Opportunity: This firm, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has a significant national practice with nearly 120 attorneys in two offices. In 2017, the firm engaged Mattern to assist with its outsourcing service needs.
The firm had been with its current vendor for a number of years and was looking to ensure its needs were met in a best-in-class manner. The firm wanted to form a partnership with its outsourcing provider, reduce overall turnover of staff, ensure that onsite staff received the proper training, and ensure the firm received appropriate backfill. The firm wanted to achieve this all while maintaining costs down and entering into a more firm-friendly agreement with detailed performance standards.
While leadership was mostly pleased with its on-site staff, the staff weren’t placed in a position to succeed or given the required training. Further, the provider’s management was not communicating consistently with the firm’s stakeholders. Service was suffering and the firm wasn’t receiving the attention it needed for it to have a successful relationship.
Solution: The firm engaged Mattern to do a comprehensive review of its outsourced operations and lead executive committee through the RFP process, award, and contract negotiations.
Mattern did a complete on-site assessment of outsourced labor services at each of the firm’s two offices. This included a review of the outsourcing vendor’s staffing levels, workflows, and processes.
Based on this evaluation, and utilizing its industry knowledge, benchmarks, and long history with law firm operations, Mattern made several recommendations for the firm’s consideration, including improvements to staffing, contracts, and reporting requirements. Mattern then collaborated with the firm to create a uniquely tailored RFP that addressed the Firm’s areas of concern.
Result: The RFP process yielded several viable providers. After a careful review, the firm elected to discontinue its current service provider and move the operation to another service provider. . With the new provider, the firm was the beneficiary of the following changes:
- Right-sized staffing configuration with a full-time on-site floater.
- Staff training and reporting guarantees, including cross-training.
- Mandatory reporting on services metrics.
- Significantly improved terms and conditions, including the elimination of non-solicitation clause as well as l untrained staff and staff underage credits.
- Penalty based service level agreements.
- Installation of tracking technology.
Through the Mattern process, the Firm was able to enter into a firm-friendly contract that guaranteed the Firm and the on-site staff would receive the attention required all while avoiding any increase in month-to-month costs. Furthermore, Mattern was also retained by the Firm to oversee implementation of the project, as well as the on-going monitoring of the contract for the term of the agreement.
