Getting the Most Out of Your RFP Process:
Look for Answers that Gain the Most Advantage
In our search for tips on making your life easier, we do find there are some universal topics that come up more than a few times. One of them is… how do you get the most out of your 3rd-party legal service provider Request for Proposal (RFP) process?
So what are those major considerations we see that affect what questions you should be asking your service provider on your next RFP? They are more self-evident once you have gone through the RFP process a few times, but here are the major considerations a company should keep in mind when evaluating any legal service vendor’s solution:
- Predictable Overall Cost
- Technology & Software Features
- Interface & Configuration
- Client Support
- Collaboration Capability
These are not surprising when you look at our over-saturated legal service vendor market. So how does one get the most out of their RFP process? By knowing who you are looking at, knowing what to ask, and knowing what to look for in their answers. doeLEGAL offers a unique approach to how we answer these tenets in our RFPs because we remain client-focused. This is most evident in our “5 Tenets of Distinction” – to learn about them all, simply go to our website and you will see them all for you to review in depth: www.doelegal.com
- Predictable Overall Cost
The best vendors have all costs on the table from day #1. We at doeLEGAL call our pricing method “Predictable Cost of Ownership” because our clients know their costs right from the start and we stick to it. No nickel-and-diming practices… EVER. Being upfront and honest is the backbone of our corporate culture. It starts at the top and every person will back up that promise!
- Technology & Software Features
Features are one of the first things users evaluate as they explore the new tools in their short-list. We answer this with our “Superior Technology & Software”. How does the program function when it is doing the tasks they need it to perform every day? Speed, efficiency, accuracy, and output are always top priority when buying enterprise-class software. Security is also a big component of this one too. How is the data stored, can it be manipulated to quickly give the information they need, does it improve performance for the company as a whole, does it require customization to work within your own system, etc. These are important questions and the right vendor can answer every one of them in short order. We get to know your needs first and then ensure the solution fits before you employ it!
- Interface & Configuration
Interfaces can be a lot of bells and whistles showing glitzy user interfaces, but show little or no thought or backbone to support them. Configuration capability that evolves with our clients is what we call our process to “Configure to Your Unique World”. This ensures that your solution has the look, feel, and function that you not only need today to make your work better, but also the expandability and capability you didn’t even know you needed yet. By having the full features available in one interface for years to come means you don’t have to change your current process nor do you have to worry about your tools for the years to come because it expands and evolves with you. Having experts handle the interface with other outside vendor software helps get you up-to-speed quickly. Now that is real power at your fingertips!
- Client Support
Support is where you separate the wheat from the chaff. The right vendor can state that they have the right people on the job, but are you truly speaking to the same experts that designed the system you are using today? doeLEGAL’s “Exceptional Client-Focused Support” can! Our support staff were in the trenches with the designers/programmers to ensure the functionality and features are the right tools their clients need to work most effectively and most efficiently. This continues to ensure that the tools remain the most innovative solutions available. When you call, you reach our headquarters, not off-shore. When you ask a question, it is taken by our expert employees, not a computer or phone message system. We are nimble, responsive, and knowledgeable. You want answers; we provide them!
- Collaboration Capability
Having all participants in a matter or legal task share information in one shared environment can alleviate many of the task bottlenecks. Our solutions are “Built on a Foundation of Collaboration”. We see these bottlenecks created when silos of information are stored separately requiring requests to share rather than one combined, hosted location where all data is collected for all parties to share in a common platform. Communication is said to be the key to any good relationship and legal matters are no exception. This collaborative platform promotes shared workload, shared responsibilities, and shared goals. Separate security protocols ensure only the data that should be shared is controlled. This provides unmatched management of matter data.
These 5 Tenets of Distinction are the backbone of our service provider culture. They are what set us apart. We are client focused with a firm hold on what the legal industry has on the horizon. Providing the most honest and up-front pricing model available creates trust between partners that we honor every day. Providing the most advanced, collaborative software for Legal eBilling, Law Firm Case Management, and eDiscovery services is our daily mission. For over 44 years we have been proudly serving the global legal community.
When evaluating your next Legaltech Solution purchase, learn how the LegalTech Buyer’s Guide can help your team ask the right questions and collect the evidence to build a winning case to purchase!
So when you are ready to submit your next RFP, we encourage you to look at the answers you are getting back. Know who you are about to sign with and understand the true nature of the solution. That is the goal of any RFP process, isn’t it? We would be honored to be a part of your next RFP so you can see that our answers ensure you get the most out of your solution now and well into the future. We guarantee that we will earn your business every day!
