Small firms and solo practitioners have a lot on their plates and can quickly spread themselves too thin, trying to stay on top of everything in-house. Fortunately, all kinds of third-party managed services help attorneys provide better service to clients and keep their businesses operating smoothly.

Here are some of the biggest reasons to consider managed services and the advantages they offer you and your firm.

1. Improve Efficiency and Service

Though necessary for record-keeping, the administrative tasks that come with working in law can be laborious and dull. The bottom line is simple: the less time you spend taking care of administrative work, the more time you can spend practicing law and focusing on serving your clients.

Outsourcing even a few processes can make your firm more efficient, allowing more time for better customer service. For example, automated client intake software is becoming increasingly popular, while e-discovery solutions can assist lawyers in organizing and reviewing documents.

Advancements in artificial intelligence and natural language processing tools can also help sort through information more efficiently than ever.

2. Keep Work Accessible

You never know when you’ll need to access a document while out of the office or on the go. But, thanks to managed cloud services and IT operations available for law firms, you won’t have to dig through a physical filing cabinet or folder to find what you’re looking for.

Storing documents in a cloud service not only makes your work readily available. It also keeps your team connected. Multiple colleagues can view a document simultaneously and make edits in real-time, encouraging collaboration and tracking progress.

With the prevalence of remote work and even fully remote firms, cloud services can benefit legal professionals involved in frequent teleconferencing.

3. Reduce Overhead Costs

Cost can appear as a significant obstacle to using managed services, especially for small or solo practices. However, investing in managed services can reduce expenses, especially operating costs.

Having dedicated staff in-house is one way to manage your workflow, but outsourcing eliminates the need to hire, onboard, and train new hires. In addition, you won’t have to keep up with the hardware and software necessary for efficient in-house operations.

This is often more cost-efficient and can provide access to more specialized knowledge of a team using the latest technology. Outsourcing can also provide more peace of mind since you’ll be covered 24/7.

4. Tighten Security and Confidentiality

While storing work on the cloud might be appealing for collaboration, it probably also raises security concerns since confidentiality must remain top of mind for your clients’ sake. Security and regulations can also become more complicated if you have multiple office locations. However, many services are available to keep your data safe and secure.

Security software can monitor your firm’s data around the clock and immediately take action in case of an attempted breach or cyberattack. Even using a password manager can be essential to safeguarding your clients’ privacy. If you prefer to keep work off the cloud, it’s a good idea to invest in security measures for any method of digital communication used in the workplace, including email.

5. Stay Compliant

In addition to protecting client data, law firms must strictly adhere to regulatory laws. For example, HIPAA applies to law firms handling anyone’s personal health information. Firms must also comply with laws dictating how credit cards and other payment information are processed. These laws are constantly updated, and failure to comply can result in strict penalties and fines for your business and harm your reputation.

Managed service providers can support this by keeping you up-to-date and compliant with the latest regulations.

6. Set Your Firm Apart

It’s probably not practical for your firm to take on all these managed services simultaneously. But their advantages can save you and your team valuable time and resources better spent elsewhere.

While large firms have the budget and space to accommodate more in-house help, outsourcing is often the best bet for solo and small firms. Utilizing managed services allows your firm room to grow and adjust as your needs change.

To avoid getting overwhelmed or taking away too much of your own agency, consider starting with the managed services you’ll benefit from immediately and expanding as you scale up.