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14 Feb 2020 Friday

How To Build Your Law Firm CRM?

The use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology is a favourite amongst marketers, but it is also growing in popularity amongst the legal sector too. The reason for this is that by using this technology, law firms can compile information and data in a single source for each aspect of their business. This includes client management and outreach which, in turn, supports a competitive service offering.

A large part of your firm’s success with CRM law programmes depends on your understanding of the software and how you utilise it. Knowing which features to look out for and which functions your law firm case management system can do for you is essential. In this article, we will take you through everything you need to know before dedicating your legal practice to particular software.

How Does a CRM Law Programme Differ From a Law Firm Case Management System?

The biggest point of difference between case management software and CRM is the fact that the latter supports client communication. However, a good CRM can help you nurture your clients and build these relationships. These systems are optimal as they can help manage your clients’ experience from their first meeting to their last. This includes setting up meetings, keeping contacts up to date, and providing data to analyse workflows and relationships.

Case management software is specifically designed to automate and organize a law firm’s processes. It allows you to manage cases and store all documents and relevant information about your clients and cases. Moreover, it allows you to manage the finances of your legal firm by streamlining your billing processes and robust reporting. It means, that all of the important data is safely stored in one place, easily managed and, can be accessed remotely from any device, including mobile.

While most softwares offer either a CRM or law firm case management function, Amberlo excels in both! With Amberlo, you can manage your contacts and your cases in one place. This can particularly useful as CRMs don’t offer time tracking, case management or expense management features that are key to a functional office. Now you can run a successful practice all from one platform. Just like fast internet and reliable computer equipment help your staff perform better, so does a robust case management solution. Law firms that invest in a powerful CRM see the returns clearly add up over time.

What are the Benefits of Using a CRM Law System?

If you have a wide variety of clientele, it’s only natural that your firm will eventually require a streamlined organisational solution to relationship management. Through automated services, attorneys and employees will have easy access to resources that can assist with excellent customer service.

Automation

Time is a precious commodity in a law firm, especially when it can be used more efficiently. CRM’s can automate workflows such as follow-up emails, pre-consultation information, client onboarding processes, and set up important alerts. Not only will this help open up your time but it will also drive a more effective client communication process. With Amberlo, you can automate your billing flow and tracking too.

Communication

Speaking of client communication, if you’re finding that maintaining an Excel spreadsheet challenging amongst a heavy workload, it may be time to move to a CRM system. With a centralised base of client information readily available, communication can become a simple process. Through better communication strategies, clients will be more likely to stay on board and refer your services to their network.

Record Maintenance

The law industry is full of important documents and this will only increase with the number of clients you have. With a good CRM platform, you will be able to easily store, classify and share them with your colleagues. These documents will also be archived neatly to your preference to ensure ease of use and to mitigate the risk of any essential forms being lost.

Organisation

Staying organised is key to a successful law firm. With a CRM, you can set up workflows, reminders, and scheduling to ensure that you stay on top of your tasks.

Important Features to Look Out For:

Although most CRMs offer a few of the same basic features, a winning software knows how to work with your legal practice. For law firms, we’d advise looking out for:

Easy workflow automation
Online calendar syncing
Email integration
Document template editing
Analytics

When selecting your CRM law platform, it’s important to ask yourself the following questions:

How will the software help you achieve your goals?
What information do I need to collect to find actionable insights?
How easy it will be to set up and maintain?
How does this CRM handle the security of confidential information?
Is it user-friendly?

Learn More About Amberlo’s CRM Features:

If finding a successful CRM law software is on your to-do list, then get in touch with us! Learn more about how Amberlo combines the world of CRM and case management into one efficient platform. Drop us an email at info@amberlo.io or have a look at our website www.amberlo.io for more.

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30 Jan 2020 Thursday

The EU General Data Protection Regulation went into effect on May 25, 2018, defining how personal data must be stored, used and processed. Meaning EU citizens have the possibility to influence who and in which way can manage their personal data. These rules affect all organizations working with EU citizens’ personal data.

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27 Jan 2020 Monday

The Key Attributes of Great Legal Case Management Software

Legal software is full of useful features to help law practices manage and excel with their casework. From document management, billing and invoicing, and client ledgers, legal case management software can provide your firm with the administrative security you need to run an efficient business. When your admin needs are constantly met, this means that you and your team have more time to spend on your clients and growing your company.

However, with these perks in mind, it’s important to understand which key attributes you should look out for when investing in such software. For your firm to operate smoothly, utilising a programme that caters to all your needs is essential.

If you’re on the fence about purchasing case management software, we’re here to help you understand how it can benefit your law practice. With plenty of options available, it can be overwhelming when considering the different features and capabilities. Let’s break down what these platforms can do for you and which aspects you should be on the lookout for.

What to Look Out for in Your Legal Case Management Software:

Client and Matter Management

Basic legal software allows firms to enter client information, contracts, and documents. However, a great programme will go beyond this and allow you to tailor client files based on legal matters such as their case type and those who are involved. On top of this, accessing a client’s entire file can be done at any time from any location.

Time and Expense Recording

Integrated time recording and expense tracking is another important function to look out for. This will help your firm generate accurate invoices based on recorded times, costs, and added expenses. You will even be able to issue these invoices from the platform and track overdue payments.

Document Management

Using legal software can help automate and streamline your documentation process to ensure easy discovery and collaboration. Here you will be able to store, create, and manage contracts, invoices, and other important documentation.

Calendar Scheduling

Keep track of scheduled appointments, deadlines, and key dates with the use of an online integrated calendar. This will allow you to plan meetings and tasks for you and your whole team.

Workflow Automation

Instead of spending hours creating templates and searching for frequently used documents, legal case management software stores this all under one place. This helps define processes for your team and aids them in getting the job done on time without any hassle. You will also be able to elevate the consistency of your firm through formatted documents and contracts.

Data Back-ups and Security

Any law firm will know the importance of data security and compliance. The fact is that pressure is building for businesses to protect their client confidentiality. By using such software, you can help ensure safety at all times. Most platforms offer online data back-ups that keep your firm and client information up to date. It also means that the data will be fully encrypted to protect it against hacking or corruption.

Choosing Your Firm’s Legal Software:

Here’s the good news: Amberlo has all of the above features integrated into its platform! Not only is it extremely accessible for your entire firm, but it’s also possible to tailor the program to suit your practice’s unique needs. Take our billing feature, for example. With precise time tracking and integrated accounting formulas, balance discrepancies will be a thing of the past.

One of the biggest perks of using Amberlo for your management tasks is its usability and speed. With a clearly laid out structure and intuitive design, using our software will take the headache out of administration for you. This means that you can work efficiently and effectively with a few clicks of a button – delivering your clients with the very best service possible at all times.

If this sounds like the answer to your legal management software needs, get in touch with us! Learn more about what Amberlo can do for you or how your law firm can benefit from it by dropping us an email at info@amberlo.io or have a look at our website www.amberlo.io.

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09 Jan 2020 Thursday

How to Manage a Small Law Firm

Managing a law firm isn’t easy – no matter its size. Whether you’re running a small to medium-sized enterprise or a full-blown organisation, there are particular sets of challenges that all law practices face. Of course, what we are referring to is profitability. Regardless of your law firm management strategy, the ultimate goal is to drive profitability.

Running a small law practice takes dedication and discipline across a number of areas. The most important one is ensuring a happy client base that feels assured in your dedication and expertise. With the strategies we’ve laid out below, your company can ensure quality services while focusing on what your team does best: winning cases.

Helpful Law Firm Management Strategies:

Establish Process and Procedure Manuals

Efficient processes can help your law firm grow, increase its productivity, and therefore its profits. Strong systems and procedures can produce uniformed results and can reduce the risk of any issues arising through miscommunication or wrongdoing. For example, the same process should be followed in terms of time tracking and invoicing to mitigate the risk of incorrect payments or unbalanced accounts.

Having these procedure manuals will also save your firm time in training new employees. For new hires, a successful onboarding process makes it easier for them to master your firm’s operations and norms. In other words, it saves you and your staff time while freeing up your schedule to focus on money-making matters.

Explore Time & Money-Saving Options

In any business, saving money is crucial to its success. A great way to save money is to take note of the smaller costs that add up while monitoring your time input versus its income output. Ultimately, the time spent by your employees should be generating billable hours or at least contributing to a winning client service.

A perfect example of a time and money-saving option that many law firms face is the cost of going to the courthouse. When you have to deliver a document to the courthouse, how long is the drive there and back? How much work could have been accomplished during this time? When these factors are taken into consideration, it may be cheaper in the long run to hire a courier.

Other money-saving options include:

Negotiating your rent
Hiring part-time staff
Stocking basic office supplies

Utilise Office Organisation

Staying organised is an obvious tip in law firm management. Utilising tactics such as client scheduling, task delegation, and efficient prioritising can guarantee that the whole team stays on the same page and that the goals for your firm are clear.

Furthermore, it’s important to establish a proper system when it comes to filing important documentation. From mail to client notes and formal proposals, these need to follow a structured method of categorisation that can easily be accessed by all in the office. A simpler way to stay organised is to use a law firm software that automates these systems for you without risking losing any client data.

Promote a Healthy Office Culture

A positive work environment will have a huge impact on how your law firm operates. When clients walk into your office, they can feel the positive energy that will make them feel more comfortable and confident in your services. It can also make for a more productive work ethic.

Positive office culture can be achieved by:

Holding monthly or weekly team meetings to check-in with everyone
Remembering that balance is key and can promote productivity

Be Strategic

Building your client base is an integral part of managing a small law firm. As a law firm owner, there should always be a strategic business plan in place that keeps your firm moving in the right direction. Streamlining your workflow and regularly updating your database can ensure maximum efficiency in generating a stronger client network.

Invest in Technology

A smaller practice can use law firm software to stay ahead of their competitors – big and small-scale. Automating a practice with small law firm software is considerably more challenging at larger firms where programmes aren’t optimised for automation or for the larger number of staff. This can be a strong tool in ensuring your law firm’s success by increasing your efficiency rates.

Final Thoughts

With these strategies in mind, the best way to manage your company is by utilising a small law firm software. Platforms such as Amberlo can boost productivity and grow the high-performance practice you desire.

Learn more about what Amberlo can do for you or how your law firm can benefit from it, drop us an email at info@amberlo.io or have a look at our website www.amberlo.io

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15 Jul 2019 Monday

3 Strategic Steps To Enhance A Better Client Experience At Your Law Firm

Business leaders in the legal industry are talking about their customer experience these days. Delivering exceptional client experience should be the key strategic goal of any law firm. Sounds good on paper, yet, the research shows that it doesn’t happen all the time. Unfulfilled expectations eventually result in client complaints and low client retention levels. So, let’s quickly go through 3 simple steps you can take to create a better client experience at your law firm and set yourself from the crowd.

Setting the Bar High

The Transparency Rules require publishing prices for certain types of work. Although, many law firms still struggle about this issue, as price sensitive clients might be undercut by the competitors, intentionally offering lower prices. Even though this might seem like a real threat, always evaluate yourself objectively, and do not allow fear to interfere with your pricing strategy.

Embracing Continuous Improvement

Contrary to popular belief, many types of research show that pricing is not the main differentiator in the world of law – service quality and lawyer’s expertise play a critical role. In order to succeed, every law company must build strong relationships—with employees, customers, and technology. Because technological advancement and innovation have been two of the most crucial trends driving change in the legal sector recently – they are critical for law firms intent on growing and remaining competitive in an evolving industry. And of course, a firm-wide focus on continuous improvement is essential – especially in a risk-averse industry – as the digital revolution creeps into all parts of how we work. All innovative law firms invest in a client-centric approach and always remember why they’re in business: to help their clients.

Understanding the Power Game

Your clients carry tremendous power: they are the decision makers when it comes to choosing a law firm. Actually, it is five times more likely that they will engage the services of a firm they know is delivering outstanding client experience. Thanks to legal technology, now lawyers can do things they never could otherwise and ensure that their clients have the best possible experience throughout their case, from start to finish. It can help you streamline intake, stay in touch with your client, and automate follow-up during the process and after you have closed the file. Because, today’s legal clients are accustomed to interacting and collaborating online, whether it’s on social networks, or with their banks. They expect the same convenience from their lawyers.

The pressure to fulfill your clients’ expectations can be tough, but it’s essential to improve the client experience constantly, in order for the law firm to keep successfully growing. Luckily, three simple steps – embracing value-based pricing, continuous improvement, and automatizing part of your daily tasks – will allow you to offer enhanced client experience and stay at the forefront of competition. Happy clients refer your firm to others, and it isn’t that hard to make sure this happens. It’s just a matter of providing your clients with excellent customer service. And legal technology is a great, fast way to do this.

Learn more about what Amberlo can do for you or how your law firm can benefit from it, drop us an email at info@amberlo.io or have a look at our website www.amberlo.io

Have a nice day!

Amberlo team

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25 Jun 2019 Tuesday

What Does ‘The Cloud’ Actually Mean and Why You Should Care?

Many times in our lives, we have been surprised at how things can change in an instant. Usually, that moment is entirely unexpected. Sometimes these events rock your world, leaving you rebuilding everything you believed you had. Sometimes they just devastate a slice of your life. And sometimes, the effects materialize over time like slow-moving cancer. No matter the pattern, change is the inevitable result. On the 20th of June, at 4 p.m. we had a ‘meeting’ with lightning, which resulted in the fire at Amberlo office. That took about .001 seconds. Our security system, along with the internet, was immediately gone… It’s a blessing, no one was injured in the fire, but it had disrupted two buildings. Lithuanian firefighters did a fantastic job working the area to contain the fire.

It is nearly impossible to provide 100% protection to sensitive electronics from a direct lightning strike but insured expensive electronics can be replaced, after all. However, the data can’t be replaced or restored unless you store all your data in the cloud. Thankfully, all our data have been stored in cloud-based servers – that’s the only way to prevent irreparable damage. Knowledge for any disaster can be applied to all and our disaster shows why you should use cloud-based software. And let’s be clear here. Next time you hear “cloud,” instead of thinking of it as a confusing term usually applied to things that use the Internet, think “distributed computing” instead. That is why, instead of storing data in the device, a lot of people these days use the cloud storage. Because it really is one of those technologies that changes absolutely everything.

Amberlo Team

www.amberlo.io

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29 May 2019 Wednesday

Amberlo has earned ISO 27017 Cloud Services Security and ISO 27001 Information Security Management Certificates

What’s the big deal? Well, it is not just a big deal, it is kind of a HUGE deal. During the past months, Amberlo has achieved the ISO 27001 and ISO 27017 certifications. We value confidential and careful handling of sensitive information highly and we wanted to have this confirmed by an independent party. Besides the fact that we are using the worlds most advanced cloud infrastructure provided by Amazon, we as a company was recently recognized for applying best practices to ensure Amberlo security. So the ISO 27001 and ISO 27017 certifications are all about information security. Customers can always be sure that personal and company data are treated confidentially. So you never have to worry about sensitive information leaking out or being misused. Kudos to our devops and engineering teams doing a great job for protecting our client data.

If you have any inquiries and would like to know more about what Amberlo can do for you or how your law firm can benefit from it, drop us an email at info@amberlo.io or have a look at our website www.amberlo.io

Have a nice day!

Amberlo team

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27 May 2019 Monday

Great success of the LEGALTECH@VILNIUS 2019 conference

As you all know the LEGALTECH@VILNIUS 2019 conference took place on the 27^th of May in Vilnius. The conference guest of honor – attorney at law, startup consultant, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chief Legal Officer of CompTIA, prof. Dan Liutikas – shared his insights on how to boost the legal tech sector in Lithuania. He emphasized what technology can and should do is free lawyers up from mundane, repetitive, labor-intensive tasks and allow them to focus on higher-value work. But as long as there is human society there will always be a role for the human lawyer because good communication skills are vital to a successful, rewarding practice.

High-level speakers such as an MRU prof. Lyra Jakuleviciene, Elijus Čivilis (the vice-minister at Ministry of Economy of Lithuania) and prof. dr. Rima Ažubalytė (judge of the Supreme Court of Lithuania) set the tone for the rest of the day as participants discussed legal, technical issues and ideas around how to build a better legal system. All speakers encouraged lawyers to be innovative and improve legal-service delivery for everyone, from legal organizations, courts, and corporate legal departments to law firms, using modern legal technology. Because legal technology has the potential to do the following:

save time and costs for you and your clients;
increase productivity;
improve access to clients (and vice versa);
improve work quality;
grow your business.

All in all the conclusion was that technology will change the way lawyers work. It will change clients’ expectations and demands of a lawyer. It will also change what the client is willing to pay for. Because in an era of technological disruption, being open to new ways of doing things has become a source of competitive advantage. Those savvy law firms and new entrants to the market that have stepped up to the technology challenge will essentially be able to write their own future. And who can ask for any more than that?

If you have any inquiries and would like to know more about what Amberlo can do for you or how your law firm can benefit from it, drop us an email at info@amberlo.io or have a look at our website www.amberlo.io

Have a nice day!

Amberlo team

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How To Build Your Law Firm CRM?

How Does a CRM Law Programme Differ From a Law Firm Case Management System?