Your firm is ready for change. You’ve researched financial management platforms, attended demonstrations, and chosen a front runner. But are you prepared for the data conversion itself?
The data conversion process can make or break your change experience. And hanging on to your historical data isn’t just necessary for ongoing work. It also impacts recordkeeping compliance and creates opportunities to track trends over time.
With thoughtful preparation, your data conversion can be seamless. Work hums along with few interruptions, and revenue keeps rolling in.
Conversion preparation has technical and human elements
Many firms (and software companies) focus intensely on the technical aspects of conversion when adopting new financial management software, and it’s important to do so. But it’s also important to tend to the human aspect.
Preparing for technical success
Working with your new software vendor, you’ll need to answer the following questions:
- Which data must be converted? Which data is nice to have, but not required? Is there any data that shouldn’t be converted?
- What data will the current vendor allow you to convert? What fees, if any, are involved?
- What data can the new vendor convert?
- If critical or nice-to-have data can’t be converted, how will the firm access that data?
- Will the data need to be cleaned up before conversion? The vendor, your staff, or both might participate in cleanup.
Preparing for the human aspect
No matter what financial management platform you choose, there will be a variety of reactions. Some people will embrace it. Some will be neutral. Others will push back. You can prepare people for change and build buy in by:
- Making sure all impacted groups are represented on the software committee. By doing so, you can assess needs more accurately and address concerns faster.
- As early as possible, develop change champions in impacted departments. A well-rounded software committee offers ready-made champions.
- Also early in the process, create a communications plan. Communicating early and often about the process can ease the transition. In addition to all-firm communications, consider sharing information with each constituency that speaks to their specific needs.
- Engage openly with questions and concerns. Just listening thoughtfully and sharing the thinking behind your decisions can build goodwill.
Data conversion has 3 major stages
1. Planning for success
Planning your conversion is a collaborative process. In addition to the technical and human elements noted in the previous section, you and your vendor must sort out:
- What technical information is needed to plan the conversion.
- The timing that’s least disruptive to your workflows (e.g., not at month or year end).
- Which individuals on your staff will be involved and how it will impact their work.
- Logistical issues if vendor personnel will be on-site.
- Training schedules and plans for ongoing support.
2. Implementing the conversion
The new vendor will copy your data and prepare it for conversion. That may include changing how it is formatted or organized, or cleaning up the data.
When the data is ready, the vendor should do a test conversion. That way, you can verify that the conversion went as expected without impacting live data. Once everything is working properly in the test environment, the new system can go live.
After go-live, the vendor will conduct more tests, and then the new platform will be ready to use. In some cases, you may run your old system and the new system in tandem for a time.
Note: The first month-end close-out following conversion is crucial. Your vendor should provide extra support in case problems arise.
3. Ongoing training and support
Training for core back-office staff usually starts before or during conversion, since they will likely participate in testing. For other staff, training typically happens around the time of conversion. The vendor should provide self-serve documentation as well.
After conversion is complete, you’ll need support for the new platform. It’s also possible you’ll retain limited access to your old platform for historical data that cannot be converted.
Data conversion checklist for law firms
- Check your existing vendor’s data transfer rules and fees.
- Start cultivating champions right away. Aim to cover all departments.
- Create a communications plan with a clear path for feedback and questions.
- Participate actively in the planning and testing process.
- Ensure your attorneys and staff get adequate training and ongoing support.
- When evaluating new vendors:
- Ask them to describe their conversion process.
- Find out if you own your data (for any future conversion).
- Learn about post-conversion support.
- Request and check references.
Orion: Your partner in change
If you’re ready for a change, consider what Orion can offer your firm (in addition to our exceptional enterprise law firm financial management platform):
- A veteran conversion team that has done hundreds of successful conversions, moving data from 50+ different platforms.
- A seasoned, dedicated project manager who personally handles your conversion and is physically present in your office during major conversion events.
- Exhaustive testing, in partnership with your team, to make sure everything is working exactly as planned.
- Easy-to-learn interface and efficient training on real work (with appropriate safeguards).
- Exceptional service before, during, and after conversion.
Ready to learn more? Sign up for a demo today.