“I really wish we could do more with our PCLaw program. It does our billing, keeps track of our trust account beautifully, and the partners and our accountant love the reports. I know there’s more we could do… but I don’t know how.”
We frequently hear this from our PCLaw clients, particularly at the beginning of a new year. PCLaw is well-known for its comprehensive matter-centric approach to time and cost tracking, billing, and accounting. But if you’re using it for all that, why stop there?
Recent versions of the program have seen improvements in what are called “Front Office” functions. In future articles about PCLaw, we plan to reveal some of the not-so-hidden gems. One of them is the Phone Call Manager.
What is the Phone Call Manager?
The Phone Call Manager can replace all those pink phone message slips by centrally tracking your firm’s phone calls and messages. There is a distinction between phone calls and phone messages: Create a phone call record if you are directly participating in a call and want to enter a description of what was discussed. Create a phone message record if you are taking information about a caller and notifying another user.
You can access the Phone Call Manager by going to the File menu | Phone Call Manager
What We Like
- Both phone calls and phone messages can be associated with Matters. They become part of the information stored to give users a comprehensive view of what is being done
- When using phone call records, there is an optional timer and a duration field. There are also options to create a follow-up To-do record, or turn the record into a time entry
- When entering a new phone message record, the user has the option to select an existing Contact in PCLaw, create a new Contact, or enter information about the caller that will not become a Contact. If the Contact exists in PCLaw, phone numbers will automatically show up. The message may be linked to a Matter. The message may also be assigned to another user
- Phone messages assigned to a user will appear when that user opens the Phone Call Manager window
- Phone Calls and Phone Messages can be marked as completed.
- Messages may be flagged as Urgent, Call Back Requested, Returned Your Call, Call Back Again
- Other records can be made from these records, such as Notes, new Phone Calls, Appointments for the Calendar and To-do’s
- A user may print out items on the Phone Call Manager
In using this feature, staff can efficiently record phone messages and conversations and store them as part of the efforts they make on behalf of their clients.
We believe that when you purchase software, you own 100% of it. Yet many users admit they use only a small fraction of the features contained therein. Let us at Eastern Legal Systems help you discover how to streamline your practice through training and customization services. Call us at 1-877-ELS-0555 or email at [email protected] so that we can show you how to get the most from your investment in your practice manageme
Dana Riel is President and Founder of Business Solutions, Inc., serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area since 1985. Her firm is the authorized training center for the region for Time Matters and PCLaw by PCLaw|Time Matters, PLLC; Timeslips and Sage 50 Accounting by Sage Software; and QuickBooks by Intuit Corporation. She also serves as a consultant for Caret Legal (formerly known as Zola Suite), CosmoLex, Soluno & TimeSolv. As a trainer, Dana has provided training services to organizations such as the DOD Defense Logistics Agency, Judge Advocate General’s Office (JAG)/Department of the Navy, University of the District of Columbia School of Law, U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as with small‐ to mid‐size law firms in the Baltimore‐Washington D.C. area. In 2009, she participated in the series of day‐long seminars sponsored by the District of Columbia Bar Association Practice Management Section, titled “Basic Training: Learn About Running a Law Office”. Ms. Riel also served as an Adjunct Professor in Georgetown University’s Paralegal Studies Program, having taught the course, “Legal Ethics/Legal Technology” in 2009; and “Legal Technology” for the Spring and Summer Semesters of 2010. She presently serves on the Advisory Board for PCLaw|Time Matters, PLLC.