THE CLIENT
This regional Canadian law firm, with offices in Alberta and the Northwest Territories, has been providing legal services for over a century. It specializes in areas like business law, litigation, labor and employment, and insurance, serving industries such as energy, healthcare, and education. Known for its client-focused approach, the firm delivers tailored legal solutions and is committed to community involvement through pro bono work and charitable support. With a reputation for legal excellence, it combines traditional expertise with innovative strategies to navigate modern legal challenges.
THE CHALLENGE
The firm was experiencing difficulties with consistent execution and transparency in its core operational processes, directly impacting client satisfaction and profitability. Inefficiencies in procedures like billing and managing annual returns led to delays, errors, and a lack of clarity for both clients and firm members.
Recognizing the need to address these issues, the firm set out to analyze, document, and understand its existing workflows. The goal was to identify bottlenecks, eliminate redundancies, and improve resource utilization and overall efficiency within their core processes.
Dura Digital's Business Growth team was engaged to facilitate this transformation. Collaborating closely with leaders and clerks across the firm, they conducted an in-depth analysis of the billing and annual return processes. Through workshops, interviews, and process mapping, they gathered valuable insights that led to actionable recommendations. This partnership was pivotal in driving process enhancements that aligned with the firm's strategic objectives and commitment to excellence.
THE SOLUTION
The project's success was achieved through a blend of hands-on analysis and collaboration with key client team members:
Job Shadowing
Our Business Growth team member immersed themselves in the firm's daily operations by job shadowing key staff, gaining first-hand insight into challenges within the billing and annual return processes.
Interviews
We conducted interviews with leaders and clerks across departments, uncovering inconsistencies and transparency issues impacting client satisfaction and profitability.
Process Mapping
By mapping the core processes, we highlighted bottlenecks, inconsistencies, and redundancies, providing clarity on process complexities for stakeholders.
Data Analysis
Reviewing operational and billing data allowed us to identify trends and quantify the impact of inefficiencies, grounding our recommendations in data.
Collaborative Recommendations
We met with firm leaders to turn our analysis into actionable recommendations aligned with their goals and that were feasible to implement.
Phased Implementation
Starting with the annual returns process for immediate improvements, we then applied lessons learned to optimize the billing process, enhancing core operations cohesively.
THE RESULT
The collaboration yielded immediate benefits in understanding and planning for operational improvements:
Enhanced Transparency
Through detailed process mapping, the firm gained clear visibility into its billing and annual return procedures. This transparency highlighted bottlenecks and inconsistencies, providing a solid foundation for targeted improvements.
Actionable Recommendations
The analysis resulted in practical recommendations tailored to the firm's specific needs. These suggestions offer a roadmap for enhancing efficiency, consistency, and client satisfaction within core processes.
Improved Staff Alignment
Engaging leaders and clerks in interviews fostered greater staff involvement and awareness. This collaborative approach promoted alignment across departments regarding challenges and potential solutions.
Data-Driven Insights
Reviewing operational data provided quantitative insights into process inefficiencies. These insights equip the firm to prioritize initiatives and allocate resources effectively. Recommendations included opportunities to enhance the billings process and cycle time from submission to payment, with the goal of improving profitability of the service.
Foundation for Future Implementation
By thoroughly understanding current processes and identifying areas for improvement, the firm is now well-prepared to implement changes that can enhance profitability and client satisfaction. The groundwork laid by the analysis positions the firm to make informed decisions moving forward.
Leverage Existing Technology
Extracting full value of available technologies within the firm would ensure maximum value from technology investments, reduced manual tasks, risk management of potential human errors, consistency in process execution, and optimization of the overall process.
Monitoring, Reporting & Management of Workload
Utilization of technology offers capabilities to report on work throughput, early warning of backlogs, ability to re-distribute workload, training and retraining of resources not meeting throughput thresholds, improved client satisfaction based on filing efficiencies, and profitability assessment of the service.
Services Provided
- Businesses Analysis
- Business Strategy
- Process Automation