CALSPro - California Association of Legal Support Professionals

A Message From Our Advertising Committee…

Posted February 27, 2018 in Marketing

By Robert Porambo

We are always on the lookout for new vendors or service providers to join CALSPro.  We have several great companies that are currently vendor members and support our great association.  If you know of a company that might be interested in joining CALSPro, please forward me their contact information at your earliest convenience or simply share this blog post with them.

Also, now is a great time to purchase your enhanced web listing for a reasonable price of $100.00 per year.  This is an excellent avenue to advertise your company and help grow your business.

Click HERE to get started

And, thank you to our current vendor members:

Yergey Insurance

Blue Bird Office Supplies

Servenow.com

LegalConnect

Advertising vs. Marketing And What They Mean For You

Posted November 14, 2017 in Marketing

By Robert Porambo

Whether you run or own a big or small company in today’s marketplace, is it more important to advertise or market?  Here are the definitions to both words below to show how they differ:

Advertising

Noun:  The act or practice of calling public attention to one’s product, service, need, etc., especially by paid announcements in newspapers and magazines, over radio or television, on billboards, etc.; To get more customers by advertising.

Marketing

Noun:  The act of buying or selling in a market. The total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling.

No matter how you interpret the above definitions, Advertising and Marketing are key elements to running a successful business. By placing an ad with CALSPro you’re doing both.

With the holidays right around the corner now is an ideal time to make the commitment to advertise your company on the CALSPro website.

Every day that passes is a potential missed opportunity to help grow your business.

CALSPro has great advertising rates for less than a $1.00 per day.  You can purchase an enhanced listing, featured member or newsletter advertising.  Click HERE for more information.  Feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions or comments.

____________________________________

Robert Porambo |  619.549.4853 |  rporambo@knoxservices.com

Managing Your Service of Process Case Load

Posted October 6, 2015 in Education, Marketing, Process Service, Technology

Managing Software Just Got Easier!

We live in electronic age.  It’s swirling all around us.  No wonder it is inevitable we jump on the technology train to help manage our business as well.  The attorney services industry is no different.  It’s moving from paper to the cloud at lightning speed.  With that transition comes change and subsequently, the search begins.  What are the best case management tools for process servers and investigators to use that will improve efficiency, reduce costs and increase customer satisfaction?

Why Case Management Software?

Data & Security Software helps to protect your data and keep it safe. It manages permissions and access to your data, as well as data archives.  By using software to manage your data, you eliminate manila folders laying everywhere with stacks of paper getting lost.  As a business owner, you want a solution that will ensure the safety of your client’s data as well as your own. When you have physical files, you have to purge them at some point to make space for new files.  With your data stored on a server, there is really no reason to purge data.  Instead you can have it archived in a safe and secure place for years.  With software you no longer need to fear losing jobs in stacks of tangible files.  Take action and clear clutter to make for a more organized environment all the while knowing data is digital, safe and secure.

Document Generation and Invoicing with Automation Many software programs currently available can generate customized documents that include affidavits, subpoenas, statements and invoices, and even investigative reports. They are customized and professional with the individual company logo as needed.  Having a software program available and able to generate your documents as the job is followed from start to finish is an unbelievable opportunity cost, adds professionalism to your business and makes your job light years easier.  This means you fill in fields of information and the software program generates the specialized forms based on the courts your select, by state. Look for a program that offers a dynamic movement through the work order entry process. Same with Invoicing.  You set up an integrated billing structure of items, rates and/or commissions and the program is able to auto bill based on billing parameters set.  This fully integrated software solution allows a streamlined approach to your business workflow every step of the way, from start to finish. Documents can be dynamically created for your business.

Client Communication and Increased Satisfaction Interesting data shows you can increase client satisfaction while reducing the amount of time spent on customer service. Find a full solution to your business needs that includes a field smartphone app for your servers, a client web portal and essentially, a virtual office.  Offering the ability to have your servers send communications directly to your software in real time provides not only instant gratification to your clients, but also a professional appearance.  Think about your business future and how to not only attract, but also retain your clients.

Consider a client web portal for allowing clients to empower themselves to check status online as well as enter orders online>  There are smartphone apps for work in the field, dispatch work-in-progress task management solutions with quick overviews, and automated emails that following the job from start to finish with real time status.  These are the kids of features that make life easier.  Have you heard of Smarty Streets Verification or “Suggest a Server” functionality based on zip codes or a rating system?  How cool! Having the ability to aggregate information into a centralized workflow is the key to ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks.

Going Paperless A digital dispatch board vs paper folders everywhere equals a higher level of organization. Across the board, companies encourage an electronic workflow.  Paper is becoming a thing of the past.  Ease of use and the security knowing it is stored electronically provides peace of mind.  Even though you still serve tangible papers, managing that workflow electronically is the future.

Additional Time and Cost Savings What is your time worth?  Case Management software can reduce data entry errors and double entry. Status results can be real time, eliminating wait time for getting status on a job.  Reporting becomes an automated breeze with built in report functionality and imaging

What to Consider When Shopping for a Software Program?

Here are a few sample suggestions.  By no means is this an all-inclusive list.  Your business is unique to you. Make sure you do your research and evaluate your business needs as step one so that you know what you are, in fact, looking for. Security, as we mentioned, is a big one.

• Ask the software companies you are investigating for a detailed breakdown of their security protocol.
• Request uptime statistics. What levels of customization are available?
• Ask for references so that you can get firsthand knowledge of the client onboarding experience, the implementation process and the service and support that is offered for the duration of your technological business partnership.
• Consider your need for GPS stamping on your submitted serve attempts and final statuses. What about an integrated A/R Module? A client web portal? A smartphone app?
• Is there training involved? Get details on how technical support works so that you are prepared from day one to ensure your expectations are met.

Take this new found knowledge and empower yourself with education!

Written by Irina Nordstrom, Tristar Software LLC

Information compiled from Optimizing Case Management with Technology Panel Discussion at AALPI & APSA 2015 with Honorable Mentions – Trent Carlyle, Irina Nordstrom, Jeremy Church, Ian Ricketson &  Kyle Propes.

Skip Tracing for the Process Server

Posted July 29, 2015 in Education, Marketing, Process Service

Skip Tracing for the Process Serve 

Skip-tracing, the industry term for finding someone, is a natural service that can be offered by process servers. This is because as the process server, you are typically the one who finds out that the last known address is no longer valid, and if you already have a good relationship with the firm that sent you the service, it’s easier for them to have you do the skip trace than to go and find someone else to do it. There are no silver bullets and no one size fits all approaches to skip tracing. The key to being a good skip tracer is having and utilizing multiple tactics and methods, depending what your particular case requires. This article aims to provide an overview of some of the most common tools and hopefully give you some insight as to how you can grow your business by offering a new service or how to refine your skills as an experienced skip tracer.

Databases

Databases are great. They have absolutely revolutionized the skip tracing industry and are a must have tool in your toolbox. Full versions of databases are often available only to Private Investigators or Attorneys however, most will have versions available to process servers that contain much of the same information.  Databases will often search information from billions of public and private records and combine them into one spot. Records will typically include information from phone companies, credit bureaus, county property records and many other sources. There have been many debates about which databases are “best” but the truth is that all databases have their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. The best way to find which databases are right for you is to try them out. Most will provide trial periods that will allow you to “test drive” their product before signing up long term.

While databases are great, the most common mistake in skip tracing amongst Attorneys, Private Investigators and Process Servers alike, is the tendency to rely too much on them. As great as they are, it’s important to recognize that computers are the ones pushing out the information and they do not have the same ability to interpret data as a live person does. Databases can sometimes provide outdated or inaccurate information, so it’s important to try and verify the information you get from a database with as many other sources as you can, before acting on it.

Property Records

Any real property bought or sold in the United States must be documented at the recorder’s office in the county where the property is located. These records are usually free to view and oftentimes can be accessed online. These records typically contain very useful information including the name of the owner, when they bought or sold the property, an indication if the property is listed as owner occupied or not and the address where the tax bill is being sent. This is all invaluable information to the skip tracer, especially when you’re dealing with a subject who owns multiple properties because often times, the address where all of the various tax bills are being sent, is where they actually live.

Social Media

In this day and age, people put their entire lives on their internet, it’s actually quite ridiculous- but it can be a gold mine for skip tracers. In our investigations, we have cases blown wide open all the time by information that the subject, or the subject’s family and friends post on social media. Invest some time in setting up some decoy accounts and keep in mind that you will usually be able to see more of a subject’s information if you are already connected with one of their existing connections. So Johnny defendant might not accept your friend request, but his attention hungry sister with 2,000 “friends” probably will. If their information wasn’t already public, then the second level connection may open up access to recent places or events that they may be attending, or you may be able to locate work information. For the tech savvy server and under the right circumstances, some apps are available to help pull metadata out of photos so you can see when and where a picture was taken. *Note that under certain circumstances, sending a friend request or other type of communication to a subject involved in a lawsuit. You should consult with your attorney before making any attempts to contact a subject directly.*

Post Master Locates

This is an oldie but a goodie and it doesn’t cost you a dime. Basically, there is a form you can fill out and submit to the post office wherein the post office is required to tell you if a person is receiving mail at an address, if they are having their mail forwarded, or if they are not at the address provided. Usually you would need to fax or mail the form in, but some post offices will allow you to walk it in and handle it the same day. In addition, that same form can be used to obtain the physical address the post office has on file for a P.O. box holder. A copy of this form can be found by clicking here.

Asking Good Questions

Usually, after a person has moved, the new occupants or neighbors will have some kind of information about where the person went. The question is, how do you get it? They key is in asking good questions. More often than not, people will give up all kinds of information if you just ask. If someone tells you that the subject has moved, ask when, where, if they have a cell phone number, if they had kids, if they had any friends in the neighborhood who might know where they are at. Get the phone number for the landlord and call him, because he probably has a forwarding address for returning the security deposit. Sure, some people are a pain and won’t provide any information, but it doesn’t hurt to ask and often, if you’re diligent in your questioning, you’ll find nuggets of information that can be used to help locate your subject.

Pretexting

A pretext is a fancy word for a lie. The purpose with pretexting is to get someone to divulge information to you that they wouldn’t otherwise provide. More than one unsuspecting defendant has unknowingly provided a skip tracer with their own address. We know of drug dealers that have given up their home addresses, children who have sold out their parents with the hope of getting something for free and neighbors that have dished details on each other thinking they were helping their friend get a new job. There are many different pretexts that can be quite effective and if you think you can get someone to believe it, you may want to try it out. You may even try doing the pretext on a random phone number just to work the bugs out. A good pretexter many times can also obtain information from businesses who may have information about your subject (i.e. their work, utility company, local pizza delivery places etc…).

A few cautions about pretexting. Don’t impersonate a law enforcement officer, don’t pretext to get info on any protected records (i.e. phone & bank), don’t do anything too outlandish and always use a phone that can’t be traced back to you. There are plenty of apps that let you spoof your phone number or set up an untraceable number that rings to your phone. Just test them out before using them. *Note that under certain circumstances, having any kind of contact with a subject involved in a lawsuit without their attorney present could be a violation of law. You should consult with your attorney before making any attempts to contact a subject directly.*

Have anything you’ve done that you’ve found to be effective? Have any good skip tracing stories you’d like to share? Comment below.

Joseph Jones is a licensed Private Investigator and the Vice President of Bosco Legal Services, Inc.

Which Storage is Best? SSD or HDD

Posted June 20, 2015 in Education, Marketing, Technology

SSD or HDD: Which is best?

When searching for a new desktop or laptop computer, most people have certain criteria they look for besides just a good deal. Does it have ample storage, RAM (random access memory), touchscreen, USB 3.0 ports, HDMI ports and so on. What most people aren’t aware of is the importance of picking the right type file storage. For years now, the standard has been the HDD or Hard Disk Drive. Overtime, the capacity of the traditional HDD has grown significantly, from gigabyte drives to the now common terabyte drives. Newegg (www.newegg.com) sells a 12 TB HDD for a mere $1,700.00! Obviously, the more capacity you purchase, the greater amount of storage you have to save files, pictures and movies. The cost of the HDD has also significantly dropped and is still the most common drive, but with the benefits of an SSD or Solid State Drive, the HDD will eventually become obsolete.

There are considerable performance advantages of SSD over the traditional HDD that most consumers should consider. For starters, SSD’s are substantially faster…up to 100x faster than HDD’s.

With an SSD installed, computer boot up time can drop to a mere 7 seconds, users can achieve near instantaneous access to data and quicker file transfers. SSD’s provide an overall snappier and more responsive computing experience. SSD’s consume less power, which extends battery life and allows for a cooler computing environment.

HDD’s have various moving parts, that require more power but more importantly can fail or become damaged. With a non-mechanical design, SSD’s offer silent operation and superior durability. Although higher priced at the frontend, SSD’s offer long term cost savings for consumers by allowing for greater productivity and less energy consumption. One SSD can deliver the performance of 100 HDD’s.

Of course there are still a few perks to the HDD that some consumers will appreciate. Since the HDD has been the traditional and most common type of storage device, availability is far more abundant. The HDD currently has the largest capacity at 12 TB and counting. Since the HDD’s are more plentiful, they are also cheaper to purchase. So if you are looking for a large capacity, readily available and economical storage device…the HDD wins. If you are looking for speed, longevity, quiet and efficient computing, assuming price isn’t an issue…the SSD is for you.

Then of course there is the cloud…we’ll touch upon this next time!

Esteban Pujol, Vice President of Commercial Process Serving, Inc.

Process Server Assault Guide

Posted June 16, 2015 in Education, Marketing, Membership, Process Service

CALSPro – Process Server Assault Guide and Checklist.

A complete guide on what to do if assault, while serving process:

• Get to a safe Place
• Assess Injuries
• Assess Damage to Property
• Contact the authorities
• Anything Missing?
• Document the incident
• Notify your employer or client
• Notify your State Association
• Report incident to PAAPRS

For more information, Click on the CALSPro Process Server Assault Guide to download.

Revised 3-19-15

5 Things Google Apps Could Do

Posted February 20, 2015 in Education, Marketing, Technology

5 Things You Didn’t Know Google Apps Could Do…

Increase security with 2-step authentication. Google accounts can be compromised if someone guesses your users’ passwords or gains access to a computer. Add another layer of protection with 2-step authentication, in which users sign in with their username and password normally, then enter an additional, one-time code that’s been texted, called, or sent to their phones via a mobile app. This ensures that someone needs more than just the account password to sign in.

Create full-blown presentations with Google Slides. Forget PowerPoint and the hassles of emailing presentations back and forth to make changes. Google Slides offers a very easy to use interface to collaborate on presentations. Just jump on the phone or a Google Hangouts and collaborate on a presentation in real time to get it done quickly and efficiently.

Who needs the phone when you can Hangout? Google Hangouts allows you to instantly initiate a video experience with as many as 10-15 participants. Whether you’re working on a colaborative project or an international board meeting, Google Hangouts is an extremely productive, fun way to engage your colleagues, office staff or clients.

Replace your file server with Google Drive. You can replace that sad, aging server in your closet with the app that is accessible anywhere and has zero-maintenance. Start using Google Drive for no hassle data server and collaborate while getting your best work done.

Google Apps Marketplace. Google, like Apple’s iTunes, has an App store called Google Play. Here you can find Apps created by developers that are created for specific uses. Dropbox, DocuSign, Quickbooks, VNC Viewer are all Apps that we can use in our offices.
Chances are if you could use a little help in the form of software there is an App that can probably do the job just as well.

Article Written By: Kenneth Hastings, Hastings Professional Process Servers

10 Ways to Turn your Attorney Services Website into a Marketing Machine

Posted April 6, 2012 in Marketing, Technology

Guest author: Trent Carlyle is the CTO and co-founder of Lawgical, the parent company of ServeNow. Trent works with the technology and marketing teams at Lawgical to create products that help grow revenue and increase operational efficiencies in the process serving and investigation industries.

Recently, Jeremiah Jones (CALSPro Technology Committee Chair) asked if we could help the association members by providing tips to improve online visibility and making a website more useful to your clients.

While best online marketing practices are constantly in flux, here are some simple ways you can start turning your website into a marketing machine.

1. Contact Info on Every Page

We’ll start with an oldie but a goodie. If you walk away from this article and do nothing else, make sure your phone number and a link to your contact form is prominently located on every single page of your site. The ultimate goal of your web site is to get clients to pick up the phone.

The easiest way to pull this off is to build this into a common header / navigation that is part of every page.

2. Have a “Conversion” Goal for Every Page

A “conversion” is getting a visitor to do what you want on a particular page. Every single page should have a specific conversion goal. Conversions are usually achieved by including a call-to-action (CTA). CTA’s tell your visitor exactly what you want them to do on a page. “Learn more!” or “Call now!” are examples. When a visitor takes that action, you have a conversion.

3. Collect User Data with Great Content

Chances are you know a lot more about serving papers and the rules associated with service of process in your area than most of your clients. Turning this knowledge into educational content such as a “White Paper” or a guide can serve two purposes.

First, by requiring users to fill out a contact form to access certain content, you are capturing their data and generating a lead for your business. Secondly, the content itself or even the presence of the content can validate your expertise in the field, hopefully resulting in a visitor choosing to hire you.

At the very least, you are now building a database of potential clients for follow-up calls, emails or marketing campaigns.

4. Simplify Your Web Forms

Let’s say you have a “Request a Quote” form on your web site. Which form are you most likely to fill out?

ENOUGH SAID!!!

The purpose of your external web forms should be to collect the minimum amount of data on a lead to be able to follow up with them. Each unnecessary field increases the likelihood a client will abandon your form. Studies show that reducing your forms fields by 50% can increase conversions by 5% or more.

5. Install Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free tool that allows you to track how many visitors your site gets, how they are finding you and much more. If you haven’t used a web analytics program in the past, it’s a lot to absorb, but I can promise you’ll get value from it, even if it’s just from a high level.

For example, Google Analytics can reveal:

• If your pages are “converting”
• Your most effective marketing channels
• Your most visited content
• How much time visitors spend on your site
• Where your visitors are geographically located
• The percentage of visitors coming to your site from a mobile device

Already got analytics set-up? Introduce yourself to Google’s webmaster tools for a whole new level of insights.

6. Connect your Social Media

There’s evidence that website rankings are affected by social signals – such as Facebook “Likes” and “Tweets” on Twitter. Growing quickly in importance are Google’s +1’s.

As business owners, most of you don’t have extra time to spend on social media, so at the very least make it easy for clients to connect with you on Twitter and Facebook by including these links on your site as well as your signature block of your emails.

7. Offer Online Tracking

Ninety percent of what your site offers should target new customers as current clients are unlikely to need to return to your site after they’ve got your phone number and email address. That said, one thing you can do for current clients is to offer online status updates that are available with most popular process serving applications. Not all clients will use it, but it shows you are on the forefront of technology in a changing industry.

8. Answer Common Questions

Another way to keep your clients coming back to your site is by answering the most common questions they (and potential clients) have regarding SOP and your company. These can be questions on effectuating proper service or “How quickly can papers be served?”.

Content like this can be posted to a page titled “FAQs” or “News” or “Blog” but these terms are so common that visitors are typically “blind” to them. Try to implement it in a way that’s going to stand out. Title the section something like “Process Service Help Center” or “20 things you should know about Process Serving” – something unique that will catch their eye.

Content like this keeps clients coming back, convinces new clients to contact you and will make the search engines love your site. It’s also great stuff for social media.

9. Point Clients to Online Reviews

At ServeNow, we talk about the importance of “Local” quite a bit. When we use the term local, we are mostly talking about the map listings with the lettered balloons next to them when you do a Google search. These are called Google Places listings.

Assuming you have your places listing claimed and optimized, you’ll want to find ways to get clients to review your company. Studies show that business with five or more reviews in Google places tend to rank higher. Make it easy for clients to review you on Google Places (or other review sites like Yelp) by linking to one or both off of your web site.

If you can find a way to incorporate an ongoing review strategy in your processes, it’ll go a long way.

10. Get Relevant Listings

Yes, even if you build a great client-friendly, optimized website you still need to go out and advertise it. Without getting into the details here, listings on relevant sites can improve both your Local (Google Places) rankings as well as your organic rankings.

Relevant sites include, but are not limited to:

• Process serving-related sites and Directories
• State and National Associations
• Associations for Clients (e.g. paralegal, attorney, etc)
• The Better Business Bureau
• Chamber’s of Commerce
• General Legal Directories

Improving your online presence can and should be an ongoing process. It can be overwhelming, so don’t try to take on too much at once. There are a lot of elements to consider and there’s no one silver bullet to online success.

Similar to traditional marketing, you need to have a “mix” for your online strategy. These concepts might seem siloed but they all feed one another. Each of the above tips will have individual gains, but combining them will yield exponential value.

What successes have you had with your website or online marketing? Join the conversation on
the CALSPro Facebook page.