CLIENT RESULTS
Results speak louder than anything else. We have summarized several client engagements and the results from our recommendations and participation in their change process. Learn more about what we do by seeing what we have done.
Transforming a California Law Firm
Opportunity
An Orange County California law firm with combined legal experience of more than 50 years was experiencing difficulty with operations management, slow-paying clients (some who were attempting to avoid payment for services rendered), clients who habitually issued NSF checks, lack of adequate branding, office management, inexperienced office personnel, and case overload. Senior leaders complained about the workplace environment becoming more stressful, and concerns about turnover.
Their overhead was excessively high and their office was located in an area that was inconvenient for clients and employees. The firm was also located a great distance from the majority of court houses that the lawyers frequented throughout the week. All of these pressures began to weigh heavily on the firm financially. Their firm had become relaxed on many administrative processes that were causing delays and errors that could ultimately impact the firm and its clients in a negative way.
Their overhead was excessively high and their office was located in an area that was inconvenient for clients and employees. The firm was also located a great distance from the majority of court houses that the lawyers frequented throughout the week. All of these pressures began to weigh heavily on the firm financially. Their firm had become relaxed on many administrative processes that were causing delays and errors that could ultimately impact the firm and its clients in a negative way.
Approach
We collaborated with the firm to overhaul operations, create a system for management, establish a client billing and collections system, reduce overhead, develop an improved filing and case management system, re-organization of the internal offices (de-cluttering and organization), and create a brand presence through website development and other marketing efforts.
Recommendations
We recommended that the firm:
- Re-train and re-align current personnel to the mission, vision, and purpose of the firm, their role within the firm, and the processes of client engagement, relations, and retention
- Recruit, hire and train qualified legal assistants and an office manager (to make sure the firm ran seamlessly even when the senior lawyer was not present. We helped in the process of recruiting and training staff. We worked onsite establishing the role of the office manager so that a new person could easily be trained on the new systems and processes. This same model employee framework was implemented before recruiting other office personnel.
- Implement a new billing and payment process. Clients were notified of the changes in advance, they received an explanation of billable hours, and the collections process for slow-paying clients as well as clients who habitually submitted NSF checks.
- Client relations model created for better engagement, communication, and focus on stakeholder needs.
- Design of an operations manual to be used by the office manager and all front office personnel, which outlined every detail about the firm, its vendors, accounts, and day-to-day operations processes.
- Updating of current filing system with a digital cross-referencing system for easy access.
- Development of a website and marketing materials, that provided a greater presence while still remaining conservative. Marketing efforts were not necessarily for greater "reach" but to allow prospective clients, lawyers, and employees to learn more about the firm and its areas of specialty.
- Phone system voicemail setup establishing a warmer "feel" to callers.
- Organizing case files for current and past trials
- Storage of archived cases both digitally and hard-copy (within a physical off-site storage unit)
- Reduce overhead by relocating to an office building with lower costs, freeway accessible, greater accessibility by clients, and access to more resources including court houses.
Results
The firm implemented the changes.
- They allowed us to establish the model employee framework that would be used for all recruitment and training cycles. They saw an improvement in securing qualified and quality personnel, greater employee buy-in and engagement, lower turnover, and improved workplace environment.
- Implemented the billing and payment process (recovering several clients late and NSF payments). This new process allowed for them to significantly reduce future collection issues, and avoid having to deal with slow-paying clients who were attempting to get legal representation without compensating the firm.
- The operations manual became the firm's go-to guide and helped not only the front office personnel, but even the lawyers who were being trained on the firm's systems, policies, and procedures. The senior lawyer said that his staff called him, "less often throughout the day asking various questions, because they had all of the information they needed at their fingertips" .
- The new filing and storage systems allowed for greater efficiency, ease of use, and accessibility.
- The website and marketing materials provided greater exposure, and allowed prospective clients and employees to research the firm and learn more about their areas of specialty.
- The updated phone system was celebrated by both clients and staff who enjoyed the phone prompt options, the "voice" of the firm, and the image it portrayed.
- The firm relocated to a more affordable location, reducing overhead by more than $80,000 annually.
Piloting and Launching a Global Initiative
Opportunity
A 20-year global nonprofit saw the need to measure the engagement and wellbeing of youth in grades 4-12 to help determine the reasons for the high school dropout rate (in the U.S.). Entering from the ground level of this process it was quickly realized that although we could pilot the process of pre and post polling of students, and having them engage with community role models during auditorium-style forums, there was a missing component---what mechanism could be inserted into a school program to help reduce the rate of students dropping out each year?
After seeing a pitch competition in Atlanta, Georgia, the mechanism was realized---entrepreneurship. This mechanism would need to be supported by a full-scale program with classroom instruction and extensive role model engagement. The client's CEO had lofty ideas and goals, and desired action over talk---so our role would be more hands on as we helped to design and launch a full-scale program.
After seeing a pitch competition in Atlanta, Georgia, the mechanism was realized---entrepreneurship. This mechanism would need to be supported by a full-scale program with classroom instruction and extensive role model engagement. The client's CEO had lofty ideas and goals, and desired action over talk---so our role would be more hands on as we helped to design and launch a full-scale program.
Approach
We were brought on board to help operationalize the visionary ideas of the nonprofit's CEO, develop a program, execute a 6-18 month pilot, and help to implement the program for full launch Spring 2013. Through this process the goal was to have a full-scale initiative that could be replicated throughout the U.S. and eventually worldwide.
- We worked with several of the nonprofit's teams, and helped to manage their program and product development teams for this initiative.
- We outlined the steps to piloting the program in 7 schools, rolling out the program in phases.
- We outlined the stakeholders who would be involved and impacted by programming and the initiative.
- We developed a strategy for recruiting schools, programs, partners, and volunteers.
- We calculated costs, outlined local, regional, and national deliverables for all phases of development.
- We helped outline the number of staff members needed to operate a program in a given city based on the budget, and a desired school/program outreach goal.
- We helped in three "dry-runs" over the course of 2 months to test (and poll students, teachers, and volunteers about) the efficacy of previously developed curricula, assessments, and processes.
- We worked to determine how many weeks a student would need to work with a Business Role Model after completing classroom instruction and competing in the pitch event.
- The approach and pitch is to equate the students' process like, "Shark Tank for Kids" and adding the "Role model" component
- Developed pitch competition rules and processes.
- Helped to develop the funding process for all pitch competition finalists
- Helped to train the nonprofit's program directors
- Helped to train the volunteers who would be involved as classroom instructors and role models.
- Participated in classroom instruction to test and gauge the ability to successfully execute and replicate the program and processes on a mass scale
- Helped design marketing collateral
- Provided content for blog posts highlighting the work in all phases
Recommendations
We recommended:
- How to operationalize the client's ideas
- A full scale pilot of 12-18 months
- Encouraging and teaching entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship in the curriculum
- That we take part in the development and testing of new curriculum, volunteer training guides, volunteer classroom workbooks (to teach the students), and training materials for the program directors who would be responsible for running the program in their market.
- Youth curriculum be broken down by levels: 1, 2, 3 (which would allow it to not be differentiated by grade level, to prevent embarrassment from students in a higher grade level who had a comprehension level of a lower grade. Ex: 9th graders with 7th grade comprehension would not work out of books designated "Middle School" but rather their books would say "Level II")
- Securing only one school per piloted market (after client expressed the need to not wait for a rollout, but rather having three markets pilot in their cities in staggered periods).
- Co-determined that students would go through an estimated 5 weekly sessions of training, followed by a classroom pitch, then a final round auditorium-style pitch competition. Finalists from the pitch competition would be assigned a Business Role Model to work with them for roughly 6 weeks to help them monetize their business idea, develop a strategic business plan, and launch their business.
- Classroom volunteers needed to have experience in business either as entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, college students majoring in business fields, or college educators specializing in business.
- Business role models needed to be entrepreneurs or Subject Matter Experts, who "walked the walk" and know from experience what it means to start and operate a business.
- Engagement of parents/guardians, school principal, teachers, neighboring small businesses, community leaders, business leaders, and other members of the community.
- Recommended that a minimum of 2 staff persons run the program in each market
- Rollout process by market for years 1 through 5
- Pitching and judging process
- School/program outreach process and all supporting documents
- Creation of a marketable "commercial". We wrote and produced a commercial for the client to post on their website and share during business development efforts.
- Creation of testimonial video capturing students, parents, role models, etc. We helped direct and produce this video which was used by the client on their website and for business development efforts.
- Media outreach to cover the pilot and pitch competition
Results
The entire process (initial engagement through end of pilot) was 18 months (Spring 2012 to Summer 2013). The pilot was deemed a success in all three markets, which triggered a fourth market to immediately begin the process as a spring "dry run".
Students, teachers, and volunteers provided feedback on the curriculum, assessments, program, and the program's processes. This feedback helped us to work with the client to make adjustments and future recommendations.
By teaching both entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, it allowed the 'natural' entrepreneurs to step up and run with their ideas, or to lead teams of intrapreneurs who helped with developing the business idea. Many students who were not interested in pursuing entrepreneurship said they were encouraged to become intrapreneurs within a company, pursue internships and part-time jobs.
The pitch competition in Atlanta was covered by media and the school district (of the piloted school). Footage from the pitch competition along with the commercial and testimonial videos that we produced were used to help market and promote the program nationwide.
The program was officially launched in all phases September 2013 in 4 markets.
The success of the pilot has helped to serve as a "trigger" for executing the full scale national initiative, generate more program funding, an increase in partner and sponsor support for the client, and community buzz---helping bring more exposure through schools and school districts. News of the program has piqued the interest of educators and business leaders in other countries.
Students, teachers, and volunteers provided feedback on the curriculum, assessments, program, and the program's processes. This feedback helped us to work with the client to make adjustments and future recommendations.
By teaching both entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, it allowed the 'natural' entrepreneurs to step up and run with their ideas, or to lead teams of intrapreneurs who helped with developing the business idea. Many students who were not interested in pursuing entrepreneurship said they were encouraged to become intrapreneurs within a company, pursue internships and part-time jobs.
The pitch competition in Atlanta was covered by media and the school district (of the piloted school). Footage from the pitch competition along with the commercial and testimonial videos that we produced were used to help market and promote the program nationwide.
The program was officially launched in all phases September 2013 in 4 markets.
The success of the pilot has helped to serve as a "trigger" for executing the full scale national initiative, generate more program funding, an increase in partner and sponsor support for the client, and community buzz---helping bring more exposure through schools and school districts. News of the program has piqued the interest of educators and business leaders in other countries.
Laying the Foundation for a Construction Company
Opportunity
A startup construction company wanted to position itself to quickly penetrate the marketplace, establish itself as a competitive force, and gain positive exposure.
The company needed required licenses, insurance coverage, organizational structuring, management forms, operations manual, HR processes and paperwork, office equipment, systems setup, administration paperwork, marketing collateral, website, employee training, office personnel, executive training, and other structural components.
The company needed required licenses, insurance coverage, organizational structuring, management forms, operations manual, HR processes and paperwork, office equipment, systems setup, administration paperwork, marketing collateral, website, employee training, office personnel, executive training, and other structural components.
Approach
We decided to collaborate on formalizing a launch of the company as an LLC. We helped to outline all licensing, bonding, and insurance requirements. We helped the client secure all necessary insurance.
We created all necessary forms, filing systems, and helped to oversee the creation of marketing collateral. We developed the HR functions, management model, and model employee framework. We worked to reduce the amount of paper consumed and stored by the company, by scanning then storing all receipts and invoices.
We created all necessary forms, filing systems, and helped to oversee the creation of marketing collateral. We developed the HR functions, management model, and model employee framework. We worked to reduce the amount of paper consumed and stored by the company, by scanning then storing all receipts and invoices.
Recommendations
We recommended:
- Development of operations manual and training of office personnel. We trained their office manager on all administrative functions and processes.
- Site manager to help supervise crew members.
- Part-time social media manager: company, consultant, freelancer, or Intern
- Development and maintenance of a website that not only outlined services, but also displayed the client's equipment and projects worked on (in all phases).
- Securing, organizing, and scanning all receipts and invoices for the client's accounting.
- Collaborating with established companies.
Results
The company successfully launched, secured employees and contractors, maintained desired overhead costs, positioned itself to earn numerous bids on private, city, county, state, and federal projects.
The client has formed healthy working relationships with other construction companies, collaborating on projects, and being referred to other bid opportunities. This has resulted in a substantial increase in revenue.
The client has established social media accounts. We expect execution of our recommendation for a social media manager.
We designed a website for the client. They have kept the site updated with pictures of work performed and all equipment secured over the years.
By scanning all receipts for the client, the client's accounting has remained up-to-date. Establishing this process for 2 years made it easier to train the office manager, so this process could be continued after our project engagement had concluded.
With its current work load and success, the company is encouraged to expand its territory beyond the state of Georgia.
The client has formed healthy working relationships with other construction companies, collaborating on projects, and being referred to other bid opportunities. This has resulted in a substantial increase in revenue.
The client has established social media accounts. We expect execution of our recommendation for a social media manager.
We designed a website for the client. They have kept the site updated with pictures of work performed and all equipment secured over the years.
By scanning all receipts for the client, the client's accounting has remained up-to-date. Establishing this process for 2 years made it easier to train the office manager, so this process could be continued after our project engagement had concluded.
With its current work load and success, the company is encouraged to expand its territory beyond the state of Georgia.