Global Law Firm Taps legal360 to Modernize CRM and Unlock Relationship Intelligence
An international law firm with over three decades of experience across real estate, corporate, construction, and finance has selected legal360 to modernize its CRM strategy—transforming static contact data into dynamic, firmwide relationship intelligence.
About
For more than 30 years, this international firm’s lawyers have been advising clients on real estate, corporate, construction, employment, banking, IP/IT, and infrastructure matters.
Challenge: Low adoption of an outdated, underperforming CRM.
Despite the firm's commitment to providing business-focused advice, its CRM system wasn't supporting its goal of becoming more relationship-focused. The Head of Marketing Operations, who was the firm’s project lead, outlined several challenges that prompted the search for an updated CRM solution. The existing on-premises system was not only facing obsolescence but was also difficult to use and generally disliked by end-users, hampering buy-in to deliver true customer relationship management. Additionally, data was poorly managed, and inefficient processes added a significant administrative burden.
In short, the firm needed a comprehensive solution to serve as a reliable relationship intelligence hub. "We knew in business development that with a good CRM system and processes in place, it can support the business tremendously," remarked the project lead. The firm sought a solution capable of fulfilling this role, understanding that a good CRM system and processes could greatly benefit the business.
The Technology You Need.
The Team That Sees It Through.
Seamless integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Microsoft platform, providing a familiar user interface and compatibility with tools like Outlook.
Out-of-the-box functionality for law firms which they described as a "legal wrapper" around Dynamics 365
legal360 emerged as a surprisingly cost-effective solution that provided the firm with a good foundation without compromising on quality.
But good software only gets you part of the way there. The project lead at the firm was quick to point out that the collaboration with HSO was a big part of the success of the project. Even with challenges faced during the project, including budget constraints, the project lead praised the HSO team for its responsiveness, creativity, problem-solving skills, and commitment. "I can't rate them as a project team any higher. It's been an absolute pleasure working with them."
Knowing that change management would be critical, the firm’s project team was careful to involve end-user stakeholders. A meticulous business requirements exercise involved focus groups, where participants weren’t asked what they wanted in a CRM, but what they needed in terms of data and reporting to support their business development activities and relationships.
With a very tight deadline imposed by the end of support for their on-premises solution, the HSO and client teams went live with legal360 in under a year. This isn’t something the Head of Marketing Operations at the firm would recommend normally, but the teams collaborated closely while staying flexible and creative to meet the deadline.
"It was a no-brainer. Why wouldn't we take the legal360 solution?"
Benefits: A “profound” understanding of client relationships
According to the firm’s project lead, “legal360 is leaps and bounds ahead of what we had before." The firm’s CRM strategy, supported by legal360, is already delivering benefits:
Smarter business decisions: legal360 is primed to empower the firm to make smarter business decisions regarding relationships and business development activities, focusing efforts where they will have the greatest impact.
Targeted engagement: Understanding engagement data will enable the firm to be more targeted in its approach, delivering content and services more aligned with clients' interests and needs.
Client-centric approach: The ultimate goal is to provide clients (both current and future) with a more personalized, tailored experience. legal360 will enable the firm to surface content that is highly relevant to clients, meeting their specific needs.
Enhanced relationship understanding: Given the firm's size and the significance of institutional clients, understanding relationships is vital. “Without a profound understanding of relationships, delivering value and meeting client expectations becomes much more difficult,” said the firm’s project lead.
Trusted advisor role: The project lead also said, most law firms have a common aspiration: “to be trusted advisors and have a seat at the table.” The only way to achieve this is to have a deep understanding of client relationships, which is what legal360 is primed to be able to deliver.
Lessons Learned: Don’t underestimate the “people” side of the equation.
The Head of Marketing Operations at the firm had some valuable insights to share with firms embarking on similar projects. They emphasized the significance of addressing both the technological and cultural aspects, stressing the need for a long-term commitment to drive behavioral change. They also acknowledged the importance of committing the proper amount of time and resources to the project.
For the firm, implementing legal360 was not just about upgrading technology; it was about transforming the mindset regarding CRM within the firm’s users by demonstrating the power of using data to benefit client relationships.
The goal is to provide clients with more targeted, relevant content and to understand and deliver on their needs better. They concluded, "If you don't understand your relationships, how can you deliver for your relationships? That, for me, is a fundamental principle."
What's Next: Playing the relationship intelligence “long game”.
The firm has ambitious plans for the future, aiming to leverage legal360 as a foundation for cultural and behavioral change within the firm when it comes to relationship intelligence. The firm’s project team has outlined a strategic, long-term approach, emphasizing the importance of playing the "long game" in achieving CRM user adoption and cultural transformation within that realm. The focus will be on gradually building layers of functionality to realize the vision of a go-to, self-serve relationship intelligence hub.
