We know that invoicing keeps the lights on. For many small and midsize firms, however, the billing cycle eats up too much attorney time and stretches administrative teams too thin. Going paperless, with the right technology and workflows, can bring billing back into balance.
Tabs3 products are built for law firms like yours. When using Tabs3 Billing, Tabs3 Financials, Tabs3Pay and Tabs3 Cloud, you can reduce or eliminate paper while reducing workload for attorneys and professional staff.
What is paperless billing?
Paperless billing means leveraging electronic recordkeeping and automation to reduce or eliminate paper-based work. Going paperless is good for the planet, your pocketbook, and your workload.
Paper-free processes can speed up time entry, eliminate duplicative work, reduce the chance of statement errors, and streamline collections. You can also reduce the paper needed for trust account compliance and general accounting tasks.
The following sections describe the five steps of a paperless billing cycle.
Step 1: Generate draft statements electronically
Attorneys in firms without modern billing software tend to get stuck doing time entry via hard-to-use programs, spreadsheets, or handwritten notes. Billing clerks translate the time entries to draft statements via manual data entry.
The process creates problems. Generating draft statements takes too long, which ripples out across the firm, because billing clerks are less available for other support tasks. It is easy to misread a time entry or introduce a typo. Fixing errors costs billing clerk time (if the error is caught early) or attorney time (if the client finds the error). Delays compound; they slow the whole firm down and add unnecessary friction to everyone’s work.
The solution is an integrated, paper-free timekeeping and billing solution like Tabs3 Billing:
- Attorneys enter their time digitally via an interface built for their unique needs.
- On the back end, the billing clerk efficiently extracts the time entries.
- The software automatically translates the time entries into a draft statement. You can set up multiple templates in advance so no manual data entry is needed, even if you create statements in many different formats.
Step 2: Manage pre-billing digitally
The traditional statement approval, or pre-billing, process wastes time and paper too. The billing clerk prints draft statements, and stacks of paper are circulated among approving attorneys. Corrections are typically made by hand, introducing interpretation errors when the billing clerk types them in. There is also no central tracking of where each prebill is in the approval process.
Electronic pre-billing solves those problems while eliminating paper. With Tabs3 Billing:
- The billing clerk hands off the draft statement to the attorney by changing the statement’s status in the software. The approval process is tracked automatically, so authorized users can instantly see its status.
- The reviewing attorney gets a notification and opens a digital preview of the statement. They can type corrections or comments directly into the software. Then they mark the statement as reviewed.
- The billing clerk goes into the digital draft statement, resolves any outstanding issues, and finalizes it according to your firm’s procedures.
Once a process tied to printers and postal mail, digital tools now enable law firms to implement efficient, cost-effective paperless invoicing. Ready to make the switch? Take the first step toward a more organized and productive invoicing workflow. Download the guide today.
Step 3: Send paperless statements
Paper statements introduce costs and delays: postage, envelopes, printing, paper, and a process that cannot be fully automated. Even if you are unable to fully eliminate paper statements, you will likely find that some clients prefer electronic statements. Paper statements introduce costs and delays on their end as well.
Tabs3 Billing offers optional email statements, reducing paper and wasted time:
- Email statements consist of a short email with an attached statement in PDF format.
- You can create multiple templates for statement emails ahead of time. You have the option to personalize templates by inserting fields with a simple drag-and-drop interface.
- The fields pull in personalized information, like client name, balance due, and electronic payment links, and automatically insert it in the email’s subject line or body.
- When you set up email statements for a client, you choose an appropriate template.
- The billing clerk can send the approved statement with a single click. The software chooses the selected template, inserts the personalized information into the correct fields, generates a PDF statement, attaches the PDF, and sends the email.
Step 4: Collect payments electronically
In some practice areas, paper checks are the norm. Even in B2B transactions, however, electronic payment use is growing. Most consumers strongly prefer to pay electronically. Getting paid by check generates its own costs: on average receiving a paper check costs $1.01-$2.00, and check fraud is common.
Tabs3Pay integrates with Tabs3 Billing for faster, paper-free collections:
- You can include a live payment link in email statements.
- Clients can pay by ACH, debit card, credit card, PayPal, Venmo, or PayPal Pay Later. They never have to hunt for the checkbook or a stamp.
- The secure, PCI-compliant payment processor is built for law firms, so trust account compliance is baked in. Transactions automatically go into the correct account.
- Payments may be processed more quickly than paper checks.
- You may be able to manage the firm’s costs with surcharging. (Check state and local rules first, as they vary.)
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Step 5: Simplify compliance and recordkeeping
When your accounting processes are done on paper (or in a disconnected set of spreadsheets), it is easy to miss steps or get out of sync. Managing the recordkeeping burden of trust accounting without modern software increases the risk of errors, with the potential for serious business consequences. Paper-based three-way reconciliations are also time-consuming and error-prone.
Tabs3 Billing works with Tabs3 Financials to reduce paper and the risk of ethical breaches:
- Time entry, billing statements, accounts payable, and trust account management modules securely and automatically share the appropriate information.
- Your systems securely communicate with your financial institutions so you can keep a close eye on trust accounting.
- Three-way reconciliations are faster and more accurate with built-in reporting that automatically pulls in bank statements, your trust ledger, and each client’s individual trust ledger.
- By storing records electronically, you can reduce storage costs while making records more accessible to authorized users.
Cut out paper waste and wasted time with Tabs3
With Tabs3 Billing and Tabs3 Financials, available inTabs3 Cloud, you can create a virtually paper-free invoicing process. That works out to streamlined workflows, a faster revenue cycle, and happier clients. Schedule your free demo today.
👉 Paperless Invoicing: Why Your Law Firm Should Embrace the Digital Age
Ready to transform your law firm’s billing process? Schedule a personalized demo and discover how Tabs3 Cloud can transform your firm in one complete practice management solution.
Even when your phone is ringing off the hook, the people calling might not be the leads you need. Finding the right match requires qualifying leads fast and following up promptly with qualified prospects. That can create a major administrative burden and cut into billable time.
Tabs3 CRM can help. By automating aspects of your client relationships, you can sign more of the right clients with less work.
What is a CRM?
CRM stands for Client Relationship Management. A legal CRM can help your firm organize information, manage communication, and improve potential client relationships via centralized data storage and automation.
For example, a CRM might automate intake tasks like prescreening, consultation reminders, follow-ups, and engagement paperwork. CRMs can also boost intake collaboration within your office. They typically track all the contacts your office has with an individual, so anyone can see what has been done and which tasks remain.
Once a client has engaged your firm, a CRM that integrates with your practice management software can eliminate duplicative data entry.
CRMs help firms engage leads more efficiently
Managing relationships with leads begins the moment a potential client learns about your firm. The initial part of your intake workflow might look something like this:
Step 1: Be visible to potential clients
Many firms reach out to potential clients via multiple channels. For some, that means paid ads, like Google, Facebook, trade journals. For others, it might include bus benches and billboards. And no matter what your practice area is, a professional, engaging website is critical.
Tabs3 CRM can help you discover which channels are the most successful so you can iterate and improve your marketing. You can record lead sources or track them directly through an integration. For example, the software integrates with Tabs3 Websites, so website leads are automatically drawn into your intake workflow.
Step 2: Route inquiries appropriately
Whether you have dedicated intake staff or not, you need to get each lead to the right person at the right time. Tabs3 CRM can automatically route the leads to the right person, based on criteria you specify, or hold notifications when intake is unavailable. Routing inquiries correctly means fewer missed connections, so you can engage promising leads quickly.
Step 3: Pre-screen leads thoughtfully
A good pre-screening can save hours of wasted time. With Tabs3 CRM, you can create multiple digital intake forms for different types of cases or practice groups. Then you decide how to deploy them:
- Traditional phone screening, where you enter answers directly into the CRM. Screeners can initiate the call from Tabs3 CRM.
- Self-serve screening, where you send the lead a text or email with a link to the appropriate screening form. This allows you to make a preliminary representation decision before getting on the phone.
Once a process tied to printers and postal mail, digital tools now enable law firms to implement efficient, cost-effective paperless invoicing. Ready to make the switch? Take the first step toward a more organized and productive invoicing workflow. Download the guide today.
Nurture leads effectively
Leads that are qualified by pre-screening continue moving through the intake process. The latter part of an intake process typically includes these steps.
Step 1: Stay top of mind
Sometimes a qualified lead is not ready to move forward with their matter. But in a busy office, important follow-up tasks can fall through the cracks. With Tabs3 CRM automations, however, you can create set-it-and-forget-it follow-up sequences, like text reminders or a series of emails (a “drip campaign”).
Templates and an intuitive interface make it easy to create sequences with no prior experience. You can customize the words and timing to fit your firm’s style, so your messages feel natural and personalized, while freeing you up to concentrate on other matters.
The tool also includes dashboards and reports so you can see how people are responding to your messages.
Step 2: Simplify consultations
It takes time to prepare for a consultation, and missed appointments cut into work time for attorneys and professional staff alike. Reduce no-shows with Tabs3 CRM’s automated reminders, delivered by text or email. Reminders can include information about cancellation and no-show policies to encourage timely rescheduling.
Tabs3 CRM also offers a shared calendar and personalized task lists to help your office keep track of consultations and other intake events.
If you gathered documents prior to or during the consultation process, Tabs3 CRM can store them for you. Any authorized user in your firm can quickly access the documents when needed, and the materials can be transferred into Tabs3’s PracticeMaster if the lead engages your firm.
Step 3: Secure the engagement
If you want to represent the potential client, it is critical to get engagement letters and other representation paperwork out as soon as possible. Tabs3 CRM makes it simple to send forms and gather electronic signatures.
You can use the software to create customized engagement letters and fee agreements, using an interface that looks similar to Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat. Simply import your existing forms, and with a few tweaks, you can create a firm-specific library of options tailored to your practice areas and your firm’s policies.
When sending a letter to a potential client, you can select a form and initiate the e-signature process in seconds. The lead receives a secure link that allows them to read and sign the documents electronically, and the signed document is automatically returned to your office.
👉 Set up a personalized demonstration with our experienced trainers today.
Shift seamlessly from prospect to client
If you choose to represent the client, you can move the new client’s information into PracticeMaster in just a few clicks. That means less repetitive data entry and more time for billable tasks. Your intake workflow transitions gracefully into your new client workflow.
From first contact to conversion, streamline your intake workflow with Tabs3 CRM
All law practices struggle to balance client work with administrative tasks. You can take charge of your intake workflow with Tabs3 CRM:
- Screen leads quickly with custom intelligent forms
- Integrate Tabs3 CRM with a Tabs3 Website
- Automate marketing with time-saving tools and templates
- Follow up with precision to convert more clients
Our expert trainers are ready to show you exactly how your practice can benefit. Sign up for your personalized demo today.
Ready to transform your law firm’s billing process? Schedule a personalized demo and discover how Tabs3 Cloud can transform your firm in one complete practice management solution.
Your practice is busy. Staffing is lean. Clients expect speed. How does an overworked law office keep all the plates spinning? The right legal practice management software could make all the difference. Finding your fit could mean less administrative work—and better results.
This guide covers four reasons criminal defense firms can benefit from legal practice management software.
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What is law practice management software?
Legal practice management software helps you run your law firm. Unlike general-purpose business software, legal practice management software is designed just for law firms. For instance, it includes built-in tools to manage your trust accounts ethically and find potential conflicts before ethical issues arise.
Features vary among platforms, but legal practice management software usually offers some or all of the following:
- Time and billing (timers, time entries, invoicing, vendor payments)
- Financial management (bookkeeping and advanced financial tasks)
- Contact management for conflict checking and case management
- Case management (calendars, digital files, digital documents, workflow automations)
- Reporting and analytics to help you track your success
Some vendors combine features into a single product, while others create separate modules. Modular software allows you to choose the features you need based on your firm’s current needs and scale as you grow.
1. Stay compliant (and in the black)
Practice management software with robust financial features can reduce the time you spend managing the biggest keep-the-lights-on task: time and billing. The platform you choose should be simple and efficient, with strong guardrails around trust accounting and other compliance issues.
Criminal defense firms can get the following benefits.
Track your time effortlessly (even for flat-rate cases)
If your firm uses hourly rates, tracking time is crucial.
Even on flat fee matters, however, including time entries on account statements can help you manage your clients by showing the value of your work. And with accurate time data, you can check your flat rates against the actual time spent on cases and adjust future rates accordingly.
Look for time tracking products that fit your workstyle and caseload. For instance, you might appreciate a platform with a mobile app that allows you to track time when you are moving from depositions to court and back again. Apps allow you to write time entries on the go too, when your memory is freshest.
Some tools can flag common narrative mistakes as you write your entries, and have digital options for revising time entries during the billing statement approval process.
Get control of your cash flow
Staying on top of billing and collections can mean better collections rates. When generating statements is fast and easy, you are more likely to do it every month. Thus, good financial management software can help you collect more money in less time.
The best software for your practice is one that matches your firm’s unique needs. Consider your current statement approval workflow and how the software could speed up, automate, or otherwise improve that process, like:
- Accepting payments the way your clients want to pay (usually electronically).
- Reducing the number of steps it takes to generate, modify, and finalize invoices.
- Preventing unauthorized modification of time entries and invoices.
- Sending invoices by email or secure sharing link (if the client desires).
- Preventing trust/operating account mix-ups.
- Reporting on your collections rates so you can take action early.
If you use retainers or flat fees, look for software that can track retainer usage, make it simple for your clients to top up evergreen retainers, and send regular statements showing the work you have done on the client’s behalf.
Keep the bills paid and the books balanced
Your firm also has bills to pay, and financial software can save a great deal of time in accounts receivable. For example, you can automate recurring payments, pay electronically, see which invoices need to be paid, and manage 1099s.
If you handle bookkeeping in-house, a fully-featured financial management package can include general ledger as well trust accounting.
Once a process tied to printers and postal mail, digital tools now enable law firms to implement efficient, cost-effective paperless invoicing. Ready to make the switch? Take the first step toward a more organized and productive invoicing workflow. Download the guide today.
2. Build better relationships and avoid case conflicts
From intake to case resolution, managing client relationships (and finding conflicts early) is the name of the game.
Key wins for criminal defense practices include the following.
Find conflicts of interest faster
Even if you are a solo practitioner, your memory or a past client spreadsheet may not catch every potential conflict. Since any individual you come into contact with during a case could be a source of a conflict, the number of names you must record or remember is overwhelming.
Digital conflict checking can take the burden off you while increasing the accuracy of your conflict checks. A fully integrated practice management system can automatically search all your files, your emails, and your contact database. You can still do a memory-based cross-check, and you will make representation decisions with more confidence.
Put client information where the team can reach it
If your client and contact information is stored in multiple locations, a single synchronization error can become a headache. Centralized contact management allows everyone in the firm to see client contact details (as appropriate to their role) and ensures anyone who needs to contact a client has up-to-date information at their fingertips.
Speed up client communications
Sharing documents, getting signatures, and reminding clients about court dates and appointments can take up a lot of time. Many of those tasks can be automated with the right software.
For example, you may be able to:
- Send clients automatic text or email reminders about important events.
- Share documents quickly and securely without the risk of traditional email attachments.
- Gather legally binding eSignatures for engagement letters and other documents.
It is also important to retain client emails, both for your own case work and for future conflict checking efforts. Many contact management modules can integrate with your email.
Find your best-fit clients
Some contact management modules help you grow your firm by improving your marketing and intake processes. You might use the software to share intake data, automate potential client follow-up and reminders, and even collect pre-screening data to reduce the time spent doing intake for cases you cannot accept.
3. Get more organized and productive
If you are wasting hours every week managing paper files, disconnected calendars, and workflows full of repetitive manual tasks, practice management software can reduce your workload significantly. Many practice management systems include a case management module, which simplifies day-to-day client work.
Criminal defense firms often prioritize the following capabilities.
Never miss a deadline
When you are juggling filing deadlines, motion hearings, client conferences, and other court appearances, it can be difficult to keep the team in sync. Practice management platforms often include shared calendars to make coordination easier.
You can typically limit sharing to smaller groups. For instance, if a paralegal supports multiple attorneys, they can see both attorneys’ calendars, but neither attorney can see the other’s calendar. This keeps cluttered calendars cleaner and reduces mix-ups.
Eliminate repetitive manual tasks
In many criminal defense practices, everyone wears many hats. Any time you save on often-repeated tasks eases the workload. Reducing the need for double data entry is a common automation target.
That can take the form of data mapping, like a tool that moves potential client data from a CRM and into a case management module after the engagement letter is signed. Or it might mean digitizing the statement review process, so revisions are typed in instead of handwritten and then transcribed.
Instant access to the information you need
Centralizing and digitizing data storage keeps your team in sync and reduces the time spent looking for documents. Storing documents electronically minimizes the need for costly on-site document storage.
Digital access is even more powerful when you are away from the office. Software with a mobile app empowers you to review a file at home, look up a client’s address on the go, and search case documents while you are in court.
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4. Keep your eyes on the big picture
When workloads are intense, it is tempting to focus only on the work in front of you. That said, strong reporting and analytics tools can help keep your firm healthy—now and in the future. Practice management platforms usually come with built-in reporting capacity for most modules, and some offer advanced business intelligence and analytics.
Criminal defense firms can use reporting and analytics in the following ways:
Stay on top of short-term goals
Virtually every practice management platform comes with bread-and-butter reports like aging WIP (for time tracking and billing) and lead tracking (for CRMs). Regularly reviewing and taking action on reports is essential for every firm.
It is important to evaluate whether a platform’s built-in reporting meets your needs. Many law firms find they need at least a few custom reports, so you may wish to consider the availability of custom reporting (and what technical knowledge is needed to create reports).
Position for a successful future
Many firms can benefit from monthly, quarterly, or annual reviews of the firm’s progress towards long-term goals. That might include:
- Checking utilization and progress towards billing targets for each timekeeper.
- Analyzing the time spent on flat fee cases to determine whether rates need adjustment.
- Evaluating the progress of marketing efforts and then iterating with new ideas.
- Tracking financials to see where your dollars are going.
By choosing a practice management system that includes reports like this, you can spend less time reinventing the wheel. In some cases, you can get dynamic dashboards that visually represent close to real-time data.
Build a more prosperous criminal defense practice with Tabs3
Tabs3’s suite of legal practice management products was designed with you in mind. The platform is modular, so you can choose the features you need now and scale up as your practice grows. For example, you can:
- Make time tracking, billing, and retainer management effortless with Tabs3 Billing.
- Accept electronic payments with Tabs3Pay.
- Work wherever you choose with Tabs3Cloud.
- Manage bookkeeping, trust accounting, and pay bills with Tabs3 Financials.
- Get your team in sync and centralize document/client data storage with Tabs3 PracticeMaster.
- Get more clients in less time with Tabs3 CRM.
Want to learn more? Our legal practice management software experts are ready to listen to your needs and show you how Tabs3 can help. Schedule your demo today.
👉 Set up a personalized demonstration with our experienced trainers today.
Ready to transform your law firm’s billing process? Schedule a personalized demo and discover how Tabs3 Cloud can transform your firm in one complete practice management solution.
You face an endless stream of cases, administrative tasks, and client demands on a daily basis, but putting growth on the back burner sharply limits your firm’s potential. Choosing the best law firm CRM software—specifically tailored for the legal industry—can revolutionize how you manage client relationships and operations.
The right client (or customer) relationship management (CRM) software gives your firm a competitive edge in speed and efficiency. When 78% of firms are already using these platforms to nurture new leads, streamline client communications, and cut admin time, getting lost in tedious day-to-day tasks and spreadsheets hampers your ability to grow.
This post highlights how key features of a top legal CRM remove common barriers to growth and why it’s the best investment you can make in the future of your practice.
The Unique Challenges of Growing a Law Firm
Offering exceptional client service is challenging when lead generation takes up a large portion of your time, but this is precisely what law firms today are tasked with. Managing contacts and clients the traditional way, often with spreadsheets and manual follow-ups, comes at the cost of missed opportunities and lost revenue.
Running your firm without modern software solutions to streamline operations can also leave your client data and documents in disarray, leading to process bottlenecks that slow you down and inhibit growth. With clunky intake processes and no centralized insights to drive your marketing efforts, growth is hard to achieve.
Profitable growth is only possible when you become more efficient by taking tedious client management tasks off your plate and organizing workflows with automation. Both are areas where a specialized law firm CRM can provide real value.
How CRM Software Transforms Client Engagement
An effective CRM tool for legal client relationship management acts as a centralized hub for all your client information. With the right platform, you can expect improved client engagement through automation, organization, and personalization:
- Automate Tedious Tasks: From sending appointment reminders to follow-up emails that nurture new leads, automation does the heavy lifting and frees up valuable time so you can concentrate on legal work.
- Organize Data Seamlessly: Organized data helps you consolidate contact details, keep up with case notes, and manage communications in one secure system for easy access.
- Enhance the Client Journey: Create a better client experience by using legal CRM to provide prompt, personalized service from the first contact through ongoing support.
A legal CRM drives client satisfaction and growth by minimizing manual work, ensuring your data is always accurate and current, and empowering your firm to engage clients more effectively.
Choosing the Right CRM for Your Law Firm
When choosing a CRM, it’s essential to match the tool to your firm’s unique needs. Prioritize:
- Legal-Specific Features: Your CRM should offer specialized features for the legal field, including custom client intake forms and automated legal appointment reminders.
- Robust Integrations: Look for CRM integrations that connect with your firm’s practice management, billing and payments, compliant document sharing, and accounting tools.
- User-Friendliness: Choose a system that is intuitive for both attorneys and support staff, offering easily accessible reports and time-saving automations.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Balance essential CRM features with your firm’s budget to ensure a strong return on investment that supports your long-term growth.
Making these criteria a priority in your CRM search will ensure a good fit with the platform you choose, giving you the features you need at a price point that makes sense for your firm.
Key Features of Legal CRM Solutions
Automation Capabilities
Automation is a game-changer for law firms, especially in managing prospective clients. CRM systems streamline many of the daily tasks that power your firm, like:
- Client and prospect follow-ups
- Document management
- Securing client signatures
- Appointment scheduling
Templates and automation tools available in legal CRMs save time by handling routine tasks that support growth, like data entry and follow-up reminders, and free your team to focus on tasks that drive revenue.
Flexibility and Customization
A standout feature of legal CRM software is the level of flexibility and customization the right platform can offer. With the ability to customize contact form fields, you can collect and categorize crucial client information, which helps you qualify leads quickly.
The top legal CRMs provide substantial personalization options to ensure a tailored fit for your firm, from addressing emails and text messages with client names to setting up custom reports that keep your finger on the pulse of your progress.
Integration with Existing Tools
Effective integration is essential for every CRM system. Making sure your data flows between your CRM tool and practice management software ensures a seamless transition from prospect to client.
A CRM that integrates with your most-used tools is especially important during the client intake process to ensure that information flows effortlessly between systems. Integrations also minimize the time your team spends manually entering data to make your firm more efficient.
Why a Legal CRM Is a Sound Investment
Investing in a CRM system goes beyond keeping up with technology. It is a strategic move that drives efficiency and revenue. With benefits like these, think of a legal CRM as an investment in your firm’s future:
- Save Time: CRM automation tools handle your firm’s most repetitive work and allow your team to focus on practicing law, not administrative tasks.
- Improve Accuracy: Using a CRM to streamline data input reduces errors and ensures every client interaction is handled promptly.
- Enhance Client Relationships: Personalized follow-ups, appointment reminders, and smooth intake lead to better client engagement and satisfaction.
- Scalable Growth: As your firm expands, a flexible CRM adapts to your evolving needs without sacrificing billable time or dealing with process bottlenecks that slow you down.
The right legal CRM is a comprehensive tool that unites and centralizes your law firm’s operations, making it a sound investment in your firm’s ability to grow and thrive.
Tabs3 CRM: Transforming Client Management
Tabs3 CRM integrates directly within PracticeMaster. It makes client management simple for busy law firms with features that automate, personalize, and track every client interaction. Built-in tools enable you to be consistent with the marketing and communications tasks that drive revenue and client engagement.
Nurture leads with personalized marketing campaigns and timely follow-ups, quickly qualify leads with automated client intake, and keep client and case data centralized with practice management software integrations.
Power your firm’s ability to build strong client relationships with tools and features like these:
- Automated Marketing Campaigns: Build personalized email and text message templates with drip automation tools to keep leads engaged with no forgotten follow-ups.
- Customizable Intake Forms: Intelligent logic-based forms adapt to client responses to keep questions relevant, speed up intake, and make data collection easier with fewer manual errors.
- PracticeMaster Integration: Tabs3 CRM works within PracticeMaster, which seamlessly integrates with other Tabs3 products and keeps prospect and client information synchronized across the suite of software.
With no data gaps and consistent contact monitoring in every stage of the funnel, your firm develops more streamlined workflows that set the stage for productivity and growth.
Law Firm CRMs: A Smart Investment in Growth
A robust legal CRM system is indispensable for modern law firms who want to create room for expansion with more efficient workflows. Manual data entry and client management prevent scalable growth, but investing in the right CRM will remove those barriers and unlock more opportunities for your law firm.
With time-saving features that optimize client intake, contact management, marketing, and synchronize with your top tools, Tabs3 CRM may be the proactive solution your firm needs to flourish. Schedule a demo now to learn how Tabs3 CRM can elevate your client management and secure the best future for your firm.
Websites today play a critical role in making strong first impressions and conveying professionalism to potential clients. Poorly designed or underwhelming websites can harm a firm’s credibility, which directly impacts client trust and business growth.
To convey the message that your firm is capable, professional, and trustworthy, you need a website that’s as informative and engaging as your legal arguments. Is there an easy way to get a polished, user-friendly site without the added cost, time, and hassle of outsourcing or building it from scratch?
Using a service like Tabs3 Websites is a good solution for law firms looking for an affordable and efficient way to create a quality online presence. If your law firm’s website is lackluster, an attorney website solution that’s affordable and easy to manage is now within reach with Tabs3 Websites.
6 Benefits that Tabs3 Website Provides
1. Secure and compliant website designs built for attorneys
Many well-meaning attorneys enter contracts with industry-agnostic web developers who boast strong security standards, yet don’t understand the specific risks and regulations law firms face. This can lead to data breaches and compliance violations that put your clients—and license to practice law—at risk.
Attorneys often collect sensitive data from their clients, such as credit card numbers and birth dates. Depending on the practice areas served, they may even collect medical records, employment history, or proprietary business information. This makes your website a prime target for hackers who constantly seek ways to steal this information.
When you choose Tabs3 Websites, you can rest assured that your site is hosted on a reliable platform with industry-leading, bank-grade SSL security. Your clients also benefit from a malware-resistant firewall and multiple layers of spam protection. SSAe, SOC2, and ADA compliance keep your site in good legal and ethical standing.
2. Improve your law firm’s website ranking
If potential clients can’t find you, they can’t contact you.
A website that doesn’t appear on a Google search can be a major turnoff for prospects who have heard great things about your firm from referral sources and are considering working with you. It may even lead to them choosing a different attorney altogether.
People who are just beginning their search for an attorney in their area often start with the number one search result and work their way down the list. This isn’t ideal if your site doesn’t rank on the first page of Google.
Figuring out how to improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) ranking on your own is a never-ending experiment and often yields poor results if you don’t have experienced professional support. Plus, repeatedly changing your site in an effort to please the algorithm is confusing and off-putting for your current legal clients.
Tabs3 Websites uses data-driven best practices to optimize your website for search engines so that finding your site is convenient for potential clients, with no guesswork necessary.
3. Client and mobile-friendly website design
Successful websites are both easy to use and visually appealing. Still, all too often, designers encourage law firms to include features that look nice but slow down load times and glitch out on mobile devices.
When potential clients are pressed for time and seeking urgent legal help, they don’t have time to waste waiting for pictures or video to load, nor spend precious minutes (or even seconds) figuring out how to navigate your site for contact information.
Law firm websites designed with an intuitive navigation system and clear, skimmable content stand out because they reduce stress for clients at an otherwise overwhelming time.
That said, you don’t have to resort to dull imagery or forget about branding. Vivid visuals do a lot to create a positive impression. Tabs3 Websites strikes the right balance between form and function with high-quality photos, vibrant customization options, and a user-friendly interface that’s easy to use on any device.
4. Legal website functionality to meet your needs
From scheduling a consultation to paying their final bill, every interaction your clients make with your website shapes their opinion of your firm. When it comes to showing your clients that you care about their convenience, a one-size-fits-all “solution” that only includes static information won’t cut it. Your website should offer access to the resources and services your clients want most.
We work with you to determine which features suit your workflow and ideal clients best, including client intake forms, payment processing, and client portal access. From there, we work behind the scenes to make sure they flow together seamlessly.
While many web designers consider these options to be “extras,” we consider them integral to the function of any legal practice’s website.
5. Ready in weeks, not months
You don’t have the time (or patience) to go back and forth between your firm and a design team over your website’s structure or minor details. And you shouldn’t have to.
You need a team that understands how critical your website is to your clients and your workflow. Our team prioritizes efficiency to get the job done quickly. Instead of waiting months, you can receive a complete website draft within three weeks.
6. Cost-effective website solution
Your legal clients want a high-quality client experience, not higher prices.
With traditional web design options, unexpected speed bumps can arise. Plus, upcharges for features that should be basic for law firms can easily cause you to exceed your budget. You may even need to recoup the cost by raising your rates.
With Tabs3 Websites, you get the service Tabs3 clients come to expect without paying extra for the features your firm requires to function at its best.
Improve your website ranking and attract more clients with Tabs3 Websites
If you want to ensure you’re doing all you can to maximize your web presence while maintaining compliance and security, you want a legal-specific website solution.
That’s where Tabs3 Websites comes in. This exciting addition to the Tabs3 product line can help impress your clients, convert leads, and improve your firm’s profitability.
Schedule your free demo of Tabs3 Websites today.
As an estate planning practice, you work with clients on emotional subjects: deciding what their legacy will be, mapping out their long-term care needs, and ensuring that their loved ones are provided for. Not only are you helping to plan for potentially difficult experiences for them and their loved ones, but the work itself also requires detailed and extensive documentation.
As an attorney, your goal is to help your clients solve their problems and prevent friction on often-contentious subjects, not to add further confusion with poor communication or less-than-perfect documentation. You can do this by supporting your clients with the right tools in place to streamline communications and accounting.
One of the most effective ways to elevate your practice is by integrating estate planning software tailored specifically for attorneys. This includes not only general legal practice management software but also solutions designed specifically for the intricacies of estate planning. Let’s explore why estate planning practice management software is essential for modern law firms.
What is legal practice management software?
Legal practice management software is software designed specifically for law firms to help manage their practices more efficiently. Practice management software can range from comprehensive, all-in-one solutions to highly customized packages tailored to a law firm’s specific needs.
Practice management software performs a number of different functions, including:
- Contact management
- Task and workflow management
- Calendaring
- Time and expense tracking
- Reporting and analytics
Legal practice management software may also offer trust accounting, billing, payments, and client relationship management features. These features tie into the basic practice management functionalities, ensuring that information is accurate and easily accessible no matter how you’re putting it to use.
Three reasons your firm needs estate planning practice management software
Estate planning is a unique area of law, involving a high level of client interaction, extensive documentation, and the need for precise legal advice. Here’s why estate planning software for attorneys is indispensable:
1. Improve your client experience with better communication
Client communications are a critical component of estate planning law practices. Clients often seek legal assistance during emotionally challenging times, and estate planning practice management software can help attorneys maintain strong, organized relationships by providing tools for effective communication and data management.
Legal client relationship management (CRM)
A strong first impression is vital to converting leads into clients. One of the best ways to make a strong first impression? Being responsive with your communication.
A robust legal client relationship management (CRM) system within your estate planning practice management software ensures that you can track every interaction with your clients. From the initial consultation to ongoing communications, the CRM system helps you maintain a clear record of client needs, preferences, and concerns. This not only improves the client experience but also increases the likelihood of repeat business and referrals.
For example, the CRM can automate follow-up emails, schedule reminders for key estate planning milestones, and even provide clients with updates on their case status. This level of personalized service builds trust and loyalty, which is crucial in estate planning law.
Streamlined email management
A solid email strategy helps build long-term relationships with clients. It allows you to educate them on topics related to their needs, build rapport, and remind them of upcoming deadlines and appointments.
That said, it can be difficult to stay on top of consistent communication for all clients without the tools to back it up.
Practice management software is a great way to simplify email management and keep everyone on the same page. For example, PracticeMaster’s built-in email management software syncs with Outlook and allows you to add client emails to their corresponding matter. With this feature, you don’t have to go digging through hundreds of email threads to find where your last conversation left off or forward email after email to colleagues.
2. Automate tasks to save time
Estate planning requires meticulous organization and record-keeping to ensure your client’s needs and wishes are followed correctly. If one task slips through the cracks, it can create a host of problems for both you and your clients. However, estate planning practice management functionalities can make it easier to stay organized without losing billable hours to project management work.
Secure file-sharing and eSignature
With clients increasingly expecting digital solutions, secure file-sharing and eSignature capabilities are must-haves for any estate planning practice. These tools allow clients to sign documents and share sensitive information from anywhere, at any time, without the need for physical meetings. This not only speeds up the estate planning process but also enhances client satisfaction by providing a convenient, secure way to manage their affairs.
Besides being user-friendly, file-sharing and eSignature tools also provide a high degree of security compared to paper documents. With bank-level security for sensitive client data, your clients will feel safe sharing their data, and you can rest assured that you’ll be protected from compliance risks.
Document automation
Organization is vital to an effective estate planning practice, but ongoing document tracking and assembly can be a tedious and time-consuming task. When you use robust practice management software like PracticeMaster, it’s easier for legal teams to automate document assembly, importing, and sharing. PracticeMaster offers features like:
- Document assembly: pull client information to fill forms and contracts with document assembly features, shaving hours off of traditionally tedious document assembly tasks.
- Import documents: import documents and data. System plug-ins enable integration across Word, Excel®, Windows, Adobe® Acrobat, and more.
- Built-in document management: track document changes, including which staff member made them. Firms can also link to documents and clients in their communications to keep everyone on the same page.
3. Utilize accounting software that caters to your fee structure
Robust accounting features in practice management software can cater to different fee structures and simplify billing for all parties.
Estate planning law firms in particular utilize a variety of fee arrangements to provide convenient solutions for clients. Some clients may rely on ongoing service agreements and trust accounts to secure services, while others may benefit from flat fee arrangements for more straightforward needs, such as drafting a last will and testament.
Tabs3 Billing gives you virtually unlimited billing rate flexibility. Use attorneys’ standard rate, bill by timekeeper level (partner, associate, etc.), or create custom rates for any timekeeper for any client. You can also use contingency, split fee, flat fee, retainer, progress, and electronic task-based billing when needed.
In addition to the features you need to create flexible billing structures, practice management software can also help you send your bills and accept payments faster, providing your firm with the tools needed to improve your cash flow. With Tabs3 Billing, your firm can:
- Accept credit cards and online payments, and include a credit card remittance form on a bill for faster payment with Tabs3Pay
- Print statements and email them as PDFs, one at a time or in large batches
- Print draft statements and track which ones are still under internal review
- Easily edit and update transactions on any bill to ensure accuracy for your clients
Do your best work with Tabs3 Software’s full suite of legal practice management tools
Tabs3 Software is the ideal legal practice management software for estate planning law firms because it provides the tools you need to run an efficient and profitable practice. Tabs3’s powerful features can be customized to meet the precise needs of your firm, so you can spend more time focusing on the needs of your clients.
See for yourself why Tabs3 Software has been trusted by law firms for decades and schedule a demo with us today.
You’ve done the work. Your client is happy. Two weeks later, they get your bill. It sits on their dining table for a night, then a week, and is then buried under countless other pieces of mail. If you’re lucky, they’ll find it a month later and pay. But for many firms, accounts receivable are ultimately not received.
Getting paid for your work is essential for your firm’s ability to continue serving clients, and yet it often seems that getting paid is harder than the actual work. If you are getting fed up with this cycle, see how these four tips can help simplify your law firm’s collections to benefit your practice.
Tip #1: Start by setting expectations for the billing experience
As a practice management and legal billing software provider, we lean heavily on technology. However, no matter how much we like to think software can solve every issue, the truth is that people are what matter most in the legal sector.
Therefore, before we talk about collections, remember that every interaction you have with a client will influence the impression they have of you. Considering how vital referrals can be in the legal sector, it’s critical that your firm’s billing experience doesn’t alienate a client who could send business your way in the future. And while collections isn’t any client’s favorite topic, it is an opportunity to establish a strong relationship with them. So, take the time to set expectations upfront. Be sure to explain:
- How your rates are calculated
- How and when the client’s invoice(s) will be delivered
- What your client’s payment options are
Naturally, how this is communicated matters. Your clients could be going through an incredibly painful period in their lives. Communicate your billing practices clearly and concisely, and let your clients know how they can reach you if they have questions about your billing.
Finally, give them an opportunity to ask questions about your billing process. If a client is concerned about whether they’ll be able to pay, having that discussion can help them understand what they should do before starting. Building this foundation of clarity, transparency, and trust early can improve both your collections as well as your ability to work with the client.
Tip #2: Review your collection policies, procedures, and reporting practices
Consistency makes billing and collections easier, both for clients and your firm’s internal team. For example, when is a bill sent? When is a follow-up reminder sent? When is a client’s balance written off, and how is that squared in your books? Having a consistent approach to these situations makes it easier to automate, increasing your firm’s ability to collect and eliminating opportunities for client frustration.
Many firms don’t have these collections policies in place, and those that do often implement them inconsistently. This leads to two common outcomes:
- Clients are billed, followed up with, or written down or off, but this isn’t clearly communicated internally. When this happens regularly, it can leave your accounts receivable in a confused state, putting your firm’s cash flow at risk.
- Clients don’t know what to expect and, therefore, have a poor experience when they finally do receive your invoice. This can leave clients on a sour note, impacting their likelihood of being promoters of your firm.
Take the time to review your collections policies, procedures, and reporting practices. Doing so can improve your internal and external communications, make your teams more efficient, leave clients happier, and remove ambiguity from the billing process.
Tip #3: Provide clear and timely statements
We started by saying that one of the most important parts of billing is setting expectations, and we stand by that. Clients are more likely to pay when their service is recent and they know what’s coming. Alternatively, if your clients are surprised by a bill or there’s been a lapse between their service and your invoice, it’s almost always harder for your firm to collect. That means more time spent following up and less time on what drives your firm forward. Providing clients with easily-understood invoices promptly after their service is crucial to maintaining a predictable revenue cycle.
How can you do it? Dozens of ways. If you use a customer relationship management platform, you can enter notes and reminders there and add notifications letting you know when to bill. Then, you can execute those tasks in your accounting platform. You can then set a reminder for when to follow up. You can repeat this process until you’re able to collect.
Tabs3 can help you quickly manage billing, follow-ups, and the rest of your firm’s collection needs. From sending invoices by email immediately after service to writing off client balances, Tabs3 helps your firm administrators accurately and efficiently enter billable hours, leaving them with more time for the work that drives your law firm forward.
Tip #4: Make it easy for clients to pay
The use of checks and cash is declining, and with so many forms of cashless payment available, each client may have different preferences for how they pay. Therefore, we recommend you avoid forcing a single payment method on your clients. For example, some clients may not have a PayPal account set up, so having your default payment method as PayPal may create enough friction to delay or prevent your collection.
Instead, offer as many payment options as you can. That way, clients can pick whatever they’re most comfortable with. Done manually, offering multiple payment options can be tedious, but it doesn’t need to be. Tabs3Pay allows you to share a single payment link in your emailed bills, letting clients pay securely as soon as they get your message.
Increase your connections to increase your collections
There are dozens of reasons a client might not pay their bill on time. They may have forgotten it, ignored it, or not understood it. No matter what the reason is, it can be prevented with quality communication upfront and a prompt, user-friendly billing process after.
While you focus on setting expectations, lean on Tabs3 to simplify your billing process so your firm’s administrators can manage their time, not collections.
To learn more about how Tabs3 can help you bill better, schedule a demo today!
Your law firm’s website is the digital first impression you give potential clients (no pressure). However, it isn’t just a simple online brochure. It’s an important space where you can communicate your expertise, establish a strong sense of trust, and convert leads into paying clients.
But for many firms, creating or updating a website feels easier said than done.
A lack of experience and finding the time to maintain relevant content makes the process nothing short of overwhelming. After all, you’re likely already stretched thin by your demanding schedule. It’s no wonder you’ve put your online presence on the backburner.
Yet, improving your website in preparation for the new year could give your firm the boost it needs to grow.
Why many law firm websites simply fall short
There are a number of reasons why your outdated website may be missing the mark. They include:
1. Lack of time to focus on updates
Attorneys and legal professionals already juggle crammed schedules. It can feel impossible to dedicate countless hours to:
- Website planning
- Revisions
- Ongoing management
And for solo practitioners or small firms, this time crunch is even more stressful.
2. Content that doesn’t resonate
Many law firm websites end up looking generic or too formal, which can drive away potential clients. Creating content that speaks to client needs and shows your firm’s personality requires some serious thought—and time that most firms just don’t have.
3. Difficulty keeping up with new technology
Today’s clients expect mobile-friendly websites, fast load times, and safe client portals. Firms relying on outdated technology risk frustrating their potential leads or losing them altogether.
4. Challenges with SEO and visibility
Even a fantastic website won’t generate leads if it doesn’t show up in search results. Unfortunately, many legal professionals don’t have the resources or expertise to optimize their sites for search engines, which can greatly limit their ability to attract new clients.
5. Tools and processes aren’t in alignment
When websites aren’t integrated with the tools your firm uses (in particular, your legal client relationship management software) keeping up with leads and inquiries turns into a manual and time-consuming process.
Your CRM isn’t the only software that benefits from integrating with your website. Incorporating your payment platform onto your site via secure online payment links can increase your cash flow and decrease the amount of administrative time you spend dealing with payment issues.
You can make your website work harder
If you’ve established that your website needs some fine-tuning, you need a good strategy to stand out among competitors. Here are a few site elements you want to deliver on:
1. User-friendly design
Organize your content into thoughtful sections, like:
- Practice area pages
- Attorney bios
- FAQ sections
They should be easy to find and explore.
2. Clear calls to action
Every page should guide visitors toward taking that next step, whether that’s scheduling a consultation or filling out a simple contact form.
3. Speed and accessibility
Fast load times and mobile compatibility improve user experience. Make sure your site functions smoothly regardless of the device being used.
4. Fresh and updated content
Regularly update your blog, practice area pages, and FAQ sections to reflect changes in the law or your firm’s services. Outdated information can be misleading and cause unnecessary confusion.
A modern website is a powerful growth tool for your law firm
A new website can make all the difference for your firm, offering benefits like:
1. Keeping you credible
Clients are more likely to trust a firm with a polished, professional online presence. An excellent site design communicates your competence before a potential client ever even walks through the door. Remember, first impressions are everything.
2. Improving lead generation
Lead generation is what keeps you in business. Convert casual visitors into leads that want to be represented by you by using:
- Easy-to-find contact forms
- Crystal clear calls to action
- Client-centric content
3. Boosting your efficiency
Modern websites usually come with tools to streamline processes, from appointment scheduling to payment collection. By automating these tasks, you and your staff can focus on what you’re good at, which is practicing law and serving clients.
How Tabs3 Websites can help
While you likely understand just how important having a professional website is, it’s a lengthy process and huge time investment to create a new one. Tabs3 Websites bridges the gap between what your law firm needs and the challenges it faces in building a strong online presence. We make your life easier by:
A rapid development process
The team at Tabs3 understands that attorneys didn’t go to law school to build websites. We use a streamlined, no-nonsense approach so your site is up and running quickly and you can focus on your work. Your website will be ready in weeks, not months.
Custom templates designed specifically for law firms
Our templates are legal-specific, with layouts that highlight your specific practice areas, attorney bios, and testimonials. Every page will reflect the unique strengths of your firm.
A design mobile loves
Your clients are likely browsing your website and its features through their phones. A Tabs3 website makes sure your site looks professional and functions seamlessly across devices so every visitor has an experience they enjoy.
SEO tools so you stick out
We optimize your website for search engines so it ranks high in local searches for applicable legal services to attract potential clients. You won’t need to worry about learning complicated SEO techniques; we have you covered.
Secure client portals and compliant hosting
You’re handing sensitive client information every day. Privacy matters most in the legal sector, which is why Tabs3 Websites comes with powerful security features built into all aspects of your site, including:
- Bank-grade SSL security
- Strong spam protection
- A sturdy firewall against cyber-attacks
- Regular backups
Integrated practice management tools
Tabs3 websites connect directly to your Tabs3 practice management software to make lead tracking, payment collection, and client communication easy-breezy.
Easy content updates
With our simple content management system, you can quickly update pages or add new ones without needing to be a technical genius.
We also keep you in the loop with how your website is performing. Quarterly updates from the Tabs3 team keep your site not only relevant, but attractive to search engines.
Law firm web design made simple
If you want to improve your web presence without overspending and over-complication, our team at Tabs3 Websites can offer you the quick-turnaround you need. We’ll strategically design an SEO optimized, legal-specific website for your firm that easily attracts and engages with your ideal client base. We also offer safe, compliant hosting and features your clients expect, like a secure client portal.
Have questions or want to learn more? Schedule a demo today.
Law firms are increasingly turning to technology to streamline their operations, enhance efficiency, and better manage their workflows. The adoption of legal practice management software is at the forefront of this transformation, offering a comprehensive solution for law firm workflow management.
Here, we will explore the pivotal role that legal practice management software plays in optimizing law firm workflows and highlight the efficiencies and game-changing advantages it brings to the table.
Introduction to law firm workflow management
In the competitive legal market, the efficiency of your law firm’s workflow can be the difference between success and stagnation. An astounding 73% of businesses have identified ease of use, simple integrations, and reliability as the most crucial factors in selecting practice management software. However, the same percentage also believes that available solutions are lacking in one or more of these areas, posing a significant challenge for law firms aiming to enhance their workflow management.
Are your legal workflows optimized, or are they being hindered by inefficient practice management tools and techniques? If you find your firm’s productivity faltering, it might be time to reevaluate your workflow management strategies and the tools you rely on.
The critical need for efficient law firm workflow management
Effective workflow management is essential for any law firm looking to maintain a competitive edge. It involves optimizing the processes through which work is done, from client intake to billing, ensuring that every task is completed as efficiently and accurately as possible. A well-managed workflow not only boosts productivity but also enhances client satisfaction and improves the firm’s bottom line.
The purpose of legal practice management software in workflow management
When you decided to invest in legal practice management software to streamline processes at your law firm, did you do any pre-planning? Many partners skip this essential step, never taking the time to consider which tasks attorneys need support with to improve workflow efficiency.
“Practice management” is a phrase that can encompass a wide range of day-to-day operational tasks at your law firm. Without carefully auditing attorneys’ existing legal workflows, you risk inadvertently investing in a “solution” that lacks the document management, matter management, or project management tools you need.
Investing in additional software to fill the gap might seem like a suitable compromise, but before you know it, your new “productivity-boosting” tech stack could decrease your law firm’s efficiency.
If you’re staring at a laundry list of suites designed to “simplify” legal workflows but experiencing lower law firm efficiency than before you started, consider this:
The purpose of legal practice management software is to manage your entire practice from one convenient, time-saving software interface.
Your legal practice management software should empower you to complete all of your daily tasks without jumping between software, including:
- Assigning due dates
- Onboarding new clients and matters
- Tracking matter progress
- Coordinating clearly with legal staff
- Organizing and searching matter files and tasks by status, attorney, due date, and more
- Clearly visualizing the week and month ahead in an attorney-friendly calendar
If your legal practice management software lacks these capabilities, it doesn’t streamline processes.
Key features of legal practice management software for enhanced workflow efficiency
Efficient law firm workflow management hinges on leveraging the right set of tools. Below, we explore the key features of legal practice management software that are essential for enhancing workflow management. These features not only streamline daily operations but also ensure that your law firm can meet its productivity and client service goals with ease. Whether it’s managing legal matters, optimizing document handling, or improving communication across your team, these functionalities are designed to address the unique challenges faced by legal professionals today.
1. Matter management tools make finding critical information easy
Matter management tools create a control center for your law firm, where you can streamline processes by organizing and managing multiple legal matters on a single screen. Accessing this type of “control center” from anywhere empowers your team to collaborate and manage deadlines more effectively.
When emails, fees, documents, appointments, phone records, and notes are just one click away, law firm efficiency skyrockets.
2. Document management is more dependable
Even the best project management software in the world can’t make up for poor document management. Look for legal practice management software that streamlines legal workflows with built-in document management.
Being able to track when changes were made to a document, as well as which staff member made them, is a game-changer when attorneys collaborate on a single client matter. Likewise, linking to documents or client matters makes communication between attorneys clearer and more informative.
3. Attorney-friendly calendars streamline legal workflows
Save the paper planner for personal events. Any legal practice management software worth investing in should include an attorney-friendly calendar that syncs with Outlook, so you never miss an event.
Whether you want to view everyone’s appointments on a single screen or just the events related to a specific matter or client, utilizing color coding and other organizational features make it possible.
Legal project management features do more than make your calendar easier to read, though. Scheduling should also be a snap, so you can spend less time planning your work and more time completing it. Look for project management features that enable you to schedule single or recurring tasks and appointments for individuals, groups, or the entire firm.
The best software for law firms should also include calendar plan templates, which allow you to schedule a series of events from one kick-off date. For example, the tasks you complete for every new matter (collection, follow-up, etc.) should automatically be added to your calendar when you onboard a new client.
Double-booking alerts and optional task reminders can also improve workflow efficiency by keeping legal staff on task.
4. Simple searches speed up checking for conflicts of interest
Rather than digging through piles of paper or sifting through spreadsheets for hours, instantly see conflicts of interest between potential clients and anyone in your firm. A reputable legal practice management software with robust document management and matter management tools should simplify checking for conflicts of interest to improve law firm efficiency.
Search through legal documents, emails, attachments, and other files quickly and accurately with phrase matching, phonetic checks, and other flexible features.
5. Email management supports document management
In the era of digital communication, email management is just as essential as document management. With legal practice management software that integrates with your email, it’s easy to track and bill time spent reading and drafting client emails.
The most robust legal practice management software can also automatically upload attachments from clients’ emails, filing them conveniently within your document management system for later review.
6. Track time for multiple clients with ease
If your law firm bills by the hour, time tracking is one of the most essential project management investments you can make. Billable hours are lost when attorneys fail to track the time spent on calls, emails, research, document assembly, and more—yet entering time while on the go is inconvenient without the right mobile-friendly software to support legal workflows.
The right legal practice management software will allow you to track time for various client matters with the click of a button, whether you’re using your phone, tablet, or laptop.
7. Billing is better with legal practice management software
Accurate, streamlined billing is more than a law firm efficiency issue. It’s critical to your bottom line. Because there’s no need to click through multiple websites and apps to get the job done, project management tools streamline the process of tracking time, invoicing, sending invoices, and managing trust accounts.
In addition, industry-specific software keeps clients’ sensitive information more secure with features that restrict users’ abilities to edit, view, or delete client and matter billing information.
Boost law firm workflow management with PracticeMaster
You could spend hours searching for comprehensive legal practice management software, but you shouldn’t have to. PracticeMaster encompasses all of these efficiency-boosting software functionalities and more.
Tabs3 Software has created industry-leading legal software products for over 40 years, so you can trust that every PracticeMaster feature has been expertly developed to directly support legal workflows and boost law firm efficiency.
Ready to see the difference that a more organized, more productive approach to project management can make for your law firm’s bottom line and overall client satisfaction?
Schedule a demo today.
As Thanksgiving approaches, families and friends throughout the country gather around the table to give thanks.
Your law firm should consider doing the same for your clients. No, you don’t have to send your clients pumpkin pie, but there are other ways to show them you value their business. Client appreciation in the legal industry is critical to maintaining healthy relationships; 74% of consumers tie loyalty more closely to appreciation than to a discount.
While considering year-end strategies to boost client relationships, your law firm can harness Tabs3 to show clients why you’re grateful for them.
Best practices for leveraging technology for client appreciation
Seventy-seven percent of legal professionals say that technology is important for their practice. The same tools you use daily to manage your clients, like client relationship management (CRM) software and client portals, can be implemented to show your appreciation. Tabs3 recommends these best practices to implement technology for client appreciation:
1. Use Tabs3 CRM for personalized communication
You may be familiar with utilizing Tabs3 CRM to nurture leads through the client intake funnel. You can also use these same tools to stay top-of-mind with current clients. Draft thank-you text messages or emails to clients that emphasize how grateful you are that they continue to work with your law firm. Personalize these messages by highlighting successes or wins you’ve helped them achieve.
Example message:
As the year wraps up, we just wanted to say thank you for trusting us with your breach of contract case earlier this year. We’re really proud of the settlement we secured for you and are pleased we could help protect your business.
If you ever need legal support again, we’re here for you. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and looking forward to working together in the future!
These emails can be tracked through Tabs3 CRM, to ensure you don’t overlook a single client. Alternatively, you can check past years’ emails to double-check that messaging doesn’t repeat from year to year.
2. Engage clients throughout the year
Setting up email drip campaigns and regular updates helps you stay relevant with potential clients year-round. With Tabs3 CRM, your team can create customized newsletter content with email templates. The focus on your newsletter can vary, but some ideas include:
- Educational content that highlights your specialties and practice areas
- Client reviews that showcase the excellent work you’ve completed
- Photos from events or speaking opportunities your lawyers may have participated in
Hit every preference in your target market with regular text message updates as well. The best part? The Legal CRM follows industry standards for text messaging, so your firm remains compliant. These features keep your firm compliant while giving clients control over their communications with you. This level of transparency fosters trust and strengthens your client relationships.
3. Build long-term relationships
Firms that actively engage with their current clients can earn 20 to 30% of their yearly revenue from them. Building long-term relationships allows your firm to maintain a consistent cash flow and minimize time on client acquisition.
Features within Tabs3 can help you put your clients’ needs first. For example, in your firm’s CRM, you can note preferences such as whether clients prefer text messages, emails, or phone calls. Then, you can review their account history to track open rates, response rates, and other metrics that allow you to assess how effective those methods actually are.
Soliciting direct feedback is also an important step, allowing you to better understand your clients needs for services and communication. Tabs3 makes this easy with automated post-service survey and review requests that give clients the opportunity to share their thoughts.
4. Measure the impact of client appreciation efforts
Data-driven decision-making is key to winning over clients.
Tabs3 software analytics offers robust reporting features so you can track client appreciation efforts and adjust tactics as necessary. The customizable dashboards come with 50 reports to glean relevant information from your data and track your key performance indicators (KPIs) in a handful of clicks.
For example, you can track referral rates from clients. If referrals are higher from certain clients, consider targeting them for additional appreciation efforts like exclusive invitations to events or special recognition.
Tabs3’s reporting tools can help you generate monthly or quarterly reports on client appreciation activities. Then, use this data to set specific goals—such as increasing referrals by 10% or boosting client retention by 15%—and continuously refine your appreciation strategies to meet those goals.
Beyond digital: traditional ways to show appreciation
While technology can and should be used in client appreciation efforts, there are tried-and-true methods that have always worked in the past. On top of incorporating software like Tabs3 into your regular workflows, consider trying one of the following to show appreciation as well.
Send personalized thank-you notes
The average office worker receives 97 emails per day, while the average household receives ten pieces of personal mail annually. With so few personal letters received every year, that one will certainly make your firm stand out amongst competitors.
Hold client appreciation events or seminars
“Free” is everyone’s favorite word. Show your clients how much you value them through exciting events or helpful legal seminars that offer insight into issues they may be having. Some ideas to consider include:
- Exclusive dinners at upscale restaurants for valuable clients
- Networking events where clients and potential clients can meet your team
- An educational workshop that offers insights into your practice areas and solves problems for clients
Give thanks to your clients this year with help from Tabs3
Client appreciation boosts client loyalty, making them much more likely to refer you to friends, family, and colleagues who may need legal services. Tabs3 integrates all aspects of client management, from communication to billing to payments, creating a seamless appreciation strategy.
Let our team show you how you can implement Tabs3 to streamline client appreciation and schedule a demo today.