams can do this deeper dive, which ensures every level of your system is operating optimally. Over time, this results in fewer disruptions and a brings better ROI to your tech investment.