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5 ways to maximise profitability with case management software

Category: Blog, Case Management, Practice Management 4th November 2021

Practice and case management software (PCMS) provides lawyers and law firms with the digital tools to effectively run their practice. The software provides efficiency-boosting features and functionality that help to standardise, streamline, and automate time-consuming processes so lawyers can focus on delivering quality service to their clients and maximising billable hours.

When implemented and utilised correctly, the solution helps to improve efficiencies, competitiveness, compliance, and client service across any sized firm. When manual admin and errors are reduced and client expectations are exceeded, your bottom-line is positively impacted and the overall profitability of your firm can improve.

This article looks at the case management features and tools that have the biggest impact to boost profitability and why you should implement or improve your utilisation of them to future-proof your firm.

5 case management features to boost profitability

1. Time recording

Agonising over tracking billable hours isn’t necessary with integrated time recording software. Time recording software helps to remove the time-consuming admin task of retrospectively recording time and helps to automate and streamline the process to maximise billable hours.

With automated prompts, easy stop-start stopwatches, and mobile apps, time recording software provides the tools to record in real-time and easily integrate the task into your daily workload. This improves accuracy, reduces errors and speeds up the process so you can ensure no billable time is lost and your firm is working efficiently.

Utilising time recording software improves profitability because of the manual admin time saved but also increases the accuracy of billable time and helps time entries to be completed quicker, helping you to invoice clients and get paid faster.

2. Automated workflows

A legal workflow is a series of tasks and actions that are connected and completed in order, to achieve a specific goal. Workflows help to reduce the costly, manual administrative tasks involved in a legal case and help to seamlessly connect processes so they can be completed in just a few clicks. Osprey offers many types of workflows, suitable for various areas of law, find out more here.

Workflows can be used to help manage an entire legal case or they can simply be used to quickly complete a few tasks in a client’s matter. Regardless of how you use them, tasks contained within workflows can be completed quicker and they ensure a standardised and reduced risk process for your firm to follow.

Automated workflows have a huge effect on efficiency and productivity, which is why they’re so important for firm profitability. They enable your team to work more effectively with reduced errors and increased focus on client experience so you can deliver quality, profitable services that give you a competitive advantage.

3. A secure web portal

A secure web portal enables your firm to digitally communicate and collaborate with your clients and third parties. Securely share documents, provide updates on case progression, easily communicate, collaborate on files, and digitally sign contracts and agreements. A web portal helps to modernise and improve the convenience of the service you provide to your clients and third parties, whilst also reducing the cost and increasing efficiencies on your internal processes.

Aside from the printing and posting costs you’ll save and the hours spent manually chasing or following up with clients, the web portal enables your firm to offer a competitive and modern service to your clients. This helps to boost reviews, referrals, and recommendations so you can win new clients easier and grow your client base.

“Our accountants are surprised by how profitable we are providing fixed fee services that are about the lowest rates anyone can get in the legal sector. But this is because of our systems and Osprey is part of that. We’re able to be really focused, sharp and efficient. Because we’re so efficient we can take on more work, and that makes us more profitable.”

Paul Gammon, Director, ChildCare LLP

Read the full client success story >

4. Integrated reporting and business intelligence

A PCMS also provides you with the ability to assess the performance of your whole firm. Because your case, client and financial data is centralised into one platform, the reporting and business intelligence tools can provide a more accurate representation of your firm. With real-time, up-to-date insight, you can make smarter, data-driven business decisions that help you progress, improve, and remain competitive.

With improved visibility of your firm’s performance, you can know exactly what works and what needs to be improved to better meet your goals. The firm-wide data you gain will help you spot trends, identify opportunities, and successfully forecast for the future. This puts you in control of driving your firm forward to meet your goals as well as improve profitability.  

5. Cloud-based centralised database

By centralising your data and processes into a PCMS, you provide a single source of truth that enables your firm to work more effectively. A cloud-based centralised solution ensures data is effectively shared and remains accurate, it enables successful remote working as documents can be accessed from a central location and helps provide a frictionless digital service to clients.

By reducing your firm’s reliance on physical files – and becoming a digital-first, paperless firm – you have the freedom to streamline tasks, offer a hybrid-working strategy and deliver a digital client experience. Profitability is improved initially through a reduction in storage, printing and postage costs, but long-term, being a paperless firm ensures business continuity – avoiding risk of down-time – improves staff and client retention rates and enables automation to boost overall efficiency.

Improve profitability and run a successful firm

A cloud-based practice and case management solution, that includes integrated time recording and reporting, a web portal, and automated workflows, will greatly impact your firm’s performance to increase efficiencies, drive productivity, and streamline operations which all influence your bottom-line.

When first implemented, a PCMS can bring initial cost saving benefits but crucially, when implemented effectively, the software can continue to drive long-term efficiencies, increase productivity, and enhance client service which future-proofs your firm and maximises profitability.