In this interview with Corporate Counsel Business Journal, Melanie Shafer, vice president of customer success and professional services with SimpleLegal, an Onit company, discusses the risks and opportunities corporate law departments face when purchasing software.

“Technology adoption, even in today’s climate, doesn’t have to be a risk,” Shafer says. “Companies that are on the fence about purchasing software don’t have reservations about the technology itself, they have reservations about how the technology will be implemented, if their team will adopt it and leverage the tool to its full potential, and how to show the tool’s value to others across the organization.” So how can legal teams ensure successful implementation? Shafer offers four items: Buy-in. “Having an executive sponsor that will help drive change, as well as ‘doers’ that actually execute the change and understand what’s in it for them.” Data. “For any tool I’ve ever implemented on the buyer or vendor side in the last decade, data has been the make-or-break variable of whether the implementation is completed on time.” Resources. “Do you have the right people on the implementation team to make decisions? And yep, you guessed it, support your data needs.” Change management. “You must be able to articulate what’s in it for them and tie it back to what motivates them, whether you use a carrot or a stick or both.” Read more from Shafer at CCBJ.