You already know a new legal case management solution is a big investment. Perhaps you have narrowed your options and are almost ready to buy, or maybe you are just beginning your search for legal software. Whatever your situation, you want to ensure your investment will pay off.
Before you choose a new solution, ask your sales representative these questions. Their answers will help steer you to the best case management software for your law firm.
How Much Does Your Solution Really Cost?
Even if you think you already know the answer, don’t skip asking this important question. Case management software advertised prices do not always tell the whole story. These are some common hidden fees among case management providers:
- Training Costs
- Customization Costs
- Customer Support Fees
Even if your law firm is comfortable with these costs, you should still know your solution’s actual costs before making a decision.
What Customer Support Do You Offer?
No matter how intuitive a solution is, there will almost always be a learning curve. You will undoubtedly have questions about your new product. As you learned from asking the last question, some solutions may charge you for support and/or training.
Consider the kind of customer support your law firm will need. Some of the most common forms of help resources include:
- Over-the-phone support
- Email support
- Online help center
- How-to videos
Some companies may outsource their customer support to call centers, while others may have their own employees answer support queries. If possible, obtain a reference from an existing user so you can ask them about their customer service experience.
Will I Need to Customize This Software?
In your demo, some solutions may show you features of the product that have been customized. For example, if you are a personal injury firm, a sales representative may show you fields like date of loss and defendant insurance policy number. Beware: just because you see these fields in your demo does not mean the software will have them right away. Many legal softwares on the market are generic, and will need to be customized to fit your firm’s needs (or just to work like you saw in the demo).
Ensure you are aware of all the customization you will need to make to your software before you purchase it. If it needs customizing, will the provider take care of it, or will someone in your firm have to? If you need to customize it, ask if the provider will train you on how to configure your new program. Does someone at your firm have time to make these changes?
Will You Transfer My Data?
Are you looking to transfer data from your previous case management solution into your new one? If so, find out how much it will cost, how long it will take, and if the transfer can be done at all. How long are you willing to wait to start using your new solution?
How Can I Add More People to My Account?
Especially if your law firm is growing quickly, you don’t want to skip this question. Adding another user to your software can take anywhere from a few minutes to two or more weeks, depending on the legal software solution you choose.
Will I be Stuck in a Contract?
Some case management solutions may try to lock you into a contract for one, two, even five years! While you should expect to use the software you choose for a long time, be certain you’ve chosen the best solution for your firm if you are going to sign a longterm contract. Before you sign anything, ask yourself:
- Have I truly explored all my options?
- Have I seen enough of this solution to know that it will work with my firm?
- Do I want to keep my options open in the future, even if that means losing out on a small discount now?
Not all software companies will make you sign a contract. In fact, some cloud-based case management solutions charge only month-to-month fees. At CASEpeer, we believe that you should use your software because you love it, not because you’re stuck in a contract.
Congratulations! Now that you know the answers to these questions, you are better educated than most legal professionals who invest in legal case management software. We hope you find the solution that is right for your firm.
CASEpeer is secure a case management solution designed for personal injury attorneys. From intake to settlement, our robust features help law firms become more proactive and powerful. Our goal is to help your law firm grow. For more legal technology and practice management advice, visit our blog.
