2020 certainly did not pan out as anyone would have predicted. As lockdown became imminent there was a fast realisation that business would not be running normally. For many firms this was an extremely challenging time - and setting up a remote workforce was only part of it. Stridon have worked with Wedlake Bell LLP for many years - working together to modernise the practice with technology and innovation very much core to the business strategy (learn more: Wedlake Bell case study).
When the coronavirus pandemic first hit, Wedlake Bell was able to utilise its cloud-based solutions to quickly make the switch to home working and become a fully functional virtual law practice.
“Having already adopted a ‘cloud-first’ IT strategy, we were able to transition and support our personnel to handle their jobs remotely as if they were in the office. ” explains David Hymers, Head of IT.
Within a matter of days, all 250 staff were able to undertake work tasks from home. But it was the decision to implement Microsoft Teams that further transformed how the firm collaborates and communicates both internally and externally with clients.
“Embedding Microsoft Teams into our environment has optimised and streamlined how we access, manage and share content, talk to one another and to clients. More secure than e-mail, our board now uses a secure area in Microsoft Teams to discuss key issues – even the IT department does not have access to content or conversations in this ring-fenced area.”
In addition to undertaking secure conference calls with clients, personnel across the practice now utilise Microsoft Teams for everything from messaging to file sharing.
Looking to the future with confidence
Having focused on solutions that enabled it to better support clients during the coronavirus pandemic, the law firm is now preparing to embrace additional digital and automation services in a bid to further boost the efficiency of day-to-day operations.
“Modern workspace products like Microsoft Teams act as a gateway to a portfolio of applications you can plug into your environment to further extend and enrich your capabilities. We’re now working with Stridon to evaluate how we can make better use of the Microsoft products we have to improve project workflows and meet the evolving digital needs of our clients. Utilising Microsoft cloud native tools like Forms, SharePoint, PowerBI and Power Platform, we’re looking to push the boundaries of practice innovation to become even more productive and responsive,” said David.
