When was the last time you updated the technology in your law office? If you answer “Never” or “I can’t remember” or even “It’s been a while,” your office is probably overdue for some much-needed tech advancements.
Legal technology has expanded by leaps and bounds throughout the last decade. From equipment modernization to innovations in law office management systems, there are numerous options for bringing your law firm into the 21st century. But if you’re not sure whether an upgrade is in order, here are some eye-opening signs that it’s time to reconsider your law firm technology.
If it’s constantly breaking down, it’s time to upgrade!
This may seem completely obvious, but far too many lawyers choose to deal with the aggravation of malfunctioning equipment rather than upgrade to more reliable options. From temperamental copy machines to unreliable servers… and let’s not forget the bulky desktop computer that always chooses the most inconvenient time to freeze. These seemingly small nuisances, when they happen often, turn into big productivity-stealing problems.
While cost is often blamed for delayed equipment upgrades, in reality, these constant malfunctions likely cost your firm more than the expense of making needed changes. More malfunctions mean more service calls and at hundreds of dollars per incident, service calls aren’t cheap.
A specific problem with older legal technology is the fact that many legal tech companies charge more for service calls involving older platforms and applications – or even worse – they stop offering any type of technical assistance at all. Now, you are left with an inoperative billing system and no technical support. This is why it makes financial sense to upgrade your law firm technology.
Need another reason… how about three:
- Older equipment uses more energy to operate, resulting in increased overhead costs.
- Upgraded equipment is generally more secure from the latest cybersecurity threats.
- New technology uses faster and easier updates, so you can rest assured that your technology is consistently working as it should.
Your office is operating inefficiently!
Many things can contribute to office inefficiencies and ineffective technology is definitely one of them. Constantly broken equipment cannot be adequately utilized by your firm members. When lawyers can’t access electronic files, or support staff can’t make necessary copies, it slows down the entire work process, resulting in profit-stealing inefficiencies.
Outdated technology also lacks the advantages of the latest and greatest technologies. Your staff may be performing a lot of time-consuming manual tasks. Whereas newer technologies often incorporate multiple functioning. So, instead of employees having to manually handle every step of a task, they can program the technology to handle certain tasks automatically – freeing them up to work on more profitable matters.
New technologies handle office responsibilities in a fraction of the time your staff is currently taking, which means more time to handle more tasks and ultimately more clients.
Upgrades can also improve the physical efficiency of your office. Let’s say you recently looked around and noticed that your conference room has become a makeshift office for a new attorney and a new support staff member. Meanwhile, you have a perfectly good office space occupied by the server you need to run your antiquated legal billing system and a mammoth copy machine that uses an entire forest of trees each week.
An upgraded legal billing system, like TimeSolv, uses cloud-based technology, so that bothersome server becomes a relic of the past (just as it should be). Not only does this save you valuable office space, but it also increases the efficiency of your workforce by making necessary information highly available and conveniently accessible.
Your firm has outgrown your tech
You’ve likely elevated your client list since hanging out your shingle, so why haven’t you elevated your law firm technology? Most lawyers start their firms on a tight budget, so the equipment you purchased at the outset was probably the lowest cost option you could find. But it becomes a problem when these lower cost options can no longer keep up with the demands of your practice.
More clients mean more tasks and responsibilities for your entire office. If you are not providing your staff with the tools they need to handle these responsibilities, you are missing out on the potential value of your growing practice. Your business cannot continue to grow without the resources to keep up with current and future demands.
In addition, legal clients are becoming increasingly savvy about the provision of legal services. Through internet research and comparison “shopping” they have come to develop certain expectations from the lawyers and firms they choose to work with. For example, flat fees or some variation of them, have become commonplace. While a new legal billing system like TimeSolv can be of great assistance in setting up and maintaining fixed fee billing systems, an antiquated system likely lacks the tools you need to successfully make these innovative changes.
What’s going to happen when you tell a potentially lucrative client that you cannot offer a flat fee arrangement because you lack the right technology for proper implementation? Law firm growth requires innovation and innovation requires the right legal technology.
It’s definitely time to reconsider your law firm tech
If any of these scenarios sound uncomfortably familiar, it is definitely time to reconsider your law firm technology. It may sound overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. TimeSolv has programs in place to quickly and painlessly walk your practice through the conversion process.
Stop putting off the changes you know your law firm needs. Eventually, the cost of not upgrading your technology will outweigh the money you think you’re saving. Plus, the expense of upgrading will be recouped with greater productivity and increased profits!
