Are you still listening to Gangnam Style?

Just look at where we were five years ago – cheering on Andy Murray to his first Wimbledon win, celebrating the arrival of Prince George of Cambridge, watching underdogs Wigan Athletic lifting the FA Cup or listening to Gangnam Style in the top 10!

The pace of technology is just as startling. 5 years ago the first Pebble smart watch was launched to the market (with the first Apple watch still two years away). Also 5 years ago, the iPhone 5s had just been released and Google proudly introduced their Google Glasses. It’s hard to imagine any of those technologies as current now and some of them are almost entirely obsolete!

If you look back at your law firm 5 years ago, I’m sure you would see significant changes in staff, in requirements, perhaps in funding arrangements and even in areas of law.

It is therefore surprising when firms enter in to lengthy software agreements with their suppliers. You wouldn’t sign a mobile phone contract for 3 or 5 years because you know that technologies change. So why do that with business solutions for your law firm? It’s sad to see software companies attempting to tie their customers in to long term deals with the promise of discounts or deals. In these situations, you have to wonder who benefits more, the customer who has saved a few pounds or the supplier who now has a captive audience and no incentive to innovate or even keep their service levels up.

We know that firms don’t purchase software with the intention of changing after a short period of time, but what if you have no choice? What if you need to replace your server and find that your software isn’t compatible? What if the company you signed up with gets taken over and the staff you liked dealing with are no longer there? What if the company you signed up with don’t keep up with the pace of change and you’re left with software that is holding you back?

Change is inevitable and businesses that plan for change are already a step ahead of their competitors. If you buy in to a lengthy contract that is difficult to get out of, you could easily find that your business could benefit from developments in the software market sooner than your agreement allows.

Rolling contracts with no long-term commitment give you choices and, as such, the freedom to run your business as you wish. So whether you intend to make changes in the future or you understand that you may need to, don’t let your firm be held back by your software.

To discuss this topic further or the services we can offer, please give us a call on 01252 518939,  email us at info@insightlegal.co.uk or take a look further around our website pages.

Tim Smith, Technical Director at Insight Legal Software Ltd