May 2021 - Back Office Betties

Stop the Billable Hour Insanity

May 24, 2021

Are flat fee pricing models the future?

The most common pricing model among attorneys is charging by the hour.

This traditional method works well for many. However, people are starting to look for something different. And some law firms are there to give it to them.

As the ever-evolving market moves away from tradition, more and more attorneys are reconsidering their pricing model.

One of the most popular of those pricing models? Flat fees.

A flat fee is a predetermined, total fee that is paid upfront before work is started.

But is it right for your firm?

Pricing Model Considerations

Consider the following when looking at pricing models for your firm:

The experience for your clients
How your time will be spent
The effect on your sales and marketing

Your law firm is a business. Bringing in the most profit possible is a top priority.

But there are plenty of factors that play into that goal. No two law firms are the same. You need to know your clients, how you work best, the lifestyle you want, and the competition your firm faces.

Start by taking a look at the complications hitting your law firm the hardest. Then determine if a flat fee pricing model can solve them.

Charging by the Hour Can Be Suffocating

Constantly managing your life by the hour, to the fraction of the hour, is all-consuming. You’re always thinking about your work. How long did you spend on that case? And the other? Did you record it accurately?

If you didn’t, you could face the risk of legal malpractice for not keeping those records to the T.

Of course, you still need to keep track of your work with flat-rate pricing, but it doesn’t carry that same level of risk.

You’re In Control With Flat Fee Pricing

Flat fee pricing allows you to take control of your time. Work on cases the way you think is best.

Everyone has different work methods that suit them. This billing model gives you the opportunity to take advantage of that.

How flat fees give you control:

You won’t be constrained by time tracking
Your clients will pay upfront (No need to chase them down)
You can work your way – improve your own morale and efficiency
Work-life balance will be easier to achieve

Clients Have Trouble Managing Their Budget

And they don’t like it. No one does.

If you quote a potential client a $5,000 retainer fee and your hourly rate of $250, they hear numbers, but no price. They know they’ll lose $5,000 now, but they don’t know how much they’ll get back. If any. Or worse – whether they’ll owe more.

This leads to:

Stress and anxiety throughout the entire legal process
Wondering if you really need the amount of time you’re spending
Valuable trust being lost

Now, it’s not because they don’t trust you as an attorney or trust your ability to handle their case.

It’s because every hour you work on their case is another $250 gone. Your clients want you to spend time on their cases because they want the best possible outcome. But they can’t help but cringe every time their bill increases.

Additionally, your clients may feel pressured to rush through their interactions with you, which can leave them with unasked questions and uncertainties.

Flat Fee Pricing Gives Your Clients Financial Peace of Mind & Builds Trust

The truth is that most people don’t know what they should be looking for in an attorney… so they shop around on price. (One reason why referrals are so valuable.)

Being able to quote potential clients one flat fee upfront gives them the peace of mind that they want. There’s a lot of value in knowing they won’t be hit with surprises, and in being able to accurately work you into their budget.

Flat fee pricing helps build trust between you and your clients as well. They know that you aren’t trying to squeeze the most money out of them that you can.

Flat fees prove to clients upfront that you care about them, not just their wallets.

Some Case Types Benefit More Than Others from Flat Fee Pricing

Not every firm will be able to take advantage of flat fee pricing. Many case types are too complicated to assign one flat fee.

Litigation, for example, is difficult. Simply because you don’t know what could be coming around the corner. The other side could settle after the answer is filed, or they could file more motions. It’s hard to pick an average price that would work.

What works great with a flat fee pricing model?

Cases that are more transactional.

Estate planning
Contract reviews and drafting
DUI cases
Bankruptcy
Etc.

There isn’t as much variation with these types of cases, so it’s a lot easier to assign a price.

The Predictability of Flat Fee Pricing Can Help Scale Your Firm

It’s hard to guess your future income when charging by the hour. Both the number of cases you’ll have and the time you’ll spend on them are unknown variables.

Flat fee pricing helps by taking away that second variable. You can have a much steadier idea of your potential income on a case-by-case basis.

Furthermore, it allows you to analyze and plan your budget more effectively. If you have your paralegal reviewing or drafting agreements before they land on your desk, you want to quantify that cost in relation to the case. It’s much easier to do that with real numbers vs a guess.

Flat Fee Pricing = Easier Sales

Your clients aren’t really paying you for your time. They’re paying you for the value of the work you do for them on their case. The only reason they care how long it takes you is because how much they pay is dependent on it.

Most people don’t have experience searching for an attorney. And most people don’t have unlimited funds or the ability to not concern themselves with their final cost. For that reason, cost is usually a deciding factor in their selection.

With flat fee pricing, your firm has the advantage of being able to tell potential clients, “Here’s what you’ll pay. No surprises.”

. . .

There are plenty of attorneys who swear by flat fees. Megan Porth, Founder & Managing Attorney of Your Contract Shop, is one example.

It’s safe to say that people are interested in affordable, predictable, transparent, and accessible legal services. Nothing about that concept is novel. The market for this type of service is there.

Consider what you’re looking for in your firm and personal life. You do have options beyond typical hourly billing, and you can break out of that cycle!

Request a call with our Growth Solutions Strategist today to strategize more ways to improve your law firm’s operations and your work-life balance.

3+ Things To Start Doing Now That Will Make Your Law Firm More Money

May 18, 2021

“How can I make lots of money as an attorney?”

Even if it was back in law school, you’ve probably googled this before.

And if you’re running a solo or small law firm, you know the frustration of trying to fulfill your dream of having your own thriving, profitable firm. And you know how difficult it is to watch it not happening.

If you want to make lots of money as an attorney, you need to stop seeing yourself as an attorney. Well, as just an attorney. You’re practicing the law, but you’re also shouldering all the responsibilities of a business.

And those responsibilities aren’t just taxes, payroll, and administrative work. A thriving, profitable business requires strategizing, evaluating, and of course, knowing:

The way your clients think and how to use that information to land more leads
How and where to spend your money to bring in the most profit
The most effective ways to make time for billable work and additional clients to grow your firm

So, here’s how you really can make lots of money as an attorney:

1. Capture All Potential Income by Capturing Every Potential Client

Sounds like a no-brainer.

But so many law firms are still missing out on potential new clients – and they don’t need to be. Here are some of the ways you could be too:

You’re missing their calls (80% of callers won’t leave a voicemail)
You aren’t collecting their information in full
Your firm doesn’t have sales scripting in place to sell your services
You’re not using a Call Flow Blueprint
You’re wasting time on people you can’t help
You can’t take every potential client because you don’t have the time

Make Sure Your Firm Answers Every Call – The Right Way

That call you missed on your lunch break? Could have been your biggest client this year.
The caller whose phone number your receptionist forgot to take down? They’re probably not going to call back on their own.
That caller who declined to schedule due to your consultation fee? Maybe you could have sold it to them with the right scripting.

Every call has the potential to grow your law firm and make you more money. Bringing in more clients is the way your law firm will grow. So never undermine the importance of a single potential new client on the line.

“It’s fine, it was just one call.” – Small law firm attorney struggling to grow.

Impress Your Potential Clients on Their First Call to Establish Your Firm as the Best Choice

Leave your callers with a positive, professional, and capable impression of your law firm – immediately on that initial call.

Your potential clients have a list of attorneys that they’re calling through. Realistically, that first call will be their only call if your firm doesn’t stand out amongst the rest (or pick up the phone). That means your customer service doesn’t need to be adequate. Or without mistakes. It means your customer service needs to be above and beyond that of the competition.

Want some more help answering your phones? The Guide to 10+ Best Ways to Answer Your Law Firm’s Phones

Hook the People You Can Help, And Don’t Waste Time on the People You Can’t

How? By completing intakes on that first call. Every time.

Completing intakes on the first call:

Filters out callers you can’t help
Hooks the callers you can help
Collects the information you need to track the types of callers you get

Time is money. And as an attorney, your time is big money. If you’re looking to scale your law firm, you can’t waste your valuable time on (likely free) consultations for potential clients you won’t be able to help.

When your potential clients get to your firm in their list of attorneys to call, you want to do everything in your power to make sure that the rest of that list gets scrapped. Scheduling a consultation alone won’t do that. If you aren’t the first consultation they have scheduled, you’re in a tight spot.

Make your potential clients feel like they are already your clients by completing their intakes on the first call. This makes them feel like they’ve begun their legal process, with you.

But What If…

You don’t have time to complete intakes on the spot for every potential client that calls in?

Or convince callers that your fees are well worth it?

Or catch every call?

We’ll get to that later.

For now, you need to bring in more leads:

2. Get More Reliable Leads by Starting a Client Referral Program

Referrals are highly likely clients. And they’re easy sells.

Clio’s 2019 Legal Trends Report found that only 16% of clients seek a referral and search on their own for an attorney. That means 73% of clients who seek referrals, are choosing them.

Source: Clio’s 2019 Legal Trends Report

That’s a crazy big percentage. But why?

Many of your potential clients have never needed an attorney before. (It’s even more likely that they’ve never experienced their particular case type.) For most people, finding an attorney is:

Intimidating
Complex
Stressful
High stakes

Don’t forget, while this will be a business deal for you, your potential clients could have their entire family, business, or reputation on the line. They can’t afford to make a mistake by selecting the wrong attorney. Choosing an attorney who was referred to them by their trusted friends or family is often the most comfortable choice that a nervous new client can make.

Set Up a Referral Program for Your Firm That Brings in Low Effort Leads

Here is a step-by-step guide for setting up a law firm referral program that actually lands more clients: Your Law Firm Is Missing Out on Easy Money (The Guide to Getting More Referrals).

But these are the basic steps you need to follow:

Develop an enticing offer
Entice your clients (Make sure the news reaches them)
Meticulously track your referrals
Follow up – The right way

Your firm is, in all likelihood, already relying on referrals in some capacity. And you know that referrals are an easy sell.

Your firm should be doing everything feasible to increase your referrals from current and previous clients.

However, no matter how good your referral program is, your clients will not refer you to their friends and family if they had a negative experience with your firm. Here’s how to avoid that:

3. Improve Your Law Firm’s Reputation by Communicating Effectively with Your Clients

Here’s a secret most people won’t tell you: Good communication is the secret sauce for law firm customer service and client experience that leads to positive reviews and more referrals.

Not only is failure to communicate a top bar complaint, it’s a top complaint everywhere.

Take a look through the reviews for some of your competition. You’ll notice communication (or lack thereof) coming up time and time again. And don’t overlook the power of reviews for attorneys.

View Situations From Your Client’s Perspective to Know What They Want

You’re working around the clock on cases. And sure, you might get emotionally involved in some of those cases. But you’re not sitting around by the phone waiting to hear what’s happening with one specific case that could change the course of your life.

Your clients are.

It’s easy to lose perspective, or just lose track of how long it’s been since you’ve spoken with a client. You know you’re working on their case doing everything you can for them. You know the law and you’re practicing it.

But remember, if you want to make lots of money as an attorney, you can’t forget that your law firm is a business. And you need to treat it that way.

Understand That Your Clients Need to Hear From You, No Matter What

Do your clients constantly call you or your office just asking for updates on their cases? That’s a bad sign.

That client is anxious and on edge wondering when they’ll hear from you and wondering what’s happening with their case. Quite frankly, if you haven’t reached out to them, there probably isn’t anything going on with their case. And no news to share with them. But for your clients, “no news” is news:

I’m still working on paperwork
We haven’t heard back from the opposing party
Etc.

Even a simple, “No news yet” works for an update.

Set Communication Expectations to Reduce Your Clients’ Stress.

Make it clear when your clients will hear from you. And follow through.

There are a few ways to do this.

Set a regular check-in schedule. An example would be: You’ll reach out to your client every Friday to update them regardless of any activity with their case.
Set individual schedules for clients based on the unique dynamics of their cases.

Regular check-ins are easy to delegate to your receptionist. Instead of emailing or calling clients every week yourself, have your receptionist send and make emails and calls for your clients when you don’t have updates.

For many cases, you’ll want to reach out to your client when you have an update even it’s before your scheduled time. Whatever you choose to do, make sure your clients know when they will hear from you. And always follow through.

4. Save & Make Money by Outsourcing or Delegating Your Administrative Work

This is one of those “Spend money to make money” situations.

Completing intakes?
Answering phones?
Scheduling appointments?
Answering FAQ’s?
Processing payments?
Providing directions to your office?
Adding leads to your CRM?
Making outbound calls?

All of these are:

Not billable work
Time-consuming
Unpredictable
Not worth your time

The reality is, you should have pretty much anyone else doing this type of administrative work. Any professional, that is. (Not your well-meaning spouse.)

Any time you spend on administrative work is time you can’t spend on billable work.

And if you want to make lots of money as an attorney… you need to be doing more billable work.

The only question you need to ask is:

“Who do I outsource my administrative work to?”

And you have options. No one solution can claim to be the best solution for every firm.

You could hire an in-house receptionist
Delegate work to your paralegal
Or outsource to a virtual receptionist company

Virtual Receptionists

Your best bet is likely a legal specialized virtual receptionist service like Back Office Betties. This is because legal virtual receptionists can handle your administrative work for you at a fraction of the cost of your other options. Without slashing the quality of service or missing the legal expertise that you need.

Back Office Betties hires receptionists with experience in the legal industry and provides ongoing legal, sales, and customer service training for all staff.

All of Betties’ receptionists complete custom training courses for each and every firm we work with, to ensure the same level of familiarity as someone sitting at your front desk.

In-House Receptionist

An experienced in-house legal receptionist will be able to provide a great level of customer service and handle your administrative work flawlessly as well. The biggest difference is: value.

The average cost of an in-house receptionist is $4,123.60/month. (For reference, Back Office Betties’ plans range from $309 – $1,699/month.)

Unfortunately, in-house receptionists take lunch and bathroom breaks, step away from the phone, and call in sick. And that’s more than reasonable behavior. But remember, every missed call is a potential client lost.

If you want to make a lot of money as an attorney… Start seeing dollar signs every time the phone rings.

Already have an in-house receptionist that you can’t live without?

Consider a virtual receptionist service to back up your phones when they aren’t available.

Paralegal

The major downside of delegating administrative work to your paralegal is that they have the ability to take significantly more substantial work off of your plate. Leaving you with even more time to spend on billable work. Not to mention, your paralegal is a pretty expensive receptionist.

But again, anything is better than doing it yourself.

. . .

The biggest roadblocks small and solo attorneys face while struggling to grow their firm are landing clients and not having enough time to do billable work.

If you want to make lots of money as an attorney, you need more clients. And you can’t take on more clients if you don’t have the time to work on their cases.

Request a call with our Growth Solutions Strategist today to strategize the best steps for your firm to start landing more clients and making more money.

If You Don’t Have One of These, You’re Probably Having a Bad Time With Your Phones

May 11, 2021

Sometimes it’s hard to put a finger on what exactly it is about someone you just can’t stand. Is it the way they pronounce “niche”? Is it because they’re always running late, but somehow, nobody seems to care… cause it’s THEM? Could it be just. how. much. hair gel. they seem to be dipping their head into every morning? Hold on – is it because they never use the Oxford comma?

Phone calls at your law firm are just like that person. You wouldn’t be able to pick one factor out of the bunch to place your frustrations on if you tried. Because frankly, there are just too many of them at play.

But don’t worry… it doesn’t have to be this way. It is possible to get organized, so organized, that you’ll be able to pinpoint the cause of any concern that arises and fix problems you may not have even known you had.

Let’s talk about your call flow process, and how a Call Flow Blueprint can whip it into shape.

Use a Call Flow Blueprint to Outline Your Call Flow Process

Put simply: A Call Flow Blueprint is a specific plan that outlines your call flow process for every single call that comes into your law firm.

If you don’t have one of these, your phone process could be equivalent to just winging it. And (good news!) that means there are headaches that your firm has been coping with that are completely preventable.

A Good Call Flow Process Can Transform Your Law Firm

In more ways than you might imagine:

Increasing conversion rates for new leads
Ensuring the correct information is collected based on call types
Giving your clients the top-tier service they deserve
Keeping your office and operations running smoothly
Saving your time & sanity

Get Your Call Flow Process Started in Just a Few Steps:

Think about your calls and come up with a few questions.

Start with the basics:

Who answers your calls?
And who answers your calls when they’re unavailable?
What types of calls do you get?
- New Clients
- Existing Clients
- Opposing Parties
- Attorneys
- Team Members
- Payments
- Solicitations
- Etc.

And then break those basics down.

Take potential new clients for example:

Which case type are they inquiring about?
Should each case type be routed the same way?
Does this call type get forwarded to the attorney?
Or should a message be taken?
How should the message be delivered? Email, text, post-it note?
If there are multiple attorneys at your firm, do they all prefer their messages be sent in the same way?

Dive a little deeper…

If a potential client is ready to schedule a consultation, what information needs to be collected?
And what information should be collected if they’re not?
Do you have scripting in place to sell unsure potential clients on paid consultations?
Where do you refer cases outside of your practice area?
How should your referral sources be tracked and organized?

The answers to most of your questions will depend on the type of phone call that just came in. And that’s where your Call Flow Blueprint comes into play.

But it’s deeper than that.

Just like that one person you can’t stand, your disorganized phone process is hitting pain points with your clients and law firm in more ways than one.

Figure Out How Your Disorganized Call Flow Process Is Hitting Pain Points With Your Clients & Law Firm… So You Can Fix It

So all of that may seem like a lot to you. Maybe you’re thinking it’s a bit extra and not worth the effort?

But time after time, we’ve seen how disorganized call flow processes (or worse, lack thereof) are detrimental to law firms.

1. You’re Missing Calls

This one is self-explanatory. Missed calls are missed opportunities.

Considering that 80% of callers won’t leave a voicemail… potential new clients will move on to the next firm on their list. And current clients’ frustrations and concerns will increase, but you won’t find out until it’s too late.

Your Call Flow Blueprint starts with answering the phone. Lock down a set schedule to ensure there is always someone available on your end.

2. You’re Getting Incomplete Information

There are so many types of calls that come into your firm… more than you may have realized before breaking down your categories.

Even large firms struggle with collecting necessary information. An ABA study showed that 86% of law firms did not ask for the caller’s email, and 45% didn’t even ask for their phone number!

Small & Solo firms have it worse. You and your staff are likely covering multiple roles, and highly unlikely to be staring at the phone just waiting to take that next call.

You can’t expect busy staff members to remember every detail off the top of their heads. That’s why it’s so crucial to have a concrete plan in place that can be followed seamlessly.

3. You’re Not Capturing All Your Leads

This one ties into missed calls and incomplete information.

You can’t capture a lead if you never speak to them. They’ll move on to the next guy if you miss their first call.

Too many law firms struggle to collect callers’ information. If you forget necessary questions or don’t verify spellings, you’ll miss out on a new client.

Furthermore, confidence and competence translate through the phone. You need to answer your phones with certainty and professionalism. Always know the next step for every situation.

“Um…” is never going to be a good response when a potential client tells you their story, and you’re trying to remember if this is the case type your partner is always saying to transfer.

Your potential clients have their reputation, their business, their family, their health, you get it – on the line. They will not be willing to take a risk with an attorney or firm that does not sound professional and capable.

Especially when there are so many other options.

4. The Lack of Communication Frustrates Your Clients

Good communication is a deciding factor in what makes a “good” lawyer for many clients. Take a look at some reviews for the competition. You’ll find communication, or lack thereof, coming up again and again.

When your client is calling you to get an update, they’re already feeling like you aren’t communicating with them. If you miss that call – or worse – miss it again, their frustration multiplies.

But let’s say they are able to leave a message, and that message contains inaccuracies, doesn’t make it to you in a timely fashion, or doesn’t make it to you at all… that could end just as badly.

Use your Call Flow Blueprint to outline every detail and keep your clients happy and in the loop:

When calls should, and should not, be forwarded (and to whom)
The preferred method of message delivery
The exact information to take down on a case by case basis
Scripting to use for disgruntled or upset clients to address their concerns

You can overcome all of these obstacles when you execute your new Call Flow Blueprint.

Betties Creates a Custom Call Flow Blueprint for Every Law Firm

No two Call Flow Blueprints should be alike. Because no two law firms are alike.

That’s why Back Office Betties develops a custom Blueprint for every law firm we work with. Your phone process should work for you, not against you.

So here’s how your Call Flow Blueprint will finally give you some peace of mind:

Ensure Every Call Is Handled Properly

Every call is handled properly every time. You can rest easy knowing:

No potential client is missed
Accurate information is given every time
Your clients are kept happy
Unnecessary phone calls won’t interrupt your work

Consistent Information Is Given

Your callers will receive the same answers to questions each time they’re asked.

Conflicting information leads callers to ask, “If they can’t manage their own law firm, how will they manage my case?”

You Always Know What’s Going On With Your Phones

Never receive incomplete messages… and always receive them promptly.

Your Call Flow Blueprint will organize each call type and make call tracking easy.

You Choose When (And Whether!) You Want to Be Interrupted

Your dream come true?

Avoid constant interruptions so that you can finally get some billable work done. (Or maybe have lunch in peace!) And never miss calls you do need to be transferred leaving important matters waiting either.

Request a call with our Growth Solutions Strategist today to set up a free Call Flow Blueprint Planning Session and get your calls under control and your sanity back!

How Busy Attorneys Take Vacations Without Working The Whole Time

May 4, 2021

If you’re anything like the rest of Americans, you could probably use a vacation. As more people get vaccinated and more places across the country (and world) open up, it’s looking like 2021 will be the year to get back out there and enjoy yourself.

“But I can’t leave my firm! I’ll have to work the whole time,” you say.

Not quite.

You’re a busy attorney and you deserve to take a break. Not only that, but it’s possible for you to get this break without working from the beach. You just might not know it yet.

A little work to set up some key components to running your law firm now could save you a whole lotta stress and time in the long run. I’m talking maybe even two work-free vacations this year ????

Busy Attorneys Enjoy Work-Free Vacations Through:

Automation
Systems & Processes
Phone Coverage
Communication With Clients

How Automation Can Help You Enjoy Your Vacay

We’ve talked about it before and surely this won’t be the last time: Automation is one of the greatest tools to have in your belt.

Automation doesn’t have to be computerized – it can simply be a task triggered to someone (preferably someone who is not you) after another task or trigger is completed.

Things you can automate to help you step away from your law firm:

New Client Intakes
Client Follow-up
Payment Agreements
Accepting Payments
Client Scheduling

Replicate Yourself With Systems & Processes

You like things done a specific way so you tend to try and do most of it yourself. Or you outsource a task but find yourself frustrated that they didn’t do it the way you do. Sound about right?

If so, you could benefit from documenting your systems and processes so that anyone who takes on the tasks you’ve been doing will do them exactly as you like them done.

Not only will this help you take a vacation without sacrificing your law firm’s productivity, but it will also save you tons of time and stress in your day-to-day!

Some systems & processes you can document and replicate in your law firm:

Standard client communication practices
Documentation processes
Court filings
Client intake questions
Case research
Communication with the courts
Email organization
& so much more

Communicate With Your Clients & Return Stress-Free

Even if you’ve put all of the above steps into place, there’s still a chance that your clients will demand your attention. Especially if they have no clue as to why you are seemingly dodging their calls.

The best way to get ahead of this is to communicate prior to silencing your phone. Let your clients (at least, the ones most likely to notice your absence) know that you will be out of the office and give them guidance on how to get in contact with someone else who can help them in the meantime.

You can do this through email, by setting an Out Of Office reply message, and also by updating your phone’s voicemail to provide details of whom to contact for assistance in case their call goes unanswered.

Phone Coverage Is A Vacation-Saver

If there’s only one thing you can do to cover yourself for a vacation, it should be getting your phones covered. Nothing can cramp your vacation style quite like your phone ringing off the hook while you’re trying to relax by the pool.

By ensuring your phones are answered while you’re away, you can ensure your client questions are still handled, lead information is still captured, and appointments can still be booked. Things don’t have to go completely on hold just because you’re not working that week. In fact, it’s best that they don’t so that your workload stays steady once you’re back.

If you don’t already have a dedicated receptionist, the easiest way to do this is to hire an answering service. They can keep the status quo with your callers and ensure that all questions are answered and appointments get booked for after you come back.

If you’ve been searching for a way to take a much-needed vacation this year, give us a call at (800) 958-8591 and discover how Back Office Betties can help you get away, stress-free.