Past Due: The Most Effective Workflows Require a Human Touch & Real Consequences

Most attorneys are a little old school – and, that’s not a bad thing.  So, I think it’s safe to say that most law firm workflows require some level of human touch, and aren’t totally automated.  Law firm owners don’t necessarily like the full automation route; and, I get it: I, too, think it’s good practice, generally, to add a human touch to your processes – because most leads and clients of businesses don’t want to be peppered with automations all day, every day.  So, on occasion, in a good workflow, someone on your team (or, you) will need to make a call, or text somebody, or email someone. 

 

But, that’s also a chink in your workflow armor, because automations just work, if they’re set up correctly.  You know they’re happening; and, there’s a record of them happening, within the software.  With humans, it’s a little dicier.  Sometimes, people won’t do what they’ve been asked to do.  Maybe because they’re overwhelmed.  Or, perhaps they think they have something better to do.  It could be that they actually have something better to do. 

 

As it turns out, for manual work, there’s a bit more manual management. 

And, you can get clued in to whether something hasn’t been done, in a few ways.  If a task is not checked off in-system, that’s one manner of finding out.  If a phone call log, text or email record hasn’t been created, that’s another.  Of course, sometimes employees just don’t create tasks for requests made off-workflow; that’s a little bit of a plot twist, because then you need to figure out what you missed, and whether there is a pattern of missed requests.  That involves manual review, and probably a discussion. 

 

Now, here’s the rub: If you’re asking people to do things (in addition to overseeing the automations you have in place), and they’re not doing them – you can’t just sit on your hands.  You’ve got to act.  And, if your being ignored is a pattern, there must be consequences, that escalate.  First off, you should draft a formal email outlining the behavior.  If it continues to occur, follow your HR protocols – up to and including firing non-cooperative employees. 

 

This ain’t ‘Bartleby the Scrivener’, y’all. 

 

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Let’s talk some more about how your management protocols dovetail with your workflows.

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