the virtual law office...• call your telecom provider • manage account & modify call...
TRANSCRIPT
THE VIRTUAL LAW OFFICE
EPISODE 2:
Virtual Office Communication 101
Presented By:
Robert J. Leitner, JD, MBA, MSFractional CEOHow to Manage a Small Law Firmwww.HowToManage.com
Thursday, April 16, 2020 @ 2 PM EDT
1
WELCOME
✓ Welcome to The Virtual Law Firm, a series presented by How to Manage a Small Law Firm
✓ Presenter: Rob Leitner - a Fractional CEO with How to Manage a Small Law Firm
✓Empowering legal professionals to setup your virtual law office, become self sufficient with office technology, and get answers to your tech questions so that your firm can continue to serve and grow through the pandemic and beyond
✓ This presentation is being recorded
✓ All attendees will receive a copy of this presentation
2
LAST THURSDAY – EPISODE 1
Topics:
✓ Internet connectivity & connection speed
✓ Basic hardware
✓ Basic software
✓ Printer/scanner/copiers
✓ Document storage
✓ File sharing
THE VIRTUAL LAW FIRM – OTHER RESOURCES
Online Resources:
✓ Discussion forum (24 hour replies)
✓ Recorded episodes
✓ Slide presentations
✓ Other resources
Location:
https://howtomanageasmalllawfirm.com/virtual-office-tech-show-ty/
QUESTIONS
✓ Live Q&A after 30-minute presentation
✓ Raise hand or type question in Chat
✓ Post additional questions on Discussion Forum
✓ Email: [email protected]
Location:
https://howtomanageasmalllawfirm.com/virtual-office-tech-show-ty/
EPISODE 2: VIRTUAL OFFICE COMMUNICATION 101
Subtopics:
1. Virtual receptionist & call forwarding
2. Distribution groups & aliases
3. Email synchronization among devices
4. Video conferencing (Zoom, Skype)
5. Virtual teams (Slack, MS Teams)
6. Basic cloud storage & file sharing
VIRTUAL RECEPTIONIST & CALL FORWARDING
✓ Simple call forwarding
• Call your telecom provider
• Manage account & modify call forwarding via web interface
✓ VOIP flexibility
• Ensure you have access to VOIP portal
• Easily change forwards, e.g., route to mobile
• Phones can “ring” on remote worker PCs
• Take advantage of VOIP customization & power
✓ Virtual receptionist
• Live person answers phone, takes message & forwards calls
• 24 hour service & law firm sets hours of operation
• Examples: Ruby Receptionist, NEXA, ALICE
✓ Virtual PBX
• Full phone system functionality without equipment & headaches
• Examples: Grasshopper, RingCentral, MightyCall
• Program phone system via simple web interface
✓ Live person answers phone (forward if needed) – value add during virus
DISTRIBUTION GROUPS & EMAIL ALIASES
✓ Distribution groups
• Consolidate email addresses into a single group
• Efficient communication with a group, unit or team
• For example, “AR Group” distributes emails to A/R, Collections Specialist & CFO
• Another example, “Marketing” group includes Owner, SEO Manager & Graphic Designer
• Ensures nobody in a team or group is left off an important email chain
• Free to setup & easy to manage
✓ Aliases
• Email addresses that are easy to remember & more generalized (in case of staff turnover)
• For example, marketing@ as a general marketing contact – account managed by 1 person, even if the POC changes
• Ensures continuity in the event of turnover or changes
• Do not require additional licenses since not really email accounts
EMAIL SYNCHRONIZATION✓ Good old school email
• POP3 – Post Office Protocol
• Free email; Not synchronized
• Not mobile enabled (tied to a PC / data saved locally)
• Get email settings from provider
✓ Better email
• IMAP - Internet Message Access Protocol
• Free & upgraded plans; Access email from any device
• Synchronization among computers & devices
• Get email settings from provider
• Examples: Yahoo! Mail, Gmail
✓ Business class email
• Microsoft Exchange
• The gold standard of business class email
• Choose a plan (storage, backup, licenses, shared / dedicated server)
• Third party providers as well, e.g., Intermedia, RackSpace
• Full synchronization among PCs & devices
• Email settings auto retrieved; email & password only
• Best for data recovery and/or lost/damaged devices (up & running quickly)
VIDEO CONFERENCING✓ Virtual Meetings
• Very powerful, easy, virtual video conferencing services
• Need video conferencing services in your new virtual law office
• Examples: ZOOM, Google Meet, Skype, WebEx
• Clients, staff, judges, mediations, etc.
• Used for video w/ audio or audio alone
✓ Basic features (free license)
• Screen sharing
• Show presentations
• Multiple hosts
• Windows, Mac OS, Mobile Apps
• Chat function
• Raise hand
• Mute & Unmute
• Record meeting
✓ Advanced features (premium license)
• Audio to text transcriptions
• Cloud based recordings
• Restrict features & access for participants
• Customized, personal room (your mobile number)
• Add-in for Outlook
• Customized waiting rooms
VIRTUAL TEAMS
✓ Team, communication & collaboration software
• Increase efficiency
• Share links, images & files quickly
• Create virtual groups (example: A/R or Attorneys)
• Windows, Mac OS, Mobile
• Instant connectivity
• Replace text, email & chat with one system
• Quicker than formal email & file uploads
• Perfect for team projects
• Free basic service + upgraded licenses (more functionality)
✓ Popular team software• Voxer
• Slack
• MS Teams
• Facebook Workplace
CLOUD STORAGE & FILE SHARING✓ Cloud storage
• Store your files & folders & everything on a server in cyber space
• Sign up for free Cloud storage with limited features
• Vendors upsell you on more storage + additional features (Dropbox, Microsoft, Google, etc.)
• Looks & acts just like Windows Explorer on Windows & the Finder (Macs)
✓ File sharing
• Cloud storage - all your team members have access to the firm’s data from any computer or device
• Perfect tool for sharing & collaboration
• Limit file access for certain staff members
• Law firm staff save work in the Cloud & not on their personal computers at home
12
NEXT WEEK - EPISODE 3: Document Management 101
Subtopics:
1. Easy PDF creation2. Cloud storage3. Zip files4. Password protection5. Track changes6. File compatibility
LIVE Q&A
✓ Raise hand or type question in Chat
✓ Post additional questions on Discussion Forum
✓ Email: [email protected]
Discussion Forum:
https://howtomanageasmalllawfirm.com/virtual-office-tech-show-ty/
THANK YOUVisit How to Manage a Small Law Firm
https://howtomanageasmalllawfirm.com/virtual-office-tech-show-ty/
See you next week!
15