Fail-Safe Tips For Creating 'For Your Information' Copies
This week we will continue to talk about "tips" that create a "fail-safe" set of circumstances to be sure that all of the important things in the administration of the day-to-day work in your law firm are done, when they need to be done, and done in the proper way. Setting up "fail-safe" systems ensures that the things that need to be done in order to keep your law firm running smoothly are done automatically, and if these "fail-safe" steps are not done, then the item that needs to be dealt with will become immediately apparent to everyone.
So far we have discussed ten "fail-safe tips" for setting up the administrative part of your law firm.
This week's "fail-safe" system is to forward "for your information" copies of all incoming and outgoing mail to the clients. We have previously discussed the mechanics of "for your information" copies, but I want to be sure to emphasize in this article the "fail-safe" nature of this administrative system.
We have a standing mandatory procedure in our office that the person who opens the mail routes the incoming mail to at least three places. Those three places are:
1. Original to the file;
2. Copy to the client; and
3. Copy to the responsible and assigned attorneys indicating on their copy that a copy has gone to the client as well.
When the copy comes to the responsible and assigned attorneys with the notation in the upper right-hand corner that a copy has gone to the client, the lawyer can act as a gatekeeper on the "fail-safe" system by double checking that in fact a copy has gone to the client.
The concept here is that your staff is trained to send every single piece of paper to the client so the client can see what is happening in their file. You can place on the copy that goes to the client a stamp that says one of the following;
1. "For your information no action necessary;" and
2. "For your information please call me."
This same system should work for every single piece of paper that goes out of your office involving a client's matter. Your staff needs to be trained to always show on any correspondence to the responsible and assigned attorneys that a carbon copy has gone to the client.
This administrative procedure concerning incoming and outgoing mail needs to be set up, implemented, and strictly enforced. The exception can never be the rule. Everything must go to the client.
The investment of time in sending copies of incoming and outgoing mail to your client is immeasurable. What better way to communicate with your client and to project effort, than to invest in a .37 cent stamp.
If you send copies of everything that you receive and send regarding the client's matter you will find that communication is greatly enhanced. Along with enhanced communication comes added trust. Added trust results in the client giving you additional matters to handle and results in additional referrals of other clients.
Your staff is already opening the mail why not have them "process" it to be sure that it gets filed, it gets communicated to the client and it gets communicated to the attorneys that are handling the matter? Additionally, it is not difficult to show a carbon copy to the client on all correspondence and to make it a routine that it is actually sent to the client. Additionally, copies of outgoing correspondence should be routed to those working on client matters to facilitate "nonverbal communication" about what is going on in a client's matter.
If all of the parts of this "fail-safe" system are implemented in your office, you will be astounded at the immediate results. Clients are happier, staff is more "in the loop," matters are handled more efficiently and you clearly have set up a "win-win" scenario between everybody concerned with your client matters, but especially the clients themselves.
Remember, the rule is, "there is no exception."
Additionally, when the client gets an itemized bill at the end of the month they then have a narrative of the work you have performed that month on their matter, and by reading the bill, can get a sense of what it is you are doing on their bill. We will be talking about itemized billing in part four of these articles involving law office marketing, management and economics.
Next week we are going to continue to talking about "fail-safe tips." Next week we will talk about "for your information" copies of all incoming and outgoing mail to the responsible lawyer, assigned lawyer, and the assigned legal assistant as part of a "fail-safe" system. I think you will find these ongoing comments with regard to each of these "fail-safe" systems interesting and useful. Talk to you next week.
Jim Wirken is a civil trial attorney and the Chairman of the Board of The Wirken Law Group in Kansas City.