One concern I have, for example, is that this particularly client mentioned that he’d prefer someone was always available to answer the phone for my company, especially if he were to refer certain types of business to me. I currently only answer the phone very occasionally, as my workspace is not always conducive to professional business calls (got to love those noisy children!) I always respond promptly to phone messages and other than initial consultations my clients generally correspond with me via email anyway.

But I do worry that my phone setup is holding me back, not only from eventually scaling up, but from simply achieving my current goal of a busy one-person virtual legal assistant practice.

Do YOU prefer to speak to a live person the first time you call a business? Do you avoid leaving messages and just move on to the next person if you can’t reach someone? Would reaching a live answering service be enough? Alyssa Gregory had a post not too long ago about exactly this, and she recommended answering your phone as often as possible, with some very valid points noted.

I’ve taken a quick look at a couple of live answering services, and they aren’t too expensive, but in all honesty right now I get maybe 1-2 calls in a month from prospective clients. Most of my contact does come by email, even from possible clients.

I’d love to hear from other solo business owners how they handle the telephone issue. Are you able to answer your phone most of the time? Do you think voicemail is enough of an option when you aren’t free? Can’t wait to see what you think!

First, I have a calendar system that helps me stay on track of both daily and long-term planning. I put everything into my Google Calendar, which being web-based is accessible from any of my computers and even my smartphone. I also sync that calendar with my iPod, for another easy source of access. Within my calendar itself I keep a task list with my immediate to-do’s on it. I also track longer term work on my project management and file-sharing system. I use Teamwork PM for this and clients can input deadlines for tasks and I have a project of my own where I put in some deadlines.

Another important system I set up very early on was a backup system. I have a couple of backup options available, as it certainly seems better to have my data as protected as possible! I share most client work with my clients via my Teamwork site, so documents that they have provided me and final work that I have provided them is all stored within that site (which is SSL encrypted). I store work on my computer of course and protect that information with SugarSync, a constantly running backup and storage application. SugarSync also allows me to access my files from my phone or another computer at any time, and keeps old versions of documents, which has helped me already once!

Another “system” I have invested in is my internet. I use the internet all the time, many of my work projects could not be completed without it. Therefore I have cable internet at home, I have an arrangement with a good friend to access internet from her home if I ever should need and I recently purchased a mobile internet stick for use while out and about or in case of a problem with my home internet.  In fact two nights ago my home internet was temporarily unavailable and it was reassuring to know how easily I could still log in and therefore fulfill my work obligations.

The main system I need to work on in 2010 is my methods for initial contact with prospective clients – right through to getting started working with clients who sign on. I have a good Contract for Services that I use, but it is important I think to make sure I learn as much about my clients as I can in the beginning instead of simply diving in and doing the work. I am going to put together a set of questions for new clients to be answered by email or phone within the first week of starting to work together, so that little concerns like which font they like work done in can be established easily. What systems help keep you on track? I love getting tips from other home office workers especially!

If you’re a paralegal, you must take pride in the fact that your job is supposed to be among the top 20 best jobs in the USA. Your job is supposed to be relatively stress-free and with all the litigation cases that Americans are filing, you’re not likely to be out of a job anytime soon. Another cool advantage of being a paralegal is that you can work from home, an option that is becoming increasingly attractive in these tough economic times. You don’t have to spend money on commuting to and from work and by freelancing, you can more than you would at a regular job and be assured of work (because you have many employers) if you’re skilled and efficient at your job. If you’re a paralegal who wants to try working from home, here’s how you can boost your chances of success:

Spread the word that you’re available: The most important aspect of being a freelancer is to let people know that your services are available. One way to do this is to advertise and post your profile on job sites. Or if you’ve worked at a few law offices, you could use your colleagues to generate some work for you. The best way to build your work-from-home business is to do quality work and ask people who are satisfied with your services to recommend you to their friends and fellow lawyers. When your work speaks for itself, you won’t have any trouble finding assignments.

Specialize: Paralegals who specialize in one or two areas of the law are more sought after because of their knowledge and expertise in these fields. So broaden your knowledge with a certificate course that gives you in-depth and extensive knowledge in a certain specialty of the law and seek assignments related to cases in this field.

Charge reasonably: Lawyers bill their clients by the hour and if they’re considering hiring you, it’s because they are looking to cut costs or because they don’t have the space and budget for an in-house paralegal. So charge reasonably and according to the complexity of the work you’re expected to do and watch the demand for your services grow.

Stay current: It’s important that you keep up to date with all the happenings in the legal world, more so because you’re sort of removed from where it’s all happening and sort of secluded at home. Continue to learn and research cases even when you don’t have any work at the moment so that you don’t lose out to paralegals who are more current and skilled than you.

Be flexible: Some lawyers may ask you to come in to their offices for discussions or for work that requires collaboration. Be willing to go the extra mile or take on additional work, especially if you’re just starting out or if it is a valued client who’s asking. When you’re flexible and willing to do what it takes to make your business grow, you know you’re on the road to success.

Thanks so much for the post Donna!

I’m glad to be back on track, well, mostly. I did enjoy the quieter routine for the holiday season, it was so good to have the time to be with my family and to reflect on the past year. I did a fair bit of reading (novels and blogs – a good mix!) and feel full of ideas for my business this year.

Are you ready for this year? Did you get a chance to review the progress and projects you were involved with in 2009? I’ve taken a look back over last year and I feel good about how far I’ve come. My business is growing, clients send me referrals (incredibly rewarding!), my local network is really booming and my kids are beautiful and happy and I get to be here for them every day.

My plan for 2010 is to just keep moving in this same positive direction. I’m going to work even harder for my clients and try to make their lives even a little bit less busy. I’m going to expand my local marketing campaign and try to find more clients who like to work with digital dictation, as that is an area I’m loving so much! I’m also planning to add a team member who can cover for me during any vacation or illness and who can take on overflow work, as I’m finding that while overall I have plenty of time to assist my clients and even have time to take on more, occasionally I end up with so much work on one particular day that I work a bit too late into the night.

Happy 2010 to you all!

Closed: Dec 24, Dec 25, Dec 26 and  Dec 31, Jan 1

As always, feel free to email questions anytime, but I won’t check my email too often over those two periods.  We’ll be entertaining a semi-large crowd for dinner on Christmas and of course it is just nice to spend time with family over the holidays!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

The review part of the process is especially important if, like many of us, it is your business year end on December 31. Have a look at your finances and expenses for the year. It may be a good time to make some last minute purchases (need a new computer?!) so that you can use the expenses against this year’s taxes. Also, you can evaluate if you have been paying enough tax, so that you can make appropriate deductions come January, instead of waiting until after you actually file your 2009 taxes in the spring.

December can typically be a very busy month, but it can also be slow in some aspects for your business. Many people are so busy with personal commitments that they aren’t producing as much volume of work, or they are taking downtime during the holidays so not as much marketing or networking is getting done. This means you may find yourself with a day here and there in December where you can sit down and start doing your planning for the upcoming year.

If you want to be able to hit the ground running come January 1st (okay – maybe January 2nd since you are probably sleeping in on January 1st!) have a look at this year end checklist or check out these suggestions. Think about what was the most successful business tool you implemented this past year (was it a process, a marketing technique, some type of hardware or software?) Think about what held you back in growing your business this past year. Look for some new networking opportunities for the new year. So many opportunities are out there waiting for us if we just plan for them and then grab them when we see them!

I’m going to set a deadline for myself of mid-December for my planning day – what about you? Got any ideas to share?

A lot of research led me to believe that my best choice would be a backup and syncing setup, as I have two computers and wanted access to files on both computers from anywhere, plus I wanted to protect my data in case of computer failure or natural disaster.

Now, I’m sure if I do experience a computer failure or my house is struck by natural disaster I’m going to appreciate my system, but even if such things should never happen (fingers crossed!) I’ve gotten a great deal of use out of my system. I’ve traveled with only one computer and needed to access files on my other computer so that I could quickly assist one of my lawyers and easily been able to do so.  I’ve been out running errands and quickly looked up a file from my mobile phone’s web browser, as my chosen application offers mobile access. It’s really reassuring to have this setup, especially when it comes to my business data.

And now I’ve actually realized another way such a system can be utilized. I have clients who are not particularly comfortable with LogMeIn or similar setups. There are benefits to such systems obviously, but especially to clients new to virtual partnerships, they may be hard to accept at first. I can tell my clients about my setup though and they can choose to share documents via a similar application (at least I know with my provider this is possible!) I had a situation recently where I needed a document from a client and if said client had been able to access his files from his phone’s browser he could have quickly emailed them  to me. Instead, we had to wait to finish a project until he was in his office to access the files.

So, can you access your documents from anywhere so easily? If so, what service do you use? I use SugarSync and totally recommend them, for what it’s worth (not a paid endorsement by the way, just true love of the product!) They offer fair pricing, SSL encryption which is very important especially when dealing with legal file materials, and work with both PCs and Macs. Similar SaaS backup/sync programs are compared here if you are interested!

Whether you aspire to be a virtual assistant or you or thinking about working with a virtual assistant, I thought I’d share some quick tips I’ve learned and would have benefited from implementing sooner:

1. Be clear from the beginning on your preferred method and hours of contact (applies to both client and VA).
2. Discuss the “finicky” things right off the bat: font type, font size, paragraph justification, etc. – they might seem like small things but getting them right early can ease your working relationship.
3. If you have a concern over anything, do not wait to mention it to the other party. Sooner said, sooner fixed; don’t hope it will just magically resolve itself!
4. Be very, very clear about deadlines.
5. Read every email or communique from your client CAREFULLY. Check for attachments immediately, even if you don’t need to do the work right away.
6. Spend a few minutes each week, for each client, thinking of ways you can improve the service you provide or find new items you can assist with.

I can tell you, from experience, that it is hard to make mistakes and feel for even a moment that you may have let your client down or let yourself down. But we are all human and we are bound to have moments of imperfection. Be honest with your client if you feel you should have done something better. Offer a discount or some other small token if necessary. Thank your clients for being understanding and remember when they have issues crop up that they are just like you and don’t take criticism personally. Just do better the next time!

In my very last law office, I noticed a trend toward lawyers who didn’t know how to use dictation machines or who didn’t feel they provided much value. These lawyers often simply sent instructions by email or typed up the body of work they needed done and had their assistant simply format it properly. It was a very busy office and I think the lawyers felt more comfortable as the emails were easy to identify and re-send if their assistant was unavailable and another assistant had to take over the task. Pretty common sadly in a place where there were usually 3 or 4 lawyers to each assistant.

Recently though, I’ve discovered the wonderful combined benefits for digital transcription. I had never worked in an office that used anything other than old-fashioned micro-cassettes for dictation. And up until now, the majority of my clients have communicated with me via email and my online work space, always with written instructions, rather than oral. Digital dictation is an incredible improvement over cassettes! I should have known, since Andrea Cannavina of LegalTypist uses it almost exclusively in her virtual legal assistant business and she knows what she’s talking about!

Thanks to a new client though, I’ve recently begun to work with the digital transcription software from Express Scribe and it is so easy to use! My client just provides me the dictation (via email or upload to my secure workspace) and I’m ready to go. Each email is clearly labeled with pertinent info and it’s very quick for the lawyer – for example, I did an Affidavit for a client yesterday. It took him just over 3 minutes to dictate everything he needed to.  Then I transcribed the body of the document and properly set it up according to required format. The lawyer can say “put a backer on that” and it takes a few seconds, but it would take much longer for him to set up said backer himself, much easier to have me do that and free up his time for more directly client-related responsibilities.

Why is it faster to dictate than to type? Well, for starters the average “speaking” words per minute rate is 120-150 words per minute. For most people, that means they speak much faster than they could type. And of course as I mentioned earlier, you may be able to speak an instruction, but the work involved in performing the task can take much longer. If you dictate “please proofread entire document – all 70 pages” that won’t take long, but actually proofreading may take a fair bit of time. It’s probably a good idea to truly evaluate your typing speed, versus the speed an assistant may have, to determine who should be typing up your documents and correspondence.

An additional benefit of dictating, is that a lawyer can dictate from anywhere, regardless of if they have access to their computer or the internet. You can dictate while commuting to work, from your home office or from your vacation if needed (not recommended though!)

Need more info? Check out this post at The Greatest American Lawyer for a breakdown of some of the benefits of digital dictation for lawyers or The Advantages of Digital Dictation from Law Practice Today. And if you want digital dictation software check out Express Dictate.

A year in business has taught me a lot though, and I think it’s time to put a small clarification in place. I am still going to be easily available by email and I will still work somewhat irregular hours, but as far as phone calls go I will only be available from 9am to 3pm MST. I also prefer to arrange telephone calls in advance (via email) whenever possible, otherwise calls may go straight to my voicemail and be returned within one business day.

If you are just starting out with a home-based business, whether you are a a virtual legal assistant like me, a lawyer, or any other small business owner, I highly recommend you think carefully about what hours you will make yourself available to clients. It’s easier to start out with a clear policy than to change in mid-stream! And whether you have children or not, phone calls can be very distracting and take away from your focus on your current and much-valued clients.