Why Do Law Firms Outsource Back Office Management?

If you are like many and have built your firm from the ground up, you’re probably used to having a great degree of control over your day-to-day operations. But for many firms, especially as their business continues to grow, having a hand in all the ins and outs of the back office can become overwhelming. 

The more clients you have, the more time will be required of you by each client. Before you know it, the demand for face time from clients has got you swamped and your overworked back-office staff can’t keep up, many of whom just can’t wait for their next vacation or worse, are just working for the weekend.

Firms are also under a tremendous amount of pressure from clients who, deterred by heaps of hidden fees, want you to keep costs low and only bill hourly for time spent with them. 

Add in the factor of increasingly fierce competition with other firms driving prices down, and you’ve got yourself a real challenge. You ask, “How do I keep the ship running full speed ahead, keep my rates down, and not wear the hat of a stand-in office manager?”

The answer for a growing number of firms is to outsource back-office management. By outsourcing certain functions of the firm, more time and attention are freed up for clients while improving the bottom line at the same time.

The more clients you have, the more time will be required of you by each client. Before you know it, the demand for face time from clients has got you swamped and your overworked back-office staff can’t keep up, many of whom just can’t wait for their next vacation or worse, are just working for the weekend.

What Do Law Firms Outsource?

Functions that are amenable to outsourcing in a law firm include:

Outsourcing quality assurance, project management, face-to-face sales, or anything that requires a physical presence generally is not possible. In other words, letting someone else who is not a part of your firm represent the face of the company–someone who may or may not share the same values or mission as you–is not advised.

Reasons that Law Firms Outsource

Being consumed with back-office logistics takes time away from attorneys who just want to spend time with their clients. They’d rather have face time than sort through stacks of paperwork. They’d rather be in the field than slaving over their keyboard balancing accounts. Attorneys don’t want to have to charge their clients exorbitant amounts for necessary but unfortunate overhead costs. Here are some reasons why you should join the 70% of law firms in the United States who outsource one or more of their back-office services:

Reduce Overhead Costs

By entrusting much of business process management to an external team of trained professionals, efficiency is maximized and your bottom line improved. Unnecessary tasks are eliminated.

Remove Staffing Concerns

By outsourcing to one or more companies, you will not have to worry about staff turnover affecting your productivity or company climate in the office.

Save Precious Time

When dedicated professionals deal with back-office services, you have more time dedicated to your clients, practicing law, and building up your firm. You can focus on your mission and promoting the values that your firm represents.

Provide Better Care for Your Customers

Having someone pick up the phone during regular business hours whose job it is to ensure that customers are satisfied will work wonders for reputation as well as future interactions with customers.

How We Can Help

Back Office Legal is equipped to assist you with all of your back-office management needs. Your client intake, billing, collections, trust accounting, and more are all handled on our end, leaving you with more time and money to help your clients directly. Contact Back Office Legal at (206) 455-9309 to schedule a free consultation today.

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