All entrepreneurs face one common challenge. How to adequately manage the administrative tasks of the business while adequately servicing the client. After all, there are only 24 hours in a day and most attorneys spend every waking minute of those hours handling client matters. Particularly in a small firm, this can create a significant problem.
In this post, we will talk about ways to streamline administrative duties in 2017, so you can focus on what really matters… satisfying current clients and bringing in new ones.
More efficient communication
Gone are the days when you need to spend multiple hours each week holding meetings to update and instruct support staff. Use smartphone apps to streamline these communications, so you can increase productivity from virtually anywhere. Several phone apps transform your dictation into text documents that you can send to your paralegal or administrative assistant.
This innovation helps the streamlining process in two ways. First, it allows you to take full advantage of otherwise wasted time. Are you waiting for your daughter to appear from soccer practice? Use that time to dictate updates and instructions for support staff. Second, it eliminates the need for multiple inefficient meetings, which are notorious time wasters.
Expand your computer screen
One of the most frustrating challenges of writing is constantly moving back and forth between screens. It’s annoying and time consuming. For support staff members this may entail toggling between attorney notes and a client letter, or time entries and a billing statement. Whatever the task, this inconvenience makes it longer and significantly less efficient. Why not solve that problem for once and for all by introducing an additional computer monitor into your workspace? Placed next to your existing monitor, it allows the eye to easily move between multiple screens for greater efficiency. According to an article by Cyber Advocate, multiple screens can increase workplace efficiency by as much as 50%, which Visit their site for tips on implementing this time-saving strategy.
Automate Automate Automate
Automation is the perfect tool for streamlining the administrative duties of your law practice. The American Bar Association published an article on the benefits of automation and how to implement the practice into your firm. Certain client forms offer a great opportunity for automation. Make templates of commonly used forms, like engagement letters and simple court filings. Templates free your support staff from the time-wasting task of constantly creating new forms. They also help you move your cases along in an expedient manner, freeing up time for more pressing tasks.
Another area prime for automation is billing. Everyday, practice waste valuable time and money on inefficient billing practices. From importing hand written notes on a calendar to time spent trying to calculate hours worked for each client, Without an automated billing system, you are essentially throwing money and hours into the trash. A comprehensive legal time tracking and billing system goes a long way in helping you innovate your law office.
TimeSolv legal billing software takes the hard work out of time tracking and creating comprehensive client bills. It’s cloud based technology allows timekeepers to record their hours from anywhere and at any time. This eliminates the need to play catch up at the end of the billing cycle, TimeSolv takes the imported times and creates detailed billing statements for your clients to view in paper or electronic form. Click here to discover how TimeSolv can help automate your practice.
Don’t carry the same time-wasting habits into 2017. Identify opportunities to streamline your office and make time for all of the new clients coming through the door.
About Erika Winston:
Erika Winston is a Virginia based writer with a passion for all things legal. As a former domestic relations attorney, she understands the challenge of determining the best fee structure for your practice. Erika is a regular contributor to TimeSolv and a variety of other publications.