Top tips that your firm can implement to help ensure your firm not only survives but thrives during this crazy time.
During a time of crisis, great leaders and businesses always rise to the top. And in times like these, what everyone needs now more than ever is to be resilient, hopeful, and positive about their practices, lives and the world as a whole.
As we navigate the use of social distancing and most of us scramble to implement new virtual business strategies, lawyers are pivoting and changing their mindset about how to work and thrive in a stay-at-home economy.
Here are several tips that every single lawyer, solo or not, can use while working and managing virtually. Take a look, see what you can incorporate into your virtual operations and stay productive and profitable during these turbulent times.
Invest in a room transformation to give yourself a “mindset”.
Professionals who work from home find that it can be difficult to get into the work “mindset”. There are endless distractions at home, and it takes a lot of discipline to buckle down. If you have the financial resources, invest in a room transformation, so you feel like a professional when you sit down to work.
You will be spending a lot of time in this room. Decorate it in a way that makes you happy. Paint the walls yellow if you like. Make the room as comfortable for yourself as you can.
A minor investment in your workspace will pay dividends in productivity in the years to come.
Don’t forget about your firm’s brand
There’s a mad rush for businesses to shift to an online experience to meet public demand, and law firms are no exception. While there’s immense value in it, law firms, small and large, that are losing their authentic message during this rapid technological transition.
One of the best things you can do to ensure your firm not only survives this transition, but actually comes out ahead is to make sure you value and place emphasis on preserving your personal brand. It is what is going to keep your practice top of mind during and after this crisis ends. These virtual tools make it very easy to lose that messaging, but if used correctly, they can also go a long way towards enhancing and amplifying it.
Invest in Project Management Software
Do not underestimate the value of good project management software, both for your own productivity as well as your team members. While there is no shortage of software options, all of them have their strengths and weaknesses. The key is to choose one that’s a known winner and quickly getting set up.
The biggest risk with any software is that you spend way too much time and energy learning how to use it, setting it up your way, putting tons of information in there and then realizing it doesn’t really fit your needs. Avoid that by reading reviews, seeing what options other lawyers use and start small/use free trials. Some of the software tools we recommend are Monday.com, Slack or Asana.
A little humanity goes a long way
Now more than ever, people need to feel connected and looked after, they want to feel like another person is taking care of them and will remember those who do (and don’t!) long after this virus has passed.
Utilize the tools at your fingertips like Zoom, emails, social media, even texting to check in and make sure your clients and potential clients are doing well and staying safe. One lawyer in the Law Firm Suites community has used this principle to check in with clients and referral sources, and as a result, has closed several new clients.
This principle is also self-serving and can lift your own motivation and productivity. Encourage your team and even clients to stay human by experimenting with fun ways to thrive while working from home, like sharing pictures of each of their home workspaces on social media.
