Going Lean: Law Firm Training in Lean Times

By Doug Striker, CEO, Savvy Training & Consulting

Mid-size firms are facing tremendous pressures in today’s marketplace and trainers are being asked to do more with less. Firms are tasked by discerning clients to keep their fees low, which means firms are pushing for greater and greater efficiency to pull more value out of every dollar. Meanwhile trainers are facing increased training demands, which have moved from cyclical training seasons to ongoing, on-demand trainings for current employees and new hires.

Fortunately, technology and training systems are evolving to support you better! Consider the following:

• Cloud-based learning management systems take pressure off your need to constantly update your systems.
• Subscriptions mean that you don’t have to invest time and money in content upgrades.

Additionally, these systems enable you to provide much more impactful trainings:

• Robust LMS systems enable you to target your trainings down to individual users, assessing their current skills and assigning trainings that perfectly match their needs.
• You can then focus your in-person trainings on firm-wide gaps of knowledge, assuring that your classroom trainings achieve maximum results.
• You can also shift your entire firm’s learning culture to one of e-learning, personalized learning, just-in-time learning and flipped learning.
• Finally, with an LMS that enables you to track results down to individual users, you can reward proficiency in employees who have advanced their skills.

What Should You Look For in an LMS?

Mid-size firms do not have the resources (time or financial) to work with separate hardware and software vendors who create one-of-a-kind, proprietary learning management systems. And, truthfully, that process is rapidly becoming outdated as systems move into the cloud.

Here’s what you should look for in an LMS:

• Cloud-based: Get a cloud-based LMS that your team does not have to administer.
• Subscription-based: Forget the hassle of managing your own LMS updates. Let the provider do it for you. Buy a subscription and let someone else do the work.
• Continuous updates: With your subscription, you should receive continuous updates to the training content, particularly in areas that your firm desperately needs during its merger.
• Top-notch customer service: If you’re relying on a provider to support your training needs, make sure that provider is Johnny-on-the-spot with helpful, pleasant assistance when you need it.

Shameless Plug

Now, here’s why I believe the SavvyAcademy LMS is the very best option for mid-size firms:

• No annual capital expense for hardware or software licenses. You invest nothing in developing and upgrading this legal-specific LMS. We do it for you. You only pay to play. Content updates can be pushed automatically.
• Priced by the seat. You may have 200 people in your law firm but, if you only want 100 to use it, you’re only charged for 100 users.
• Trackable, reportable data down to each individual user. Great for ROI conversations as all activity in the LMS is transparent.
• Complete control and customization for trainers and administrators who need to tailor their continuing education to individual attorneys or non-lawyers, from new hires to seasoned legal eagles. From voluntary “just-in-time” training, to instructor-led classroom-based training to learning paths – you control the “flow.”
• Subscription includes the SavvySMART Content Library. A complete package of all our training materials on a 64 GB flash drive. Our content includes e-learning tutorials, quick reference guides, user and instructor training manuals, self-paced workbooks and over 250 recorded webinars, all specifically for law firms.

But don’t take my word for it! The SavvyAcademy LMS was awarded “Best Services Solution – 2015” by the Denver Biz Tech Expo.

If you’d like to chat further about your training needs or take a free tour of SavvyAcademy LMS, don’t hesitate to call me or email me at: 303-800-5408 or Doug@savvytraining.com.

ABOUT SAVVY

Savvy Training & Consulting works with leading companies and technologies to deliver the most up-to-date training solutions and curricula to law firms. Savvy recently unveiled an award-winning Learning Management System (LMS) for law firms, SavvyAcademyTM, which delivers scalable training capabilities, reportable data down to the individual user and 24/7 support, all for a fraction of the cost of traditional LMS services. For a free demo, click here.