The largest hurdle in modern eDiscovery is not the tool or the platforms but how easy it is to manage your project through that platform. How often do you have to learn a new skill? How easy is it to return to the tool after a few weeks and perform routine tasks?
Getting Started
Initial training is the first step in using a new tool. Many have videos or training manuals to help ease you into the process. If you find that you can load data within a few minutes of opening a project, you’re probably on the right track. Being able to watch a few videos or following some short guides will have you starting your projects and loading data to them quickly. If it’s complicated to get help with either the basics of the tool or to handle unusual exceptions, it might be time to reevaluate.
Managing Matters
For those that manage all their matters in an eDiscovery platform or have the expertise to manage their own eDiscovery matter, an eDiscovery solution needs to have the power to handle anything. This includes the ability to host many cases at once and any size data set. For these types of users, complex data and unexpected productions from opposing parties are common, so they need a platform designed with maximum flexibility. Robust analytic capabilities can help with cases where rapid review is needed, or a large enough data set isn’t practical to put eyes on every document. So, when considering whether to switch to a different platform, you need to take into account all the above considerations
Effective Support
For users that have an eDiscovery solution but need some support now and then, having a vendor at the ready is one of the more essential factors. When evaluating platforms, it is important to have a tool that handles all typical actions intuitively, as the user may not be performing those actions every day. Things like loading, basic searching, and simple productions should be easy to come back to even after not doing them for a few weeks, without feeling like they have to be re-learned.
Vendor expertise is critical for those with their own tool that need assistance loading files and producing electronically stored information (ESI). Project managers who can handle difficult exceptions, assist with field matching, and help with complicated searches or redactions can mean the difference between eDiscovery success and struggle. The review piece still needs to be smooth and efficient, with easy transition between documents.
The Best Solution for You
Those in the first two categories likely have dedicated personnel to handle both the routine and complex eDiscovery tasks that occur. Those in the second two categories may be performing eDiscovery along with other work tasks, which means an eDiscovery solution must be ready and easy whenever the need arises.
When evaluating an eDiscovery solution, it’s important to consider what type of user you and others in your firm or company may be. What do you need to do with the tool most often? How easy is it to use? How does it handle the type and volume of data you have? How easy would it be to transfer current cases into the solution?
Evaluating eDiscovery tools through the lens of how much assistance you need and what exactly you want the tool to do most often is the key to eDiscovery success. To determine whether subscription services might be beneficial to you, take the eDiscovery Services Assessment.
