5 things we’ve learnt in 2017

Here’s the first of a series of posts about things the team here at Zylpha have learnt in 2017.

1. It’s ok to build more things

Last year we delivered one new integration which continues to be successful to the point it is now generating interest from overseas. This year we’ve produced more integrations in a calendar year than we have ever done and we also have more waiting in the wings either in development, testing or research stages. All of these new integrations are a result of conversations we have had with clients (and potential clients) who have a particular problem that not being resolved either because:

a) there was no possible solution in the marketplace,

b) existing solutions were overpriced, or

c) existing solutions did not meet all the requirements.

Whilst it took us outside of our comfort zone as it can be easier to create just one ‘thing’ a year, it has been a great learning process for our integrations team who have been able to continue to accelerate their learning of the systems we integrate into, solve problems that our clients are experiencing, but most importantly do the one thing that they enjoy doing the most.

2. Watch out for GDPR misinformation

We all know that GDPR is having an effect on the way we work. We too have a long list that we continue to work through to make ourselves GDPR compliant. Sadly there also seems to be a whole raft of misinformation, confusing interpretations of what is coming into effect in May, and a whole bunch of shady salespeople. We expect this to increase as the deadline looms closer. If you haven’t already done so, then i’d strongly recommend bookmarking the ICO blog.

3. Judges still hate poorly prepared bundles

We’ve already written enough on this subject including an article on ‘How to create bundles that judges will love’, but this year there have been more high profile stories reaching the press about Judges being unhappy with the length or quality of a court bundle. Relevant articles include:

• Thanks a bundle! 2,000 pages of ‘largely irrelevant’ trial papers infuriate judge
• Family judge condemns 2,000-page bundle

4. Do more events

Last year we exhibited at our first ever event and it was terrifying, so this year we ramped things up quite a bit and did even more events. It wasn’t any less terrifying, but the results have been great – and we’ve spoken to (and worked with) law firms that we never thought we’d have a chance of working with. As well as exhibiting at events, we also attended a couple of large tech events and these have also been great as they have opened up new partnerships and some possible solutions to bring the legal market. Next year we’ll continue to increase our presence at leading exhibitions, as well as running our own series of half-day events.

5. Mobile overtakes desktop browsing

Whilst it officially happened for the first time in November 2016, it wasn’t until February 2017 that mobile web browsing finally overtook web browsing. This presents some significant challenges not just to marketing (responsive design, form design etc) but also to how people interact with software. It’ll be interesting to see how this trend continues to grow over the final two months of the year, and how companies adapt their technology to deal with the change.

Reference: Desktop v Mobile v Tablet Market Share.