The legal industry is facing a number of challenges that require it to adapt to evolving customer expectations and keep up with the rapidly changing pace of technology. As the pressure mounts, law firms are increasingly looking to outsource their first line IT support or total IT support function to a Managed Service Provider (MSP). In this blog, we will explore the challenges that law firms are facing, the difficulties of effectively delivering IT support in-house and the benefits of outsourcing your Service Desk to an MSP.
Law firms are under increasing pressure to deliver high-quality legal services while reducing costs and improving efficiency. This includes finding ways to streamline processes, automate repetitive tasks, and optimise resource allocation. Adding to this pressure, clients now expect personalised and tailored solutions, transparent pricing models, and efficient communication.
Furthermore, from artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to cloud computing and automation, technology is transforming the way legal services are delivered. Not to forget generative AI, which is already disrupting the sector in numerous ways, with no sign of slowing down. This rapid pace of technological change makes it increasingly hard for law firms to keep up, which is vital to staying competitive.
The above challenges cement the importance of the smooth functioning of IT operations. The effectiveness of a law firm's IT support significantly impacts its overall operational efficiency and customer service quality. This is particularly true given that modern legal practices are heavily reliant on sophisticated software tools for case management, documentation, time tracking, billing, and more. Any disruption in these systems can lead to productivity loss, potential data breaches, and impaired client relationships.
Therefore, law firms must ensure robust IT support to keep their technological infrastructure running smoothly, swiftly address any issues that arise, and provide the necessary guidance and assistance to their staff. This, in turn, facilitates seamless business operations and helps law firms to deliver the high-quality, efficient services that their clients expect.
However, delivering effective IT support in-house and running an efficient Service Desk is not simple. IT support is typically not a core competency for a law firm, and often requires a significant investment in staff, training, and equipment. This can be a drain on resources, particularly for smaller firms that are already stretched thin. In addition, IT staff are often pulled in multiple directions, meaning that support requests can languish for hours or even days before being addressed. Key challenges include:
- Costs: providing in-house IT support can be expensive for law firms. It requires hiring and training IT professionals, investing in hardware and software infrastructure, and maintaining up-to-date technology. These costs can strain the firm's budget, especially for smaller firms with limited resources.
- Availability: in-house IT support teams may not always be available round-the-clock or during critical periods. This can lead to delays in resolving IT issues, which can disrupt the firm's operations and affect productivity. Additionally, if the IT staff is overloaded with other tasks, their availability might be compromised.
- Time to resolve issues: resolving IT issues promptly is crucial for law firms to maintain smooth operations. However, in-house IT support may face challenges in addressing problems quickly due to competing priorities or limited resources. Extended downtime can impact client service, employee efficiency, and overall business performance.
- Tech skills shortage: the legal industry requires specialised technical expertise to handle its unique IT requirements. However, there is often a shortage of talented IT professionals with knowledge of legal-specific technologies and regulations. This scarcity of skilled professionals can make it difficult for law firms to find and retain qualified IT staff.
Outsourcing your Service Desk to an MSP can help law firms overcome these challenges. MSPs are specialist companies that offer IT support services, leveraging the economies of scale to drive cost efficiencies. They will seamlessly integrate with your operations, providing a scalable solution that can adapt to changing needs, and are much more cost efficient than hiring and training in-house teams. MSPs will have a highly skilled workforce used to working across industries and technologies, enabling them to provide extensive coverage, quick response times, faster resolution times and a higher degree of accuracy.
When choosing an MSP to outsource IT support to, it is important to consider a number of factors, including experience with the legal industry so they understand your unique requirements and technologies, responsiveness, and SLA adherence to ensure rapid resolving of issues, technical expertise and certifications, track record and cultural fit, so they act as a seamless extension of your internal team.
Read our fact sheet to discover why Advanced are the ideal IT Service Desk provider for your organisation or get in touch to speak with an expert.