Using Modern Tools to Increase Your Practice Management Productivity

Want to know how to increase your firm’s productivity? Hint: You don’t need to work harder to make it happen. 

To get even better, and more, output at your firm, the answer lies in using the right practice management tools to help with emails, calendaring, tasks, and document management. We all only have the same number of hours in a day, and there still needs to be time to sleep, eat and keep up relationships with friends and family (and maybe even a hobby after you start using the right tech!). 

Making a decision

Choosing the best fit for your firm requires you to make a number of decisions, all of which can be easily made by deciding what your goals are.

Do you want to get more done in a shorter amount of time?

Do you want to not be tied to your office in order to get something done?

Do you want to be able to respond to clients about their case status from your phone?

Do you want it to be easier and faster to take on new cases and assign tasks?

Lay out what’s most important to your firm and put your needs in priority order. 

The options you have

One of the first things you need to decide is what type of technology your ideal practice management program uses. The options available to you are largely based on where the program runs from and how you can access it. 

On-Premise Software. This type of setup uses software that is installed directly on your computer or laptop, meaning you’re limited to where and how you can access your data. There is often a level of familiarity that comes with this setup, but it can lack modern functionality and features and require a complex setup and IT support. 

Hosted Cloud. Also known as desktop-as-a-service or a virtual desktop, this setup allows you to log in to your desktop from another computer. This provides more accessibility, but you’ll still run into the same issues with IT requirements and a lack of features. 

Native Cloud. A web-based platform that lets you log in from any browser, you’ll get anywhere, anytime access, the latest in features as new updates are immediately applied and automatically applied security updates. 

For firms who want to stay up to date and take advantage of all of the features, security, and functionality, native cloud is the popular choice for modern practice management programs.  

For a more detailed look at the pros and cons of each type of technology, check out Demystifying Modern Practice Management. 

What the right tools can do for your firm

Leveraging technology to increase your firm’s productivity is easy with the right practice management program. We’re going to cover a few ways that it can improve your practice, but there are ultimately a large number of features that your firm can explore and implement to make improvements. 

Calendaring

Improve collaboration and allow your team to see users’ events. You can also sync between your favorite calendar program and your practice management calendar so you can keep using the tools you already know and like. This way the calendar you use and the internal calendar your team can see match up – which means no more missed meetings or events. 

 One of the best parts – you can tie events to matter to make for easier tracking and billing. 

Communication

Without communication, everything falls apart. That’s why having all your notes, emails, documents, and calls associated with a matter in one place is critical. If you’re not currently doing this, you’re wasting time trying to track down this information in different programs and locations. 

Communication is both internal and external. A cloud-based practice management program makes it simple for everyone to comment on tasks and for your clients to receive information securely through a client portal. With these features, you’re keeping everyone on the same page without needing more emails or spending time on phone calls. 

Task Management

There’s a lot to do in any law firm. It can be easy to lose track of it all. 

There’s a lot of wasted time that goes into setting up repetitive tasks or processes. For example, if there’s information you need to collect during client onboarding, doing it piecemeal can lead to missed items and unnecessary time spent tracking it. With modern tools, you can easily set up workflows and checklists that can generate every time a certain task comes up. 

It makes it easy to track and can even show your progress. The team is in on what’s happening and lets everyone seamlessly work together. 

There’s a lot to do in a law firm. These types of automation and templates lead to hours of time saved a week. 

Document Management

If you want to be able to work that isn’t your office, having remote access is essential. With cloud-based practice management programs, you can securely access your information, without having to worry about back-ups or management. All that is done by the provider. 

There’s plenty of other features that can maximize the amount of work you get done, including automated assembly, secure sharing, and more. 

Increase your productivity

Having a modern practice management tool is about more than the latest in technology – it’s about choosing the resources that are going to bring the most benefit to your firm. With savvy clients and increasing demands, lawyers are recognizing more than ever how much it takes to run a successful practice. 

Thankfully, there are tools available to help make it easier! For more in-depth information, watch the on-demand webinar Using Modern Tools to Increase Your Practice Management Productivity.

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