How do you maintain a competitive edge in the complex world of private investigation?
The answer lies just as much in the efficiency of your operations as it does in the skill and discretion of your investigators. The right tech can be a pivotal tool in improving your PI firm’s efficiency, especially when your team is in the field or working remotely.
Let’s explore the challenges PIs face when working in the field and all the ways a time-tracking and billing software solution like TimeSolv can be a powerful partner for your private investigator firm’s success.
Efficiency challenges for PI firms
Private investigators often find themselves working in a variety of different environments, from conducting surveillance in a parked car to interviewing witnesses in a coffee shop.
The dynamic qualities of private investigation work, coupled with the need for discretion, can make traditional time-tracking methods inefficient and sometimes lead to inaccuracies with billing.
PI firms require a solution that accommodates the often unpredictable nature of their fieldwork and integrates seamlessly with their billing systems to ensure that they can accurately capture every minute of their time.
FREE Legal Billing Terms Cheat Sheet
Legal billing terms can be confusing.
TimeSolv has prepared a list of the most commonly used legal billing terms that lawyers use in routine. It's a must to have it in your pinned files, sticky notes, or however you carry your essentials while practicing.
Download our cheat sheet and get all the information you need!
How TimeSolv increases efficiency for private investigators
TimeSolv provides an intuitive time-tracking and billing solution that enables private investigators to record their time on any task with precision, regardless of their location. This adaptability is critical for PIs who may spend hours or even days on stakeouts or on the move.
Project management to meet deadlines
Deadlines abound for private investigators, but how do you stay ahead of them in time-sensitive projects? Project management tools.
Project management tools, like those embedded in TimeSolv, help private investigators track progress on work, manage budgets, and set milestones.
Setting milestones can be especially helpful with TimeSolv; this functionality allows you to automatically generate invoices once specific milestones are accomplished in the software.
Client communications
Your clients want to know what’s going on with their cases. You want to provide timely updates. But there can be a disconnect between wanting to provide updates and tearing yourself away from your tasks.
Client communication tools can offer a solution for staying connected to your clients. TimeSolv offers a secure client portal for easy communication, plus deep integration with Law Ruler, a legal client relationship management software that automates client messaging and more.
Mobile solutions for on-the-go tracking
Whether it’s a quick note about a surveillance update or time spent traveling to a new location, TimeSolv’s mobile app makes it a snap to capture every detail of your work on the fly and get it right every time.
The mobile app ensures that PIs can accurately track their time in real-time, which means they don’t need to double back and input them after the fact. This feature reduces wasted time logging hours and the likelihood of input errors (which, in turn, can lead to inaccurate invoices).
Tailored billing for specific investigative work
Not all investigative tasks are created equal—some require a higher billing rate due to their complexity or the level of expertise involved. However, calculating these rates can involve a lot of head-scratching and extra calculations.
To make it easier for PI firms to bill their clients without extra steps, TimeSolv allows you to customize your billing rates for specific tasks or projects for easy invoicing. This flexibility ensures that your clients will be accurately billed based on the nature of the work performed.
Enhanced reporting capabilities
For any business that tracks its hours (billable or otherwise), the ability to provide accurate, detailed reports of how those hours are spent is critical because this information isn’t just used for billing purposes but also for client communication.
TimeSolv’s robust reporting capabilities allow firms to generate comprehensive reports that break down time spent on different aspects of every aspect of time logged during an investigation.
With these details in hand, you can make more informed decisions about how time should be allocated for specific tasks and identify areas for improvement.
These reports can also be invaluable during client updates or when finalizing billing, offering clear insights into how your team’s time was spent on a case.
Streamlining your efficiency in the field
TimeSolv can boost efficiency during the rigorous demands of field investigations. How might it work for you? Here are some specific scenarios that highlight how TimeSolv can help you.
Real-time surveillance tracking
Let’s say you’re conducting a multi-hour surveillance operation from your vehicle. Traditionally, tracking the exact time spent on this work could be challenging, especially if distractions pop up or the need for focus hinders your ability to manually log your time.
How TimeSolv changes the game
Instead of pulling yourself out of the task at hand to log hours, all you need to do is start a timer using our mobile app as you begin your work.
Even if your surveillance activities extends for an unpredictable period or is interrupted, the app accurately tracks the time you’ve spent. Once you finish working, simply stop the timer to ensure precise billing for the actual time you worked.
Accurate mileage tracking for client meetings
The nature of PI work often requires investigators to travel to various locations for interviews, client meetings, or evidence collection. Spending extra time tracking mileage for reimbursement or billing can be tedious and keep you from more high-value work.
How TimeSolv changes the game
With TimeSolv, you can easily enter your mileage expense entries using a mapping application on your phone.
Simply enter directions into your GPS service of choice and take a screenshot. Once this is done, you can upload the image to an expense entry right from your mobile device, making it easy to bill clients accurately and efficiently.
Collaborative case work with secure document access
Some cases don’t need just one investigator on the job— they require entire teams. If your team is working on a sensitive case that requires them to access sensitive documents from multiple locations, you could be opening yourself up to malicious actors trying to access your data.
How TimeSolv changes the game
With our cloud-based secure document management features, TimeSolv ensures that every member of your team can securely access case files from anywhere, at any time.
This allows for better collaboration; investigators can review evidence, share insights, and update case files in real time, eliminating hurdles to completing tasks while ensuring that your data is safe with bank-grade security protocols.
Ready to optimize your efficiency in the field?
In the fast-paced world of private investigation, efficiency is non-negotiable. You need tools that will keep your team working effectively, even when working on the go.
TimeSolv provides a comprehensive solution tailored to meet the needs of PI firms.
From mobile apps that allow you to track time without losing focus to billing solutions that build trust with clients, we’ve got you covered.
Ready to see how TimeSolv can optimize your efficiency in the field? Sign up for a free trial today.
FREE Legal Billing Terms Cheat Sheet
Legal billing terms can be confusing.
TimeSolv has prepared a list of the most commonly used legal billing terms that lawyers use in routine. It's a must to have it in your pinned files, sticky notes, or however you carry your essentials while practicing.
Download our cheat sheet and get all the information you need!
