Billing is the less attractive but essential side of legal work. Helping clients is the goal, but at the end of the day, ensuring your office is compensated is vital. That money goes far beyond attorney salaries. It keeps the office staff paid. It keeps the lights on and the water flowing.
So, How Can Law Firms Securely Implement Online Billing?
There are many challenges with billing, particularly in the conventional sense. The ongoing effects of the pandemic show the weakness inherent with paper checks and in-office payments. Online billing offers an attractive alternative, but what about security?
The good news is that securely implementing online billing is possible. It will take a little bit of legwork, though.
Integrated Online Billing for Law Firms
To be clear, there are many online billing options possible. For instance, you can choose to accept credit cards through your website. However, that is only a stopgap solution. Law firms today need a robust, secure way to process payments, track accounting, credit client accounts, and more. The solution? Integrated cloud-based accounting and billing software.
With the right software provider, law firms get access to a broad range of essential solutions and capabilities, including:
- Generate invoices
- Manage retainers
- Manage trust accounts
- Capture disbursements
- Integrate office accounting and billing software
- Record time spent in communication
- Capture billable time out of the office
In addition to the capabilities offered, online billing software can enable law offices to:
- Generate receipt transactions automatically
- Accept digital credit card/debit card payments
- Provide the option for payment plans
- Send automatic payment reminders
- Reconcile bank transactions
With that being said, not all online billing software is up to the task. Attorneys and office managers need to make informed decisions and choose software that delivers the required functionality, combined with robust security and protection.
Online Billing Questions
Asking some simple questions before choosing an online billing suite can help make that easier:
- Is the software compliant with your state’s online payment rules and regulations?
- Does it comply with your state’s bar rules?
- Does it comply with IOLTA rules?
- Is the system fully encrypted?
- Does it tie into your existing accounting/billing software, such as XERO or QuickBooks?
- Does it offer a robust range of reports for trust and management needs?
As you can see, securely implementing online billing within a law firm does not have to be complicated. It doesn’t need to entail hours of guesswork in an attempt to add billing capabilities to your website. It can also enable many other benefits and capabilities, from streamlining office processes to improving cash flow in the practice.
LEAP Legal Software
LEAP Legal Software offers a fully-integrated office management solution that includes all the tools you’ll need for success in today’s world, including secure online billing. At Circle Management Group, we will help you integrate with the software you’re already using, reduce the learning curve, and ensure that you can hit the ground running.
Contact Circle Management Group today to learn more about online billing options and other capabilities for law firms.
