The Secret Plan To Launch Your Firm Into 2024: Systems

Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE

Do you know how many softwares and subscriptions your firm is using? In this episode of the Maximum Lawyer Podcast, Jim and Tyson discuss the importance of implementing systems in law firms. This is part four of a five part series where Jim and Tyson help firms launch in 2024.

Jim and Tyson delve into the best ways to systemize firms. A lot of firms spend money on softwares and subscriptions to help with workflows and organization. But, some firms are spending too much on duplication or systems that are no longer helping the firm succeed. A great tip is to do an inventory of all the softwares that your firm uses and think about what can be removed. Another thing to do is keep track of renewal dates. Maybe there is a software that has a renewal date on January 1 and you realize you no longer need it. Go ahead and cancel that to save your firm money in the New Year.

Tyson shares the importance of coming up with a process for system checks. There can be times where something goes wrong that you are not aware of. Are your birthday texts being sent to clients? Are your monthly newsletters going out? Make it a habit (maybe once a month) to go in and check systems to make sure they are functioning properly. 

Take a listen!

Episode Highlights:

• 00:45 Discussion on the importance of systems
• 2:05 Advice on reviewing and assessing software subscriptions and monthly expenses
• 3:22 Ensuring that all systems and processes in the law firm are functioning properly

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Transcripts: The Secret Plan To Launch Your Firm Into 2024: Systems

Speaker 1 (00:00:00) - Today's episode is day four of a five part series to help you launch your firm into 2024. Each day this week, we're dropping a new episode to guide you and setting your firm up for next year in one hour per day. If you haven't listened to the first few episodes, go back and listen to them first, then come back here. Today's hour will be spent on systems.

Speaker 2 (00:00:20) - Let's go run your law firm the right way. The right way. This is the maximum Lawyer podcast. Lawyer podcast. Your hosts, Jim Hacking and Tyson metrics. Let's partner up and maximize your firm. Welcome to the show.

Tyson Mutrux (00:00:45) - All right, Jimmy, let's move on to our next topic, number four, which is systems. And I think systems is one that you and I are both heavily in the middle of right now, and one that you and I are working on this. We'll both be done. Be ready to be done with this pretty soon. But where where are you going to start when it comes to systems?

Jim Hacking (00:01:10) - So when my kids were little, I loved taking them to the Saint Louis Zoo.

Jim Hacking (00:01:14) - The zoo in Saint Louis is one of the best, and we always like to go see the hippopotamus. They have a nice place called the River's Edge, and the hippopotamus has all these little fish or some things that just like, eat all the barnacles and all the stuff that sort of grows on the side of the rhinoceros over the course of the year. And that's what you need to do with all of your technology. You need to pull out your credit card statement, your bank statement, and figuring out who are all these bastards I'm sending money to every month and ask yourself, do I have software on here that I'm not using anymore? Do I have duplicate software? As an aside, I'm pretty sure Tyson, right now that we have two different people taking care of our lawn and they just call me up and they say, hey, it's time to take care of your lawn. Oh, okay. Okay. Go ahead. I'm pretty sure that there's two different sets of people doing that, but that happens with Firm software.

Jim Hacking (00:02:05) - And my wife this year had the marketing team, I'm sorry, the accounting team go through and actually do an inventory of all of our software and most importantly, keep track when renewals are. So sometimes doing this in December isn't the best time because you're in these contracts and Imani has these stringent rules that the whole firm knows about. Now, no contracts more than a year. Everyone needs to know 90, 60 and 30 days before it expires. Are we still using it? Do we still need the same number of users? And you'll find this not just with software, but you'll you'll have these charges and you'll just be like, what in the hell is that for? Like I got one the other day for something called Insta page. I don't think we've used Insta page in a while, so it's just you gotta you gotta do that time and that hour of quiet. If you can't delegate, it is a great time for you as the law firm owner, to go through and do that inventory and assessment of your monthly expenses.

Tyson Mutrux (00:02:59) - So you said both of the things that I was going to say, but I can give another one too. So those are, those are those are both fantastic. So I'm not going to add anything to that. Those are excellent. But I will add something different. And that's Jim. Have you have you ever had something that wasn't working when it comes to a system, but you didn't know about it for months.

Jim Hacking (00:03:19) - Oh yes. Yeah. Yeah. Things like that.

Tyson Mutrux (00:03:22) - Yeah. Exactly. So what you need to do is come up with a process for systems checks. So during that hour. So we're talking about it's Friday, it's day four. And you've you've done what Jim just said. But now spend some time on what is your process for checking systems. What is your system for checking systems okay. Because you need to be able to go through and identify if things are not working, if they're not firing off. We did not realize that our birthday text messages were not going out and we we fixed it, but it was not working for months, which is very aggravating for me.

Tyson Mutrux (00:03:59) - But it it's something that we fixed and so clients are getting those. But if we had had a system in place for checking these things, we would have known that we didn't get we didn't get a notification from Twilio, we didn't get anything. We just just wasn't working. So now Kashif is working on putting together a system to check on the systems. That way something like that does not happen, but the system for checking systems is something you should have.

Speaker 2 (00:04:26) - Thanks for listening to the Maximum Lawyer podcast. Stay in contact with your hosts and to access more content. Go to Maximum lawyer.com. Have a great week and catch you next time.