Trainer Contact Information: (410) Revised 11/07/08

Transcription

1 Pre-Training Guide For Trainer Contact Information: (410) Revised 11/07/08

2 Table of Contents Introduction...3 Installation...4 Preparation...5 Staff Directory...6 Provider Directory...7 Intake & Case Information...8 Checklist...9 Checklist Worksheet...15 Needles Optional Tabs...16 Form Documents...17 Clients Only Website...18 Closing Notes...19 (410) Page 2

3 Introduction The Needles Pre-Training Guide is provided to your firm to assist you in organizing and assembling information that will be used in Needles. This preliminary work is essential to the Needles training and set-up. This information will facilitate your firm's smooth transition to Needles. If you or anyone on your staff has questions, please contact your trainer directly, or contact Needles Case Management at (410) , Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Your firm has three options when installing the Needles program. **Please contact your trainer prior to installation to find out which of the following scenarios is appropriate for your firm: 1. Your firm is using a blank Needles database. Please complete the forms included in this document prior to training in order to assist your trainer in getting the Needles program up and running at your firm. 2. Your firm is using the Needles starter database. Firms using the Needles starter database will receive pre-set checklists and form documents and may not need to perform the work in this booklet. Please talk to your trainer about which activities will be most advantageous for your firm. 3. Your firm is converting to Needles from another software program and the Needles Conversion Specialists are performing this data conversion for you. The Needles Conversion Specialists will provide you with all the information you need in order to ensure that your cases are properly transferred into the Needles database. In advance of the conversion of your current data to Needles and going live with Needles, a copy of your current database will be sent to Needles and be used to populate a Needles test database. This is done to ensure that information that is to be converted comes over properly and appears in the proper place. The following need to be completed before training and going live *: Send a copy of the database that is to be converted to Needles. The trainer will review with you your previous Case Management System, as well as your current workflow. The trainer will help you decide what case types and user-defined fields will be needed in the Needles database. Review test convert with Trainer and Conversion Specialist. Send final data to Needles for conversion. *Final Training dates cannot be set until a successful test conversion has taken place. (410) Page 3

4 Installation Needles must be installed and tested prior to the trainer's arrival. To allow enough time to complete the pretraining preparations, you should install Needles at least two weeks prior to training. Do a complete back up of your system prior to installing Needles. Ensure that all workstations have the correct date format that s compatible with Needles. To verify, select from your desktop: o Start => Settings => Control Panel => Regional Options => Date Select the mm/dd/yyyy short date format Read through the Installation Directions, found on the Needles CD. Install Needles on each workstation. From the Needles menu, select Help > About. The window displays key information about your Needles installation. Verify that the appropriate number of users and available cases has been installed. If the number of users and available cases is incorrect, call Needles technical support to obtain assistance in updating your Needles license. Test each workstation by opening Needles from the desktop. Log on to Needles using : User Name - Password - System System After a successful logon, exit Needles using the X button to close (top right hand corner). Ensure that all workstations are running the same version of your word processing software. Please contact your trainer directly or Needles with any questions. Create the following folders on a shared network drive that is accessible to all workstations: o o o NEEDLES REPORTS or NRPTS NEEDDOCS or NDocs NEEDBACK If you are using Microsoft Outlook for , please follow the instructions on the Needles Installation CD. (410) Page 4

5 Preparation Select a key group of three or four people. The key group should contain at least one manager (attorney or executive) and generally consists of the most experienced individuals in the office. The key group will be responsible for making management decisions regarding the set-up of your system. Make a copy of this Guide for each staff member assigned to the key group. The key group should decide who is responsible for each pre-training task. Finalize the travel arrangements and accommodations for your trainer. Confirm flight or car rental arrangements, transportation between the hotel and your office, and other arrangements with the trainer. Please Note: Trainer expenses for travel, lodging, and meals are additional and are the responsibility of the firm. For safety considerations, trainers are not required to drive further than two hours. Lodging accommodations must include a lobby (i.e. no exterior entrance to the room). Perform the data gathering activities described in this document. Do not enter any information into your Needles system prior to your training without discussion first with your trainer. Please refer to the evaluation cd you received when you first requested information about Needles to see the program in a demo environment. For questions or assistance with installing Needles, please call Technical Support at (410) from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Your trainer is not responsible for installing Needles or other software. (410) Page 5

6 Staff Directory The following steps are crucial for any firm purchasing the Needles program. The Staff Directory in Needles stores the Staff name and additional identifying information for each staff member who is authorized to use Needles. Gather the following information about each staff person in your firm: Staff s initials as they would appear in the signature of a letter Full Name (Prefix, First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name, Suffix) Job Title Phone Number FAX Number Mobile Phone Supervisor Bar Numbers The security privileges for each staff person will be addressed during your training. (410) Page 6

7 Provider Directory Those firms who are having data converted from a Needles Conversion Specialist may not need to perform the following assignment. Please check with your trainer to determine which steps your firm should take in preparation for Needles training. The Provider Directory in Needles is a central collection and storage area for the names, addresses, documents, notes and associations of various people and organizations with whom the firm interacts. The information entered here is used throughout the system to prevent repetitive typing of often-used information. Full names, addresses and other information are typed only once. The directory stores names, addresses, phone numbers (including a fax number), as well as expert witness classification and notations. A "provider may be a court reporter, court, insurance adjuster, police department, economic expert, investigator, hospital, attorney, doctor, insurance carrier, judges, medical providers -- any provider of any goods or services whose information should be instantly accessible. It is necessary to gather as many providers as possible prior to training. Locate all contact lists. Gather the following information for each of your providers. Provider Information Name Address(es) Social Security and/or Federal ID number Bar number Phone numbers address(es) Website address (if applicable) (410) Page 7

8 Intake & Case Information The following steps are crucial for any firm purchasing the Needles program. As part of the customization of your Needles system, you will be creating fields and tabs that reflect the type of information that your firm gathers for each case. This information is often gathered in the initial interview your firm conducts with a potential client, and may be supplemented throughout the investigation and other phases of the case. Gather examples of: Intake form(s) Investigator s questionnaire New Client sign-up sheets Interview questions Gather two examples of cases that are settled and their accompanying settlement sheets. (410) Page 8

9 Checklist Because the Checklist is considered the backbone of the Needles system and because it represents the workflow of your firm, the following steps are crucial for any firm purchasing the Needles program. The checklist is a template of standard tasks and reminders associated with a specific case type. The items in the checklist are intended as a plan of action for all cases of that type. A different checklist can be set up for each case type defined in Needles. When the checklist is integrated with case data, an active reminder system that is specific for that case is generated. You can set up the checklist so that due dates are automatically calculated, staff members are assigned to specific tasks, and the completion of one task can trigger another active to-do item. When tasks are completed, the checklist serves as a permanent record of when actions were taken and deadlines were met. On the following pages, please find several example workflows. Each lists the tasks to be completed throughout the life of the case. Note: Appointments are not listed here and will be placed on the Needles calendar. (410) Page 9

10 MVA CASETYPE WORKFLOW: (410) Page 10

11 INSURANCE DEFENSE CASETYPE WORKFLOW: (410) Page 11

12 BANRUPTCY CASETYPE WORKFLOW: (410) Page 12

13 SOCIAL SECURITY CASETYPE WORKFLOW: (410) Page 13

14 WORKERS COMPENSATION CASETYPE WORKFLOW: (410) Page 14

15 Using the case type that you will set up in training and the previous examples, complete the following Checklist worksheet: Case Type: Make additional copies as needed. Checklist Worksheet Description of Task Identify the task associated with the case type, in chronological order where possible. When is it done? Who does it? Sign Retainer Agreement Date of Client Interview Staff person (410) Page 15

16 Needles Optional Tabs There are several optional tabs in the Needles program that may be helpful to your firm. Records Tab: Many firms rely on checklist items to track record requests. Separate checklist items are created to request a record and note when the record is received. However, this method can lead to long and unruly checklists because there often are many records in one case (hospital, doctor and police, for example). A way to avoid the unruly checklist is to create a new tab called Records. This tab would contain information on the dates records were requested, what type of record was requested and the date the record was received. The Records tab facilitates the tracking of requested information in an easy-to-read format. Rather than having 15 checklist items for one case, you can have one checklist item titled Check for outstanding records. You also can create and run reports from the Records tab. For example, you can run a report that indicates all outstanding records for a certain provider Customer Relationship Management Tab: The concept of Customer Relationship Management is not new. It is a strategy used to learn more about customer s needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them. It also allows you to focus on the internal strengths and weaknesses of your firm. There are two important aspects to consider when choosing to use Customer Relationship Management (CRM). The first is the strengthening of the relationship your firm has with its clients. CRM calls allow you to establish a rapport with clients by showing that that you care about the experience they had with your firm. By creating this honest dialogue, you are allowing the clients to share their experiences, good or bad. This relationship of trust and honesty can lead to referrals in the future and better relationships with all clients. There is a second, equally important, aspect to consider about Customer Relationship Management. More than just happy calls, customer relationship management calls allow you to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses in the firm and in individual stafff. Based on the responses you receive from clients, you can determine how satisfied they are with settlement, with particular case managers and attorneys, with how they were greeted upon calling into the firm, etc. These responses will allow you to assess the success or failure of particular firm individuals and procedures. Needles provides a CRM tab with a suggested list of questions to ask clients. This tab may be customized with whatever questions you deem important as well. Status Tab: A customizable case status tab provides a quick summary of the case s status, all on one screen. The contents of the status tab are defined by the user. This concept is especially important for an attorney or manager who wants to review a case quickly, perhaps before taking a client phone call. Because all pertinent case information is on one screen, easily accessible with the click of a mouse, it can be reviewed in seconds. Each firm determines which information is important enough to be displayed on the status tab, and simplicity is key. The status tab is also effective for referring attorneys, who can quickly review case status. The contents of the status screen can be displayed on a firm s website, allowing clients and referring attorneys the opportunity to review status of cases quickly, easily, and securely. (410) Page 16

17 Form/Merge Documents Firms who are using the starter database and firms who are converting data from another program may be able to skip the following assignment. Please check with your trainer to determine which steps your firm should take in preparation for Needles training. Using the merge document feature in Needles, you can merge case and provider information entered into Needles into boilerplate documents that you create in your word processing application. You can also merge case information into PDF forms. Your trainer will work with you to insert codes within the forms. The codes will correspond to various places in Needles where the information has been entered. To assist in the document coding process, you should organize your firm s standard letters and form pleadings prior to training. 1. Decide whether your firm will use Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, or Adobe to develop your form documents. 2. Review and standardize the form documents used by your firm. EXAMPLES: Letters of Representation, Requests for Information, lost wage verification letters, complaints. 3. Save an electronic copy of each document to the NEEDDOCS folder so that you will not need to re-type the body of the form. (410) Page 17

18 Clients Only Website As a client of Needles, you are entitled to visit the Clients Only section of There, you will find awards, downloads, tips, tricks, and news. One of the most helpful sections of our Clients Only website is the area called Needles Points. Needles Points are helpful bits of information about the Needles program. They are mini how-to guides. To access the Needles Points, log on to and click on Clients Only. Log in to the clients area using your firm s Username and Password (please call to request your Username and Password, or fill out the Password Request form online). Click Support and then Needles Points. (410) Page 18

19 Closing Notes Congratulations! You have completed the Pre-Training Preparation, and are well prepared for the upcoming training session. Please be sure that each staff member who will be attending training has been notified of the time and place. Please also be sure that everyone in your firm understands that all trainees will be "exempted" from their normal duties, and should not be disturbed during the training session. Once your training is complete, please be aware that we are just a phone call away. Please feel free to contact any of our qualified staff of trainers in our Baltimore office at We are here to help you! Welcome aboard! (410) Page 19