There are some small to mid-sized law firms that make the mistake of believing that improved technology will not benefit their practice. Consequently, they and their staff spend valuable time caught in outdated processes that should have been automated months or even years ago. Increasing productivity may have different meanings depending on the firm’s needs, however, it is never too early to learn about the options.
Mobile Collaboration Tools
With many law practices including remote services, it’s becoming imperative for team members collaborate in real-time, especially if they are in different locations. Moreover, access should also be available even if the device is not the one “normally” used to obtain the information. Using the computer in the hotel lobby should not be a barrier to teamwork.
Several benefits to mobile collaboration tools are:
- Shared Backup and Storage
- Virtual Conferencing (Zoom, Google Meets, etc.)
- Shared Documents (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)
While many software products offer free versions that are perfect for small firms just getting started, as the practice grows investing in a business or corporate option will provide greater benefits and flexibility.
Accounting and HR Functions
As the firm grows and/or adds different locations accounting and human resource departments cease to be in the same facility as the rest of the staff. This can cause major confusion when it comes to dealing with the billing of clients and paying of the staff.
Integrating Quickbooks software can improve the functionality of both departments. One of the best attributes of the program is improved billing. The software makes it easy to set client-specific rates, import transactions from bank statements, generate reports, and more. Imagine being able to pull up the profit and loss report without having had to spend hours wrangling with the numbers. Not to mention being able to pinpoint where improvements to the practice’s cash flow can be made.
As for HR concerns, Becky might hire the staff, but Suzanne has to make sure they get paid. No one sits behind a stack of timesheets to calculate the payroll anymore. Moreover, the old ways of making adjustments for each individual employee were time-consuming. Simply inputting the information necessary for each member of staff will keep the payroll on track and keep the office compliant with federal regulations.
Several benefits of Quickbooks include:
- Simplified Payroll (paper or direct deposit, deductions, ect.)
- Reduced Accounting and Payroll Expenses
- Scalable Solutions
Understanding how updating the technology of a law practice can be intimidating at first. However, there are ways to get around misunderstanding and ensure that the entire team is fully integrated into the new processes. Overall, not improving the technology means losing time and money; two things no business can afford to lose too much of.