If you’re looking for practice management software for your small law firm, you may be considering cloud-based options. It’s important to do your research on wh...
If you’re looking for practice management software for your small law firm, you may be considering cloud-based options. It’s important to do your research on what’s right for your firm, as there are many benefits of using a cloud-based legal software that you should consider.
Cloud-based software is also known as “Software as a Service” (SaaS), and generally refers to software that you can access via the internet. Files and data are stored by the software provider in the cloud, and you access the software by logging in to your account online. This differs from traditional software, which you download and run on your own device.
If you’re running a small law firm, collaboration is key, especially if you’re using resources like virtual legal assistants, part-time employees, or a virtual office. With cloud-based software, everything is digital and stored in the cloud—which means it’s accessible anywhere, anytime, and from any device. There’s no need to worry about your part-time associate having left a file at home on their day off—when you need to get to work you can simply log into your mattero account and pick up where they left off.
As the modern workplace evolves, many firms are now embracing hybrid and remote working. When you use cloud-based software like mattero, flexibility is no longer at the expense of collaboration. mattero ensures everything related to your matters is accessible from one central location and you always have the most up-to-date information. You can find documents with a single search, and anyone who opens a document will obtain the most recent version of the information, reducing the risk of mistakes.
There’s no need to be a computer genius to use a cloud-based law firm software like mattero. It’s easy to use, intuitive and designed to be as user-friendly as possible. Unlike traditional software, you don’t need your own IT specialist to roll out updates across your team—it all happens automatically, and you won’t need to do a thing. We regularly add new features to each subscription level to give you even more functionality.
You can get started using mattero when you’re ready, without needing extensive training—in fact, you should be able to start adding matters within ten minutes of signing up! There’s plenty of self-serve knowledge on hand at the Knowledge Bank, so you can always find help when you need it.
When your software is cloud-based, you don’t need your own on-site servers and other infrastructure. If you’re starting a small firm, reducing the cost of your IT infrastructure makes going into practice a much less risky proposition. Your start-up costs are much lower, you can pay your subscription fees month-to-month, and you don’t need additional office space for server rooms.
Cloud-based software also makes going paperless a breeze, so you won’t need reems and reems of paper for printing. When you’re not working from printed iterations of a document, you also ensure you have the most up to date information and don’t have to worry about version control. Going paperless has the added benefit of making your practice more environmentally friendly. It’s likely you’ll also use significantly less electricity—a Microsoft study found that cloud-based software was up to 93% more energy efficient.
Reducing administration tasks can also improve your profit margins, as manual tasks can be automated so you and your team can focus on work that generates revenue.
Your data is stored on the ultra-secure Microsoft Azure platform across two servers. In the event of service interruption to the primary datacentre, mattero services will operate from the secondary datacentre. Security updates and patches are also automatic, and security is reviewed regularly.
Cloud-based software also removes the risk posed by having your data stored on site, so there’s no need to worry about potential damage or loss of on-site servers or hard drives. In the event of a flood, break-in, or other disaster, at least you know your data is still secure. Even spilled coffee on your laptop is just an annoying inconvenience, it no longer means losing all your files.
Using a cloud-based legal software allows you to integrate your tech stack and automate your processes. mattero integrates with commonly used software like Microsoft 365, Xero and InfoTrack, which means you don’t need to manually save documents, emails, invoices and other data to your matter. You can set up your own precedents as templates and automatically generate workflows for specific matter types to minimise administration. Simplifying your matters not only saves you time, but also reduces the risk of errors. Streamlined and automated workflows support you to deliver a better client experience, which is vital to growing your practice.
Planning to grow your firm? Add new users with the click of a button and upgrade your subscription type if you find you need more mattero features. If you’re downsizing, simply downgrade or remove users from your subscription—there are no nasty surprises like hidden costs.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us that options for flexible working are becoming increasingly necessary for business continuity. Using a cloud-based legal software means you and your team are prepared to work from anywhere—you won’t need to update your systems and processes just to continue with business as usual in the event of disruption.
Cloud-based law firm software is ideal for small teams. Get to work straight away with a free 14-day trial of mattero.
Start using mattero for free
BACK TO BLOG