Repeat after me: “2017 is the year of 2016 migrations!”

This mantra is especially true for small- to mid-size law firms that haven’t had the resources or bandwidth to migrate due to post-recession cut-backs. But if you are still operating on MS Office 2010 (or worse, MS Office 2003 or 2007), now is the time. In fact, it’s now or never because your tech and your team’s capabilities will soon be so outdated that you won’t be able to function or compete.

Why migrate now?

• If you don’t, you will soon lose not only the tech support you desperately need because the world will pass you by, but many of the cloud-based technologies that you would like to add to your workflow processes (LMS, DMS) won’t work with your old operating systems.
• The law firms that have already migrated have a huge advantage over you in sheer productivity levels.
• Your clients are likely already using Office 365 and Office 2016.

Need more evidence that now is the time? Consider this: Office 2016 was built for teamwork! It brings your productivity to a higher level with sharing, co-authoring, mobility and more. Check out some of my favorite features of Office 2016, particularly when purchased through an Office 365 subscription:

• Office 365 Planner: This is a brand new tool and it’s like a virtual project manager. Your teams can create workflows, assign tasks, share files, set due dates and publish status updates.
• Work anywhere on any device: Since your files are stored on the Cloud, you can work from any up-to-date web browser. You don’t have to install the Office software on the computer! You can also use the Office Mobile Apps, so you can use Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and OneDrive from your smartphone or tablet. Imagine the increased productivity if your attorneys can work from anywhere.
• Real-time co-authoring: Your attorneys and staff can collaborate real-time and see one another’s changes, commenting instantaneously so that work can move forward quickly.
• Retrieving the right document: Along the same lines, with Office 2016, you can now be sure that you’re working in the right version of a document thanks to co-authoring features. You can see which changes were made, by whom, and when.
• Skype in-app chatting: Teams across multiple law firm branches can chat, share screens, have audio or video conversations without leaving the other applications they’re working on.
• Turn your spreadsheets into Power Maps: Excel is just getting better and better. It can now create powerful, interactive maps out of data. There are many new ways to analyze, visualize and present data using Excel.
• Easy PDF conversion: Finally, right?

And there’s so much more. Truly, your law firm needs MS Office 2016 as soon as possible.

If you don’t know the “in’s and out’s” of purchasing Office 365 licenses for your law firm, Savvy Training can help! Call or email me to chat about the best MS Office options for your firm. Doug@SavvyTraining.com, 303-800-5408.

Training to Support your Migration to Office 2016

Now, of course, it’s not like you install this and people automatically know how to use all the new features. That’s why you need training support. From pre-launch to launch-day to ongoing help, a good training program will assure that your law firm stays productive and then maximizes the new resources you’ve provided to them.

Savvy Training & Consulting can deliver:

• Pre-Launch Training: Using in-person and web-based delivery methods, we can prepare your team for the changes they’ll see so that they don’t flip their computers on one day and say, “Wait a minute? What IS this?!” From the first time they use Office 2016, they’ll have a working knowledge of how to access their work and keep it moving forward.
• Launch-Day/Week/Month Training: Once you launch the new software, your team will require transition assistance. We can deliver in-class, in-person, web-based and “roving training” (walking the halls to answer questions on the fly) throughout your office and in every branch so that productivity doesn’t dip. (Check out the innovative DMS rollout we did with Moye White.)
• Ongoing Training: Once your team is up-to-speed and working well on MS Office 2016, we can provide ongoing training support through monthly classes, webinars, virtual help desk assistance and more. (Note: If you have the SavvyAcademy LMS, you’ll have access to continuously updated training materials that your lawyers and staff can access at the press of a button.)
• Custom-Tailored Training: Throughout every step of the process, Savvy trainers know how to read people. They won’t cover material that’s redundant to what your team already knows and they’ll listen to what your team needs, tailoring their approach every step of the way.

And guess what else: clients love us:

“[The technology consultants] trained the administrators on the system and I could tell that they were just checking boxes off a list when they trained us,” says Brad Crook, Director of Information Technology at Moye White. “Savvy offers much more comprehensive, observant training. They work hard to understand how their students are doing. They spend more time on areas where it’s needed and less time if everyone gets it. It’s a much more tailored approach to training.”

It’s no secret that your law firm needs to migrate to MS Office 2016. The question is how you do it smoothly with minimal frustration and productivity snafus. That’s our job – our expertise – at Savvy Training & Consulting! Would you like to learn more about how to migrate your law firm to Office 2016? Contact me! Let’s brainstorm the best approach for your firm. Doug@SavvyTraining.com, 303-800-5408.