Snell & Wilmer increases revenue and efficiency with AI-powered time capture
"HerculesAI creates new revenue opportunities. It makes time entries effortless and frees up timekeepers to focus on providing value to their clients. Having entries take care of themselves with the power of AI is like self-driving mode for timekeeping."
- Ken Orgeron, CIO at Snell & Wilmer
LEGAL
CASE STUDY
About Snell & Wilmer
Regional, national, and international
Snell & Wilmer is a renowned full-service business law firm with a mission to take a genuine interest in their clients, understand their objectives, and meet or exceed their expectations. Clients include national and multinational corporations, education and research institutions, municipalities and government agencies, nonprofits, charitable organizations, industry executives, and high-net-worth individuals.
Key findings
115 hours
of extra billable time captured per timekeeper annually—prior vs. current year billables
36%
improvement on time entry velocity for about half of the users, particularly reconstructors
0.8%
increase in realization rates due to more compliant narratives that are granular and detailed
Manual timekeeping = time leakage + inefficiency + stress
Timekeepers at Snell & Wilmer recall how stressful it was before Hercules' AI-powered time capture, when they kept time manually—timers, sticky notes, constant interruptions to capture and enter time, hours wasted each month catching up on late submissions, insufficient details to construct compliant narratives scribbled in scattered notes. Most importantly, they knew they were missing a lot of time, particularly the 0.1s that add up to millions in lost revenue for the firm.
Hercules revolutionized time capture with AI
Hercules' AI-powered time capture was a sigh of relief for partners, associates, and paralegals alike. They now focus on providing value to clients, without worrying about capturing 6-min increments. The application works in the background by capturing all activities, using AI to generate narratives, and accurately assigning to client and matter. Whether someone is a contemporaneous timekeeper or a reconstructor, prefers to capture time or just activities, sends entries directly to the time system or reviews them first, it is easily customizable to fit their needs. AI makes timekeeping more efficient, accurate, compliant, and on time.
ROI STATISTICS
115 hrs
extra billable time captured per timekeeper annually
Millions
extra revenue created by eliminating time leakage
36x ROI
immediate ROI realized from the 1st billing cycle
"HerculesAI creates new revenue opportunities. It makes time entries effortless and frees up timekeepers to focus on providing value to their clients. Having entries take care of themselves with the power of AI is like self-driving mode for timekeeping."
KEN ORGERON, CIO AT SNELL & WILMER
-
Widespread adoption that is unparalleled compared to previous time capture solutions—40% of timekeepers who try Hercules continue to use it consistently
-
Stress-free, effortless time entry with comprehensive capture of all activities, AI-generated narratives, and accurate assignment of client and matter
-
Seamless integration with existing time entry system, requiring no change management
-
Fits timekeeping habits of contemporaneous entry or reconstruction - some users rely on Hercules to capture and submit 100% of their time, while others just fill in the missing gaps
-
20+ configurable settings for tailor-made timekeeping for each individual
-
On-premise deployment to meet security needs of the firm
Powerful results on every dimension of value
Snell & Wilmer realized 36x ROI, starting from the first billing cycle. Timekeepers using Hercules bill on average 115 extra hours per year. Half of the users saw time entry submission velocity improve by 36%. Also, granular and detailed entries resulted in more compliant billing with 0.8% improvement in realization rates.
Eliminating time leakage = capturing every 0.1
Analytics from Hercules show 2 out 3 of captured activities consist of the elusive 6-minute increment, which are often underreported in manual timekeeping because they’re difficult to capture and effortful to enter. Hercules makes it easy, eliminating time leakage and maximizing firm profits.
Duration of captured activities
"HerculesAI ensures you no longer miss time. It eliminates the stultifying drudgery of tracking your working life in six-minute increments, while you are supposed to be focused on the work, not the clock. You are freed up to focus on the most important thing, helping your clients while enhancing the firm’s revenue in an ethical and precise manner."
MICHAEL J. BAKER, PARTNER AT SNELL & WILMER
Partner spotlight
Michael J. Baker is a partner at Snell & Wilmer, who captures and submits all his time using the application, leaving behind his effortful practice of taking notes for manual time entry. With Hercules' help, Michael became a daily timekeeper with a time velocity improvement of 63%. He now bills on average 17 extra hours per month. Consequently, his billable fees increased by 17.3% and realization rate improved by 1.6%. He alone could cover the cost of the application for the entire firm.