Setting a PrecedentLaw firm Miller Johnsonraises the bar for efficientbusiness processes andtop-tier client serviceswith Pitney Bowes Legal Solutions

Business Process and CommunicationsSolutions for the Bottom Line

Reprinted from AdvantagePitney Bowes Management ServicesBusiness Magazine

Challenge

How a growing regional

law firm could fill service

gaps, leverage best

practices and deliver

clients services on par with

top-tier global law firms.

Solution

Partner with a leading legal

solutions provider to

leverage industry expertise,

innovative technology and

best practices to transform

operations and accelerate

growth.

Results

Immediate improvement

in service levels across

business processes, a

significant reduction in

project management time

by staff, and a perfect match

in culture.

aving grown into one of the largestlaw firms in western Michigan, thethriving practice remains commit-

ted to delivering the highest levels oflegal counsel and service to its clients.

As part of that commitment, thefirm evaluated its internal operationsand identified service gaps and opportunities to improve its officeservices, which were decentralized andreported to three different managers.

Miller Johnson Director of Financeand Operations Andrea Myers and Director of Human Resources KellyFischer, were tasked with driving processimprovements and enhancing servicesto differentiate Miller Johnson fromother regional law practices and mirrorthose at elite global law firms.

“We didn’t feel like we had the capability, knowledge or time to beable to provide attention to those areasand take them to the next level,” Fischersaid. “We were struggling to maintainthe current service level. We wantedto notch it up to provide exceptionalservice for our firm and clients.”

Changing the cultureThey agreed that outsourcing these

business processes and services –from print and records managementto mail and office management – wasthe best option; however, they knewthey would need to build a strong caseto convince the management committee.The firm has always placed a veryhigh priority on the welfare of its employees, and any change to its operations would need to take theminto account.

Myers and Fischer embarked onwhat would be a year’s worth of researchbeginning at the Association of LegalAdministrators conference, where theyhad conversations with potential partnersto examine what services were available.What they discovered surprised them.

“We were shocked by the breadthof services available,” Fischer said.“We were excited by the significant efficiencies we could gain and theservice options we would have accessto. It was very impressive.”

As they prepared to make the

case to the management committee to outsource these services, they had to proceed carefully, given the sensitivenature of this topic for employees.Preparation for the meeting was closelyguarded and all the information gathered quietly.

“It was a huge change for our firm,and management had strong reserva-tions,” Myers said. “When we did ourformal presentation, the managementcommittee were very impressed. We actually thought when they took thevote on whether to proceed, it wouldbe split, but it was unanimous. Theyfelt we had done our legwork. It wasgoing to be a huge change, but it wasthe right thing to do for the firm toachieve the next level.”

“We looked at every aspect — notjust the benefits to the firm and itsclients but also the people directly impacted and how they were going to becared for. No matter the decision, thoseindividuals would be taken care of.”

With the approval of the managementcommittee, Myers and Fischer invited

The comments I heard have been about the

responsiveness of the Pitney Bowes team to

even the simplest things. That someone on our

services team says, ‘I got your request, and I’ll

be right down,’ is so important. People love the

team’s responsiveness to issues.

Andrea MyersDirector of Finance and Operations Miller Johnson

H

the top three firms to compete fortheir business. Following a rigorousselection process, the decision wasmade to outsource the firm’s businessservices to Pitney Bowes Legal Solutions.Not only did Pitney Bowes have thedepth of experience in managingbusiness processes at leading, globallaw firms and a wide range of servicesto offer, but they also offered an excellent package of salary and benefitsas well as a comprehensive transitionplan that took into account the potentialimpact on people’s lives.

The plan was to transition thesekey services within 90 days. One significant concern was the timing for announcing the partnership with Pitney Bowes to the employees. Pitney Bowes worked closely with the Miller Johnson transition team tocreate an implementation plan for allcurrent processes and services. Whilethe plan called for a 90-day transition,the Pitney Bowes team – armed withthe experience and wisdom gained inhundreds of implementations –

developed several contingency plansto address potential issues that couldimpact that timeline.

Just such a case arose. WhenMiller Johnson employees learned ofthe impending transition before theofficial announcement, PB dramaticallyaccelerated its implementation timeline.

“Within two days, Pitney Boweswas able to implement its action planand go live,” Myers said. “That wasawesome.”

Raising eyebrowsMiller Johnson was the first Grand

Rapids-based law firm to outsource itsbusiness processes, so when word of theunprecedented move got out to the legalcommunity, it “raised a few eyebrowsaround town.”

“When Kelly and I were investigating,outsourcing was a foreign concept tolaw firms here,” Myers said. “No onein Grand Rapids was using outsourcing.That’s why it took a year to researchand investigate because no firmswere using it here.”

The Pitney Bowes team

created a digital service

request process via the

firm’s Intranet to submit

and track their service

requests. This new online

submission tool provided

end-users with an

expanded range of

services that delivered

more value for clients.

Improving efficienciesOvernight, Pitney Bowes became

the face of Miller Johnson. Every detail of the firm’s business

processes – from print and recordsmanagement to mail and office management – was reviewed and improved. The immediate goal was totriage and address issues immediately.

“It was a great match in culture,”Myers said. “We shared the same attitude: you just jump in, figure it out and get it done.”

For example, the physical layoutof the facility was not conducive to anefficient workflow, so the Pitney BowesLegal Solutions team redesigned thespace and workflow – a change thathad immediate impact on productivity.

Since the firm adopted best practices – something that was lackingbefore – its staff knows exactly whatto expect for each service. For the endusers, the improved processes led tohigher end-user satisfaction – and

quicker response to user requests.“The comments I heard have been

about the responsiveness of the PitneyBowes team to even the simplestthings,” Myers said. “That someoneon our services team say ‘I got yourrequest, and I’ll be right down,’ is soimportant. People love the team’sresponsiveness to issues.”

Scaling up for extraordinary projectsThe ability of Pitney Bowes to

scale its services to manage virtuallyany project was evident almost immediately. As Pitney Bowes wasre-engineering and optimizing coreservices at the firm’s headquarters, it was announced that the Kalamazoooffice would be moving and neededhelp managing the logistics for theirvast records archive.

Pitney Bowes was able to leverageresources from its nearby NationalProcessing Center (NPC) and provideimmediate and dedicated support to

Pitney Bowes has brought

best practices and industry

insight from working with

some of the largest law firms

in the world to Miller Johnson.

They are partnering with us

to create a five-year roadmap

to take Miller Johnson from

the present-day state to

what a top-tier law firm

should be ...

Kelly FischerDirector of Human Resources Miller Johnson

Above, left to right: Kelly

Fischer, Director of Human

Resources, Miller Johnson;

Betsy Raymond, Chief

Operating Officer, Miller

Johnson; and Andrea Myers,

Director of Finance and

Operations, Miller Johnson

amazing job on our recent office movefor Kalamazoo,” Myers said. “We couldnot have done this office move withoutPitney Bowes!”

The NPC also helped to implementanother best practice. Miller Johnsonused a paper-based request form to initiate projects. The Pitney Bowes teamcreated a digital service request processvia the firm’s Intranet that provided end-users an efficient and comprehensivesolution to submit and track their servicerequests. This new online submissiontool not only streamlined the process, butalso provided end-users with an expandedrange of services that delivered morevalue for clients.

A perfect match of services and personalities

While the partnership between MillerJohnson and Pitney Bowes is in its earlystages, the improvements in businessprocesses have been significant.

“I think Pitney Bowes has exceeded

our expectations already,” Fischer said.“Pitney Bowes has brought best practicesand industry insight from working withsome of the largest law firms in the worldto Miller Johnson. They are partneringwith us to create a five-year roadmap totake Miller Johnson from the present-daystate to what a top-tier law firm shouldbe — all with the underlying objective offreeing up the firm’s staff to focus ontheir core competencies.”

“It relieves the burden on us knowingthat it’s taken care of when we make arequest,” Myers said. “When I delegatesomething, I know it’s taken care of. Mymanagement time has gone down, whichwas one of my goals. Pitney Bowes hasactually returned time to me.”

ensure the move of more than 11,000linear feet of files was completedwithout a hiccup.

Prior to the move, the PitneyBowes team helped review the filesand culled almost 30 percent of thefiles that didn't need to be transferred.This made the move that much morecost effective for the firm.

The Pitney Bowes team also helpedcreate a centralized filing system tomake searching the records easierand faster, saving valuable time forthe legal staff.

When the move date arrived, the team was there throughout. ThePitney Bowes site manager workedalongside Myers and others for fourdays straight – including the weekend– to have everything up and runningwhen the doors to the new officeopened on Monday morning. Thatcommitment and dedication resultedin a very happy client.

“The Pitney Bowes team did an

Pitney Bowes Legal Solutions is a leadingprovider of document management,eDiscovery and litigation support servicesdesigned to help law firms, corporatelegal departments and governmentagencies operate more efficiently andeffectively. A division of Pitney BowesManagement Services, Pitney BowesLegal Solutions designs and builds innovative, Best SiteTM solutions basedon client needs.

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