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Author: Richard Farrell, program administrator with extensive experience in training and education development at the PROServer CENTER, a legal professional organization whose mission is to set a national standard for the process service industry in the United States.
During the past year, many legal professional are facing not only practical challenges, such as moving to a remote work environment, but also a necessary shift in mindset to adapt to what is shaping up to be a different world on the other side of the global pandemic. 
Although technology is coming to our rescue in many ways—for example, by the increased use of video conferencing—it is also true to say that technology speeds many things up, especially the expectations of clients and the demands we place on ourselves. Never has it been more important for lawyers and their practices to harness technology in the right way to achieve a law firm that remains efficient and well connected to its team and clients. Although some legal companies and law firms may see these changes as temporary, most likely we will not be going back to how things were before. Now is the time to look at the processes and applications you’ve been meaning to update or get in place for ages, and make it happen. It is also important to really look at how you believe the legal market will evolve coming out of this crisis, so that you can stay one step ahead. The starting point in any revamp of processes is to go back to basics. What do you actually need? Chances are, it is probably a lot less than you think and you don’t need to implement everything at once either. Here are five top tools to help your law firm stay efficient during this global pandemic or other difficult times: 1. Invest in Quality Hardware Your team must have quality PCs and laptops so they can complete their work quickly, and your firm must keep these computers regularly serviced and updated. Nothing is more frustrating or time consuming than a slow computer. Ask for recommendations to a good local IT specialist who can advise on what hardware you need based on the programs that you run. Don’t skimp on this—your team won’t thank you and nor will your bottom line. 2. Try a Remote Receptionist If your law firm is now working from home, the chances are you have already outsourced your incoming phone calls. If not, consider using a remote receptionist to field calls to your staff. If a staff member isn’t available to take a call, the remote receptionist will be able to take a message as you’d expect and email or text it to the appropriate staff member so that the call can be returned. For example, you may consider setting up a shared mailbox for incoming messages which can then be picked up by any team member. 3. Move to Cloud Storage From our conversations with law firm owners and paralegals over the years, getting documents and files into the cloud seems to be a sticking point for many. It is certainly a huge shift to switch from working with physical files to electronic ones, but the ease at which you’ll then be able to work on matters electronically and collaboratively far outweighs the effort in managing a switch over. Don’t forget, you don’t have to put everything in the cloud straight away, you could start with new files and then consider outsourcing the scanning of archived files later. 4. Have a System for Printing and Scanning If your legal team is now working from home, they may not have access to a printer or scanner. You may consider working around this by taking in turns to go into the office once a week to check and scan in the mail you have received and to print and send anything that you may need to access remotely. You may also consider setting up a new shared mailbox to send printing to, so that it can get picked up by whoever is in the office. 5. Invest in the Right Software for Your Firm Now is a great opportunity to look at what software you use and consider whether it is really working for you. A modern law firm needs a reliable system for managing the various components of its practice. Not only should an office be able to set and organize responsibilities, but it should be able to confirm those actions were performed—and performed well. When you’re looking for legal software, it’s important to think about what areas your practice needs the most help with. For example, if your law firm struggles with document management, look for software with exceptional document management capabilities. If billing is a weak point, software with comprehensive billing features will make the biggest impact. It’s possible for your law firm to adapt in this environment. Certainly, there will be bumps in the road as your firm adjusts, but with a bit of determination, you can find the tools and systems that work for you and your legal team.
Author: Richard Farrell, is the driving force behind our mission to help process servers achieve consistent quality in service of process. His extensive experience in training and education development brings a modern approach to finding practical solutions to the process service industry.
There are a lot of factors that can contribute to your process service business’ chances of success, but none are as important as financial management. You may have decided to open a process service business because you have military or law enforcement background, or because you’re great investigating and locating people. Regardless of the reasons you started a process service business, it won’t automatically turn you into an accountant or make you financially savvy. Here are five ways that can help you manage your finances when it comes to starting and running a process service business: 
1. Budgeting is Your Best Friend The most important part of any financial plan is a budget. But how do you budget when you have no clue what’s going to come in? One of the easiest places to start is to minimize your expenses as much as you can while building and growing your process service business. A budget shouldn’t be considered a plan for where to spend every dollar, but rather the framework to help you make rational decisions about how your money is going to be spent. Create categories that include office rent (if renting an office), transportation, office supplies, memberships in process server organizations, like PROServer Center, process service management software and marketing, and then come up with ways to reduce costs in each category as much as possible. Once you’ve done that, figure out how much you’ll need to make to cover those costs and still have money left over to save or invest back into your process serving business. This should be your goal for profitability. Holly Black, a process server in Minnesota, has spent her time as an entrepreneur learning how to manage her finances after deciding to pursue a career in process service. She has found that a budget should be used as a guide, allowing yourself the flexibility to make adjustments when and where necessary as you go along. “But,” she says, “never abandon the budget. Always know what’s coming in versus what’s going out. Make sure your essential overheads are covered, or that they can be covered by an emergency fund if there’s a revenue dip.” That bring us to our next tip:
2. Maintain an Emergency Fund
What do you do if (or more likely, when) your process service business goes through a slow period and you can’t turn a profit? Or, if your worst nightmare comes true and your business isn’t successful and you can't attract enough legal professional clients? These are scary thoughts, but the reality is they’re very common scenarios for a lot of small business owners who can’t ensure a steady or consistent income. This is perhaps one of the most common concerns process servers share. An emergency fund can help you get yourself out of a tough situation. Once you’ve figured out how much money you’ll need to cover your process service business and personal expenses for one month, multiply that by six, and make sure you always have that much in your emergency fund. During slower months, or when you come across unplanned expenses, you may need to draw upon your emergency fund. That’s fine, (that’s what it’s there for!) but make sure you’re always replenishing those funds to protect yourself against future unforeseen costs or circumstances. Izabela Szydlo, a process server in Florida, has been running her process serving and courier business for over five years, and has maintained an emergency fund regardless of how the business was doing financially. “I always ensure that I have a certain amount [of money] in the bank that makes me feel safe should things slow down. When I was still in school, a professor told me that if I wanted to freelance, I should get myself a good line of credit as a safety net. I have one of those too, just in case. Obviously, the goal is to never have to use it.”
3. Hire Professionals When You Need Them
Chances are, if you’re reading this list you’re probably not an accountant. While it’s common for process servers to try and handle everything on their own (especially when trying to minimize costs), attempting to manage your own books or file your own taxes could actually end up costing you far more in the end. Spending money on a professional will often help you save money (and will always help you save the headache). Accountants will not only find you more deductions and tax savings, but will also ensure you remain penalty-free and don’t get yourself into trouble inadvertently. Tara Gosling opened her process serving business over five years ago. Although she is confident in her skills as a process server and investigator, she has never been confident with her bookkeeping. “The hardest part for me has always been staying organized with my bookkeeping, and it’s something I still struggle with now. It makes a huge difference and relieves a lot of stress, especially come tax time, to have everything written down clearly. If taxes, bookkeeping, or numbers are not your strong points, pay a professional to help you! I wish I had done that my first year.”
4. Set Money Aside for Taxes
Getting your ducks in a row for tax season can be challenging, frustrating, and a few other adjectives we’d rather not spell out. Something as minor as a lost bill or receipt can have a damaging effect on your tax filing process and may even get you into big trouble. Nobody likes paying taxes but the reality is, none of us can avoid it. The government isn’t forgiving; when you owe, you owe, and you don’t want to be blindsided by an expense you didn’t expect or see coming. Your rates will be different depending on your location, but the general rule of thumb is to set aside at least thirty-five percent of your income for taxes. “Don’t neglect your taxes. I can’t stress that enough. It’s tempting to think, ‘I’ll just write off a bunch of expenses and that will cover it.’ Sometimes it won’t, and you should definitely be putting money aside for [your taxes],” says Izabela. Holly agrees. “Do your taxes as early as possible, that way there will be no nasty surprises and you can forecast how much extra income you may need to cover when the payment is due.”
5. Make Sure You’re Getting Paid
There’s nothing that feels as good as knowing you’ve made a client happy with your services. Except of course, knowing that they paid their invoice for said services on time. When you’re running your own process service business, client payments are your lifeline. If your invoices don’t get paid, your bills don’t get paid, and if your bills don’t get paid, your business can’t run. One of the most important things you can do as a process server is to have a clear and defined payment policy in place. Your clients should know what payments are due, when they’re due, how they can be paid, and what happens if payments are late or missed. You can’t force anyone to make a payment, but what you can do is:
Ancil Payne, who runs a process service business in Texas, helps us understand why getting your clients to pay on time is so important. “The hardest part financially of running your own process serving business is the unpredictability of client payments. In the beginning, when clients aren’t paying on time, you find yourself paying out everyone else, leaving you with just enough to keep your doors open. [When clients pay you late] you may find yourself incurring debts because you’re paying your own loans or bills late.” Running a process service business isn’t easy; that’s why not everyone can do it. Successful entrepreneurship requires focus, dedication, and passion, and of course, a few ways to deal with the ups and downs of your cash flow. We’ve tried to help with the latter so you can spend more time focusing on the former.
Author: The Process Server Center | PROServerCENTER is a legal professional organization whose mission is to set a national standard for the process service industry in the United States.
Have you tried to find a process server who can serve your legal documents promptly and correctly? If you have ever needed one, most likely you know that it is not so easy to find a good and reliable process server. It becomes even more complicated if you are looking for a process server who can handle a larger volume of services on a regular basis. How about when you need a process server in another county or state? Finding a good and reliable process server can quickly become difficult and time consuming. All you need, after all, is to quickly reach out to a process server who is ready, available and willing to work with your legal team and efficiently deliver your legal documents. 
When you are trying to find a process server, most likely you are doing one of the following:
What these methods have in common is that you may or may not find a process server who covers the specific area you are looking for or you end up with a list of process servers, sometimes even several pages of names, without a reliable way to sift through the names and select the best and most reliable one. You have to spend valuable time to call or email each process server and using very little information, you must decide who to hire to serve your legal documents. Yet other times you end up finding someone who seems reliable only to discover that they are miles away from the zip code of the service address and later on they have a hard time providing status on your service. If you are lucky, another legal professional may refer you to a good process server whom they have successfully used before. That's where reviews and referrals could be extremely helpful in saving you time and valuable resources when looking for a process server.
When it comes to reviews, there are a couple of ways they can help your legal team when looking for a process server:
If a process server or a process service business have a website and a Google listing, then most likely they have or are trying to build their reviews online. Of course, there are many other search engines, general business and legal services directories where process servers may have a profile and accept reviews. Are you wondering why reviews are important? Are they trustworthy? Do you need them whether or not they are completely real? Online reviews have created a new field in marketing and communication that bridges the gap between traditional word-of-mouth and a viral form of feedback that can influence your clients’ opinion. Maybe you are already on board, collecting reviews about the level of the service you provide and responding to the valuable feedback of your clients but let’s take a step back to enumerate some reasons that make client reviews so important.
Reviews are an important indicator to consumers as to whether or not to purchase a service. Here’s why:
Some of the reasons reviews are important for your process service businesses:
Almost every paralegal you talk to has a story about their unpleasant experience of dealing with a process server. It is common to hear that it took them hours to just find one single process server. Or they sent their legal documents to a process server who seemed reliable, only to never hear back from him again. Or the story of another paralegal whose documents were served fast, but had the hardest time trying to get an affidavit from the process server. Behind many of these stories, frustration is a common thread.
Fortunately nowadays, there are better ways to find a process server for any type of legal documents, anywhere in the United States. While some legal professionals still prefer to take a risk with search engines, Craig’s List, online forums, or the increasingly insignificant yellow pages, a much better avenue for finding the process server you need is PROServer List.
In fact, when a paralegal needs a process server in Orange county, California, he or she may quickly find the top 3 process servers using PROServer List. How about a process server in the Atlanta, Georgia area? If you have ever tried to find a process server in some of the large metropolitan areas, you are familiar with the long lists of names of process servers some of the nationwide directories throw at you. As a busy paralegal, you certainly do not have time to call each and every process server from three or four pages showing 25 or more servers per page. And how do you even begin to find out whom you can trust to get the service done on time and correctly? Equipped with PROServer List, legal professionals may now skip the long line and instead focus only on the top 3 process servers included in each county in every state. Built on the foundation of more than 100,000 successfully completed service of process, PROServerLIST connects government agencies and legal professionals directly to its online directory of Pre-Screened and Certified Process Servers in order to improve the legal support services experience for both legal clients and process servers. PROServerLIST is an exclusive Directory designed to provide client rankings of process servers in order to:
The Process Server Center holds its process servers to the very highest standards of consistent quality of their services, sustainable record of services completed correctly, and continuous training and improvement. PROServerLIST is the only Directory in the United States where government agencies and legal professionals hire Certified and Pre-screened process servers.
Think of PROServer List as the Client Reports for process servers.
You can log-on to the site any time of the day to do some searches for highly recommended process servers as well as read all the unbiased and verified reviews on them provided by legal professionals who have recently used their services. In fact, PROServer List is the only place of its kind that provides unbiased reviews and other-related information that are focused on process servers in the United States. Think of PROServer List as the Consumer Reports for process servers nationwide, represented by the top three process servers in any given county. Process Servers are rated on the site based on various criteria that includes professionalism, quality, responsiveness, punctuality, and of course, price. Each process server who takes one of the 3 tops spots has successfully completed the Certification Exam and/or Training program for process servers. Paralegals find this rating system and client reviews very helpful. They definitely save time, valuable resources, eliminate delays in legal case proceedings and of course, they eliminate frustrations from improperly served legal documents. With PROServer List, legal professionals have a much better chance of weeding out unprofessional and low quality process servers as client members provide their feedback on their actual experiences with these process servers. Furthermore, in order to guard against unscrupulous legal professionals from reporting positively on themselves or negatively on others, reviews are only accepted by current client members, then verified and checked prior to being included as part of a process servers' online resume.
Author: The Process Server Center | PROServerCENTER is a legal professional organization whose mission is to set a national standard for the process service industry in the United States.
Highlights:
Stephen Webster is a certified process server and member of PROServer LIST from the state of Colorado. He runs CST Servers, conveniently located in Wiley, CO. In addition to service of process, Stephen provides private investigative services, security and consulting. CST Servers is a veteran owned company that proudly serves law firms of all sizes in the Southeast Colorado area. Stephen Webster is well versed in the laws and regulations that govern the process service industry to ensure acceptable service by the courts. Under his direction, CST Servers handles a wide variety of legal documents, including subpoenas, writs, summons and complaints and provide efficient and accurate process service every time. 
Stephen Webster's background in law enforcement and security helps him with locating hard to find individuals and ensuring that legal documents are delivered properly and on time. He is certified through the Process Servers Association of Colorado (PSACO), holds a license as a private investigator and is a member of the Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado (PPIAC), the National Association of Professional Process Servers (NAPPS) and PROServer List. "We are a diversified company", shares Stephen. "We provide not only process service but private investigative services, security and consulting." CST Servers understands that clients have many options when it comes to legal document process serving as well as document delivery these days, but they offer one of a kind services of experienced professionals who have the background, knowledge and experience to quickly and effectively serve and deliver legal documents. All of the jobs the company receives are a high priority and handled with attention to detail and proper following of clients' instruction. Through their high level of experience, knowledge and professionalism CST Servers in Colorado provides clients with an aggressive, fresh approach to the process service industry whose reputation has been one of unreliability. Because legal documents are of a confidential and important nature, it is essential to use an experienced registered and certified process server that you can trust to perform this crucial assignment and make certain it is completed effectively. Stephen Webster and CST Servers are knowledgeable and experienced in order to ensure that due diligence is accomplished successfully based on every serve’s location, situation, and individual court policies. There are complex laws to process-serving, so hiring a professional process server helps clients feel assured that their legal documents service of process is being accomplished correctly.
As Stephen Webster further shares, "If you want a trustworthy and experienced process server, look no further. Our years of experience equips us to take on even the toughest of cases. We handle each unique case with dedication as we tailor our services to meet your needs. We value our clients and stress communication, you will never be in question on the status of your serve."
Next time you need service of process, skip tracing, investigations and surveillance, background checks or court filings, Stephen from CST Servers can help! Learn more by visiting their website at CST Servers.
Author: Richard Farrell, is the driving force behind our mission to help process servers achieve consistent quality in service of process. His extensive experience in training and education development brings a modern approach to finding practical solutions to the process service industry.
According to a U.S. bank study, more than eight out of 10 new businesses fail because of poor cash-flow management. Don’t let your new business fall prey to that likelihood. From bookkeeping strategies to financing options, here’s what you need to know to set your process service business up for success. Understand Cash Flows. Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business, including process serving. In essence, cash flow is any money coming in or going out of your business’s hands during a certain time period. Money coming in is known as positive cash flow; money going out, negative cash flow. Obviously, the goal of any process serving business is to have more positive than negative cash flow. For many process servers who are just getting started, the early stages of operation may be defined by lots of negative cash flow, as you make investments in equipment, inventory or marketing all the while trying to build your customer base. The risk in not understanding your cash flow — and, consequently, why so many new businesses fail — is running into a situation where you have more money going out, whether to pay rent, utilities, other process servers or so on, than you have coming in, on hand or access to by other means, such as via bank overdraft protection or a short-term small business loan. Particularly for businesses that experience a lot of seasonality, and process serving definitely has its ups and downs in volume, understanding how your cash flow varies throughout the year will help your process service business make the most of the strong-sales months and better able to weather the weak-sales periods. Just another reason you’ll stand to benefit from meticulous bookkeeping. Keep the Books. Getting a firm grasp on all aspects of your process serving business’ cash flow is critical to its ongoing success for a myriad of reasons, and you should establish an airtight method for logging money coming in versus money going out. Having your process service business key numbers at your fingertips will be helpful for all manner of business matters, including keeping track of unpaid payments, scheduling expenditures, cutting wasteful spending, identifying your most profitable services or routes, helping secure investments or business loans, and many other important tasks. Keeping the books, or accounting, is simply the process of recording all the financial transactions pertaining to your process serving business, and you’ll need to decide whether you’re up to the task or would benefit from a professional’s assistance. The number one problem shared among entrepreneurs today is finding, vetting, hiring, and retaining expertise. For many small- to mid-size process serving companies, a cloud-based accounting service like QuickBooks is a cost-effective service that makes bookkeeping easy. As your process service business grows, you may want to consult with a certified accountant in addition to using a cloud-based accounting service. QuickBooks’ software allows you to track your process serving business' sales, invoices, bill payments, employees’ wages, other process server payments, loan repayments and so much more. And, because they’re part of the Intuit suite of software products, you can easily roll relevant numbers over to another one of their products, TurboTax, come tax time. But QuickBooks isn’t the only option, and other bookkeeping software services may be a better fit for your process serving business. Some of other options include:
Don’t Forget about Taxes. Does using an accounting software service eliminate the need for a professional accountant for your process serving business? Definitely not, especially if you have a unique or complex tax situation. While your accounting software may integrate nicely with tax-prep software and having all your process serving business figures documented and in one place will surely expedite preparing your taxes, tax codes change frequently and only a certified CPA can advise you on the most advantageous filing. Plus, going through a CPA limits your liability. Speaking of taxes, what kind of taxes should you be prepared to pay as a process server? As a small process serving business owner, your business is likely categorized as a Sole Proprietorship, Partnership (Limited and Limited Liability), Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) or S-Corporation. All of those categories are considered “pass-through entities” for federal tax purposes and must pay an income tax for the owner’s personal income tax rate. If you’re expecting to owe more than $1,000 in income tax in a year, then you should pay these as estimated taxes according to the IRS’s timetable in order to avoid penalties and interest. Additionally, if you have employees, you’ll be responsible for employment taxes, which includes Social Security and Medicare taxes, Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA), and their income tax. While technically that last one is paid by employees and withheld from their wages, you’re the one who needs to see that it gets to the U.S. government. Know Your Financing Options as a Last Resort. At some point you may need to inject outside cash into your process serving business, whether to cover a short-term cash flow problem or to invest for future growth. We advise you do that only as a last resort! At that point, it’s good to know the range of financing options available. Here are the most common types of financing for small businesses including process service:
Taking charge of your process serving business’ finances shouldn’t be a headache, and it should be about a whole lot more than just keeping the lights on. With the financial data at your fingertips, you should feel empowered to make strategic decisions for long-term business success. Source: Entrepreneur
Author: The Process Server Center | PROServerCENTER is a legal professional organization whose mission is to set a national standard for the process service industry in the United States.
Once upon a time...Back in year 2012 a man we are going to name John Smith woke up in his tastefully furnished home. It was promising to be a beautiful summer weekend in Charleston, North Carolina, and John was looking forward to spending time with his family playing games in their backyard... 
First things first, John Smith was in the habit of checking his emails in the morning and it was then that he saw a message from his local bank, advising him of a recent important notice related to his account. John logged in and carefully read the notice. In fact, he read it several times. It notified him that a New York equipment leasing company, he used to do business with several years ago, has won a judgment for non-payment against him, and there was a court order to garnish his wages… John Smith felt lost... He did not know anything about the judgment, the court order, the garnishment… His finances would be in jeopardy. John knew he had to place a call to his attorney immediately… He did not know this was coming… He has never been notified… Though rarely service of process brings you good news, John Smith would have definitely preferred to know in advance… He would have rather been served with the legal papers...
Do you know that according to the National Center for State Courts, process service is one of the top challenges confronting the justice system? Consistent with fundamental notions of due process and fairness, a person must receive proper notice of any judicial action in which he or she is made a party of. Yet process service is often a neglected step in a judicial proceeding. Proper service on a party and a correct affidavit of service filed with the court ensure that the parties to the action have been notified as prescribed by the court system.
Legal market analysis conducted by the Process Server Center shows that more than 87% of attorneys, paralegals and legal managers are not satisfied with their current process server. Service of process is certainly no fun! If not completed or done properly, insufficient service of process may result in a delay, breach of duty or termination of an otherwise successful trial. It could become costly. Among legal professionals, process service is often associated with headaches! What usually happens is that either you or your legal team spend valuable time chasing process servers to check on the status of legal documents being served or to obtain a completed affidavit on time for a court hearing. Even when filed with the court, a defendant may still appear and challenge the sufficiency of the service or the veracity of the return. Your headaches from improper service of process are mounting and your legal team spends valuable resources to ensure compliance and due diligence. Among process servers, service of process is also associated with frustrations! Most of the time clients provide very scarce information when contacting a process server for a new job. The information a client usually seeks is how much a process server would charge for serving legal documents in his/her area. Hardly any further details are provided, such as originating court, type of legal documents, methods of service allowed by the court. It is rare that a client would offer any other information pertaining to the person to be served, such as when he/she is usually home; does he work?; how is the address verified? Lack of information provided by the client and lack of details oftentimes lead to incorrect service of process or unnecessary attempts without proper due diligence. Factors that lead to inconsistencies in the quality of service of process Just because process service is simple, it does not mean it is easy... A nationwide survey, conducted by the Process Server Center, shows that more than 89% of process servers struggle to retain their clients in the long-run, while 87% of legal professionals are ready to change their process server. Competition is fierce in service of process and every day new people become process servers to take the place of others. Years of working with process servers throughout the United States and interviewing lawyers, legal assistants and paralegals have helped us identify some of the key factors that lead to inconsistencies in the quality of process service:
All of these factors lead to inconsistencies in the quality of service of process and to the mounting confusion among clients who need to hire a process server. The lack of a meaningful review process, the ease of entry into the profession (apart from a handful of states requiring certification or licensing) and the increasing number of process servers, both full-time and part-time, lead to fierce competition based mostly on the difference in the fees process servers charge for serving legal documents. There is nothing else (except a word of mouth reference) that a client can rely on in order to select and hire a process server who is knowledgeable, reliable and consistent. 
Need for National Standard for Process Service
Based on the surveys mentioned above, the current approach to finding a professional process server frequently leads to inconsistent quality of service of process, inefficient performance, low pay and poor image of process servers in general. The Process Server Center aims to clear the confusion within the industry and help provide better solutions for both process servers and legal professionals through specific, actionable solutions, the development of relevant training for process servers and the administration of PROServer LIST, the first nationwide exclusive Directory for Certified and Pre-Screened Process Servers. There is a definite need to revolutionize the process service industry in a meaningful way, different from legislation imposed rules and regulations that often confuse and cause hardships to industries. There is a clear demand to implement a National Standard for Process Service built on the basis of the very needs of process servers. There is strong call for new and modern solutions for:
The implementation of a National Standard for Process Service will help legal teams:
Even in light of the increasing pace of technological advances, personal service of process remains “personal” and it is still the most reliable way to ensure compliance with constitutionally imposed due process of notice to a defendant and the opportunity to be heard. Without proper service of process a court has no jurisdiction over a defendant and may not proceed. Understanding the importance and weight of service of process is essential to the outcome of a lawsuit. Knowing your process server is imperative and selecting a process server must be on the basis of experience, education and reliability, not on the service fees he/she charges to serve your legal documents. It is indeed time to revolutionize the process service industry in the United States, to advance the profession, to clear the image of so many really good and professional process servers who lack the proper tools and platforms to distinguish themselves and truly show their high professionalism.
Author: Richard Farrell, program administrator with extensive experience in training and education development at the PROServer CENTER, a legal professional organization whose mission is to set a national standard for the process service industry in the United States.
It’s no secret that small businesses like process service play a vital role in the US economy. However, revenue for process serving businesses can be scarce. For instance, small businesses that do not have any employees average just $44,000 a year in annual revenue with two-thirds of these companies earning less than $25,000 per year. While various factors can affect a business revenue potential, one of the most important factors is the pricing strategy that its process serving business owners utilize. Whether you're just starting out in process service or you’re ready to begin advertising to drive sales, now is the time to learn what role pricing plays in the bigger picture. Once you have a firm understanding of what a pricing strategy is, you can start reviewing the various approaches and choose the best one for your process serving business.
What is a pricing strategy and why is it important to process servers?
In short, a pricing strategy refers to all of the various methods that small businesses use to price their goods or services. It’s an all-encompassing term that can account for things like:
Pricing strategies are useful for numerous reasons, though those reasons can vary from one process service business to another. Choosing the right price for your process service business will allow you to maximize profit margins if that’s what you want to do. Contrary to popular belief, pricing strategies aren’t always about profit margins. For instance, you may opt to set the cost of a process service at a low price to maintain your hold on market share and prevent other process serving competitors from encroaching on your territory. In these cases, you may be willing to sacrifice profit margins in order to focus on your process serving business competitive pricing. But you must be careful when engaging in an action like this. Although it could be useful for your business, it also could end up crippling your process service company. A good rule of thumb to remember when pricing services is that your clients won’t purchase service of process if you price it too high, but your process serving business won’t be able to cover expenses if you price it too low. Here are 10 different pricing strategies for your small process serving business to consider: As we’ve just identified, project management and strategic, actionable decisions go into setting the price of a your process service. Here are ten different pricing strategies that you should consider as a small process serving business owner.
1. Pricing for market penetration
As a small business owner, you’re likely looking for ways to enter the process serving market so that your services become more well-known. Penetration strategies aim to attract clients, like attorneys, paralegals and law firms by offering lower prices on services than other process servers. For instance, imagine a process server sells a service for $100. You decide to sell the product for $97, even if it means you’re going to take a loss on the sale. Penetration pricing strategies draw attention away from other process serving businesses and can help increase brand awareness and loyalty, which can then lead to long-term contracts. Penetration pricing can also be risky because it can result in an initial loss of income for your process serving business. Over time, however, the increase in awareness can drive profits and help small process service businesses stand out from other process servers. In the long run, after penetrating a market, process serving business owners can increase prices to better reflect the state of the service’s position within the market.
2. Economy pricing
This pricing strategy is a “no-frills” approach that involves minimizing marketing and operational expenses as much as possible. Used by a wide range of businesses, including process servers, economy pricing aims to attract the most price-conscious clients. Because of the lower cost of expenses, process serving companies can set a lower sales price and still turn a slight profit. While economy pricing is incredibly useful for large companies, the technique can be dangerous for small process serving businesses. Because small businesses lack the sales volume of larger companies, they may find it challenging to cut operational costs. Additionally, as a young process serving company, they may not have enough brand awareness to forgo custom branding.
3. Pricing at a premium
With premium pricing, process serving businesses set costs higher because they have a unique service or brand that no one can compete with. You should consider using this strategy if you have a considerable competitive advantage over other process servers and know that you can charge a higher price without being undercut. Because clients need to perceive services as being worth the higher price tag, a process serving business has to work hard to create a perception of value. Along with providing a high-quality service of process, process server business owners should ensure that the consistency of the high value over time, the professionalism and reliability associated with their process service all combine to support the premium price. An example of premium pricing is a PROServer List member who has differentiated himself from other process servers by obtaining the designation of a Certified Process Server and by joining this exclusive group of process servers who all maintain the highest quality of professionalism in the process serving industry.
4. Price skimming
Designed to help businesses maximize sales on new services, price skimming involves setting rates high during the initial phase of a service. The company then lowers prices gradually as competitor services appear on the market. An example of this is seen when a process server is initially the only provider of process service in a certain local area. Once another process server joins the same local market, the process serving business owner gradually lowers his service fees in order to prevent being driven out of the area. One of the benefits of price skimming is that it allows process serving businesses to maximize profits on early adopters before dropping prices to attract more price-sensitive clients. Not only does price skimming help a small business recoup its development costs, it also creates an illusion of quality and exclusivity when you first introduce your service and your process serving business to the marketplace.
5. Psychological pricing
Psychological pricing refers to techniques that marketers use to encourage clients to respond based on emotional impulses, rather than logical ones. For example, setting the price of a process service at $199 is proven to attract more lawyers and paralegals than setting it at $200, even though the actual difference here is quite small. One explanation for this trend is that clients tend to put more attention on the first number on a price tag than the last. The goal of psychology pricing is to increase demand by creating an illusion of enhanced value for your process serving business clients.
6. Bundle pricing
With bundle pricing, small process serving businesses offer multiple services for a lower rate than clients would face if they purchased each item individually. A useful example of this occurs when a process server offers service of process, legal documents filing and skip tracing. When marketing each of these services individually, the price may be higher than if combined as a group. For example, a process serving business may set their fee for process service at $50, filing of paperwork at $75 and skip tracing at $40. At the same time the business may offer a bundle of filing and service at $110 or skip tracing and process service at $70 in order to attract more clients to their process serving business. Not only is bundling services an effective way to increase sales, it can also increase the value perception in the eyes of your clients. Paralegals and attorneys feel as though they’re receiving more bang for their buck. Small process serving business owners should keep in mind that the profits they earn on the higher-value items must make up for the losses they take on the lower-value services.
7. Geographical pricing
If you expand your process serving business across state or national lines, you’ll need to consider geographical pricing. Geographical pricing involves setting a price point based on the location where it’s sold. Another factor in geographical pricing could be basic supply and demand. For instance, imagine you offer service of process in an area where you are the only process server. In this case you may choose to set a higher price point than in another area where you have competition from other process servers.
8. Promotional pricing
Promotional pricing involves offering discounts on a particular service. For instance, you can provide your process service clients with vouchers or coupons that entitle them to a certain percentage off another service, like filing of an affidavit with the court or locating an individual who has moved. Promotional pricing campaigns can be short-term efforts. For instance, you may run a promotional pricing strategy over an extended holiday, like Memorial Day Weekend. By offering these deals as short-term offers, process serving business owners can generate buzz and excitement about a service. Promotional pricing also incentivizes clients to act now before it’s too late. This pricing strategy plays to a client’s fear of missing out.
9. Value pricing
If you notice that sales are declining because of external factors, you may want to consider a value pricing strategy. Value pricing occurs when external factors, like a sharp increase in competition or a recession, force the small process serving business to provide value to its clients in order to maintain sales. This pricing strategy works because clients feel as though they are receiving an excellent “value” for the service of process. The approach recognizes that clients don’t care how much a service costs a company to perform, so long as the client feels they’re getting an excellent value by purchasing it. This pricing strategy could cut into the bottom line, but process serving businesses may find it beneficial to receive “some” profit rather than no profit.
10. Keep track of business revenues
Once you determine the right pricing strategy for your process serving business, your profit margins could increase. You’ll want to make sure you’re using reliable accounting software to keep track of relevant data. Such software makes it easy for you to monitor relevant sales data and manage cash flow in one place. This data allows you to continually evaluate your pricing method so that you can make price changes in real-time, grow your process serving business, and improve your client success.
Author: The Process Server Center | PROServerCENTER is a legal professional organization whose mission is to set a national standard for the process service industry in the United States.
Traditionally, the idea of working remotely might seem like an approach that is too difficult for the demands of the legal profession. However, if one looks more closely at how to actually work remotely and what lawyers and paralegals need in order to utilize today's technological advances, remote work in the legal industry seems more and more viable. In fact, in light of the rapidly changing environment during the last year, many legal professionals are embracing remote work. Lawyers and paralegals are discovering that remote work allows them to protect their families, clients and communities, while leading to better efficiencies and higher level of productivity. Whether you have considered working remotely as a legal professional in the past, or whether you are exploring it for the first time, this guide contains 9 clear, practical tips to help you run a remote legal practice without interruption: 
1. Communicate Changes Clearly
If you have been running a traditional law firm model, and have decided to begin working remotely, whether permanently or temporarily, it is absolutely critical that your law firm clearly communicates any changes. Send an email to your clients, vendors and staff, making it clear that you are shifting to remote work. Share your new policies and set expectations for which communication channels to use, how meetings will take place, and how often you will be contacting clients. If in-person meetings will no longer take place, let everyone know and introduce video conferences by adding links to video invites within the notes section of any calendar events.
Make sure you clearly share with your clients why you are working remotely so that your they can understand and see these changes in a positive light. By communicating clearly, you can make the transition as smooth as possible for everyone involved. When it comes to your law firm staff, speak to any regular staff about how you will continue to work together while you are remote, and let the staff know if they are meant to work remotely as well. If you are considering to close your law firm office, put a notice on the homepage of your website and a sign on the door. Make sure the sign include information on how to reach you so those who come knocking do not feel like they have hit an impasse.
2. Set up Remote Access to Cases and Documents
If you are considering working remotely, it is difficult, if not impossible, to carry your filing cabinets with you. It makes sense to ensure you have access to as many documents and case details as possible online. Before you begin your remote work, scan paper documents, digitize anything you might need that is paper-only and not already scanned into your computer or the cloud. You can do this yourself, put a staff member in charge of scanning documents, or find a legal document scanning service to help you get started.
If you are planning to work remotely for an extended time period, and others at your firm are as well, you will need to take special precautions to ensure your law firm’s server is protected from potential fires, floods, power outages, or other possible problems, and—depending on the situation—taking these precautions may be extremely difficult. If you are planning to work remotely full-time, you may not need a law firm server at all! Instead consider a cloud-based document storage which allows you to securely access your files and easily collaborate on them from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection. Some cloud-based storage solutions your team may consider are Clio, Dropbox and Box.
3. Ensure Your Internet Connection is Solid
As a legal professional, you cannot have the internet dropping off in the middle of an important video conference meeting. If you are working remotely, a strong internet connection is critical to your success in order to meet deadlines and ensure all processes run smoothly. In addition, if you need to collaborate with clients and staff on important legal documents, they will have to be stored in the cloud rather than on a local server or computer. A strong internet connection ensures that you and your staff can easily access these documents when you need them.
To make sure that you have a strong and reliable internet connection, test your internet speed for free and talk to your internet provider about the level of speed and stability you are getting with your current package. Consider upgrading if you feel that your internet connection is not stable enough. If you are working out of your local area or expect to regularly go on business trip, consider investing in a portable Wi-Fi hotspot in order to avoid troubles with spotty Wi-Fi connections when away from your home office.
4. Keep Client Communications Secure
If you are working remotely, you need to consider multiple secure ways to communicate with your clients. At the very least, you should be able to provide case updates and ongoing communications online, via text, or over the phone. With many communications methods available, the key thing is to make sure any channels your legal team is using are encrypted and secure. As a legal professional, you need to uphold your duty to keep client information confidential, and if communication channels are not encrypted, it is all too easy for others to gain access to client conversations.
5. Consider Your Clients’ Remote Experience
Clients will be looking for you and your services whether you are working remotely or not. If you want your remote legal practice to be successful, you must provide clear information on your website, create a streamlined onboarding process, and be frank about the fact that you are working remotely and what experience your clients can expect.
Even if you are remote work is only temporary, your ability to be flexible and show that you are still available to clients could very well lead you to connect with clients who otherwise have a difficult time getting the legal help they need. Consider offering consultations over the phone or via video to create peace of mind for potential clients, and send newly signed clients a welcome letter with details like how best to contact you, how often to expect communications, and what times you will be available. 6. Set up Post Office Box Forwarding
Depending on how you are currently running your law practice, and depending on the type of law you practice, going completely paperless may take some time. If you are working remotely temporarily, contact your local postal office to set up a temporary mail forward from your office to the address you will be working at. You can also minimize mailing expenses by opting to receive bills for any business expenses online, and by sharing client invoices online as well.
7. Be Accessible by Phone
Even if you do not have an office, there are still clients who will want to contact you via phone. For temporary remote work, forward calls from your number at your law firm to your mobile phone, or another number you can easily access while away from the office. For permanent remote work, consider switching to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone service, which allows you to make phone calls from your computer. It is also worth investing in a headset for top-notch sound quality on any calls.
If you are working remotely, consider also a virtual receptionist service. It can help you ensure that calls do not get missed and potential new clients do not slip through the cracks. This can be helpful if working remotely means you will need to handle more calls than you are used to, or you will be working in a different time zone, or if you will be working irregular hours. 8. Present a Professional Appearance
With the power of technology and a strong internet connection, you can meet anyone, anywhere, anytime with video meetings with clients, vendors, staff, and a variety of other people. Working remotely does not mean your professional standards should lapse. It is a given that you will need to look professional for video meetings, but with some effort and planning, you will look extra smart and create a strong, positive impression on clients and other legal professionals.
9. Take Care of Your Mental Health When Working Remotely
Remote work can be isolating. If you are used to interacting with others directly on a daily basis, suddenly sitting alone all day can be a tough change for your mental health. To combat the downside of remote work, create a routine, and create some distance between your work and personal life. Here are some tips:
As a legal professional, it is entirely possible—with the right preparation and support—to work remotely in today’s digital age. Equipped with the proper tools, and by following a few key best practices, you will continue to run a profitable law firm while providing good client experiences. Depending on the situation, your clients may even appreciate the convenience and efficiency of a remote experience. By selecting secure tools, communicating clearly and effectively about how your remote practice will work, and maintaining a strong internet connection, your firm can thrive from anywhere.
Source: Clio
Author: The Process Server Center | PROServerCENTER is a legal professional organization whose mission is to set a national standard for the process service industry in the United States.
Highlight: Non-services do not have to ruin your process server's reputation. Learn what's the difference between a complete and incomplete process service. Service of process is the method employed by the parties in a lawsuit to formally deliver the legal documents on the other parties and the court. It is an essential step in commencing a civil lawsuit. In fact, service of process is so essential in a lawsuit that, if it is not performed properly, a lawsuit cannot proceed. Service of process is critical because it establishes that the court hearing the lawsuit has jurisdiction over the defendant. Jurisdiction is a court’s ability to hear a controversy involving two or more parties. A court has jurisdiction because these parties have some connection to the court, whether it is because they are citizens of the state where the court sits or because the state in which the courts sits is the site of the plaintiff's claim. Service of process is also important because it notifies the defendant that the plaintiff is bringing a lawsuit and that the courts will hear the impending lawsuit. 
There are strict rules about how to serve different kinds of documents. These rules vary by federal, state, county and town courts. They also vary by the type of legal documents a process server has to deliver. It is very important to understand how to properly serve documents to the opposing party (or their lawyer if represented). Not doing it correctly can make your case grind to a halt. You may learn how to differentiate between different courts and types of documents by enrolling in the Process Server Center's Training Program for process servers. It is clear that for a court to obtain jurisdiction to hear a case, the parties must be properly served. Based on that, for the purpose of the court and your client, a complete process service is a service that has resulted in the successful delivery of the legal documents to the person being served. Any other outcome regardless of the reason behind it, does not allow the court to proceed with the lawsuit. Hence, why attorneys and paralegals are unhappy when a process server does not complete the service and instead returns an affidavit of non service. It is important for process servers to understand the difference between a complete and incomplete service of process and how to perform thorough due diligence in order to help their clients move forward with the case. Outcomes in Process Service
Process serving begins every time a process server is hired by an attorney or paralegal to deliver legal documents. As described above, the result of this delivery is crucial to your clients and the court in order for the lawsuit to continue. There are 2 main outcomes when serving process:
Complete Process Service
A complete process service is the successful delivery of legal documents to the person or business entity being served. For service of process to be deemed sufficient and complete, it has to be served exactly as prescribed by the originating court following the exact rules and regulations governing the lawsuit. The service of process must be done within the timeframes allowed by the court and an affidavit of service must be filed again exactly as defined by the court in this particular case.
Incomplete Process Service
An incomplete process service is any service that results in the failure to deliver the legal documents to the person or entity being served. The reasons for the incomplete process service may vary depending on the circumstances but some common reasons are:
Regardless of the reason, every incomplete process service delays the lawsuit, increases the legal expenses and causes frustration to your client. The best process servers understand what incomplete service of process really means to their clients. They act proactively in order to minimize the percentage of incomplete services and prove that thorough due diligence has been completed for each and every service. After all, the best process servers know that even though it may not be their fault, incomplete process service is greatly frowned upon by their clients. They also know that happy clients lead to more clients and ultimately to what most process servers want - to grow their process serving business! In order to minimize the number of non-services you send back to your clients, process servers may use these 8 tips for proper process service:
Many services may not be possible to complete due to factors beyond a process server's control. However, executing thorough due diligence with each attempt and fully recording/documenting all attempts made, would ultimately prove to your clients and the court that you have performed your duties as a process server, even when a service ends up as an incomplete. Being proactive and including a full write up of your evidence in your non-service affidavit would convince your client of the quality of your services. Some of the suggestions here require extra work and incur additional expenses. However, after you advise your client of the findings in the field, you may offer additional tools to help them locate, find and ultimate serve the defendant. Accurate and timely process of service is a critical part of every legal proceeding, since most future legal action cannot be taken until documents are delivered to all involved parties. Hiring a process server with PROServer List is usually the most efficient way of ensuring legal documents are received by their intended recipients and your service of process is complete as prescribed by the rules of the originating court.
Author: Richard Farrell, program administrator with extensive experience in training and education development at the PROServer CENTER, a legal professional organization whose mission is to set a national standard for the process service industry in the United States.
In a rapidly changing environment, law firms have had to adapt the way they work and run their firms. They had to make changes from the way they interact with their clients to the way they collaborate with their team members and vendors, including process servers. Legal professionals are facing not only practical challenges, such as moving to a remote work environment, but also a necessary shift in mindset to adapt to what is going to be a different world. Overcoming these challenges takes even more time and effort, and having smooth processes and reliable vendors has become a must. More than ever, paralegals want to save time and resources and be able to quickly find process servers who have the skills and potential to take charge and eliminate hassles in process serving. With remote work continuing into 2021, process servers need to be more self-sufficient and proactive about the quality of services they provide and the way they manage their businesses. 
Here are five tips to help you be the BEST in your role as a process server or the CEO of your process service agency: Take Initiative No one tells a CEO what to do every day. If you want to grow your process service business (or your role as a process server employee), you need to take initiative. Ask yourself what you can do that is above and beyond what an attorney, a paralegal or your boss has asked you to do. If you think something could be done in a better way, make a suggestion for how to improve it. If you see something that needs to be done, start doing it. Take the initiative to research an address before you make your first attempt. When you are trying to serve a respondent, don't just knock on the door, but take the time to talk to neighbors, check names on mailboxes or do a skip trace. These are not only great ways to learn and get better at what you do as a process server, but you will also demonstrate that you are ambitious and willing to take on more. Be a Team Player In our experience CEOs of process serving agencies often act as a bulldozer. If someone does not do something the way they want it done, they just do it themselves. But there is a limit to what any boss can get done on their own. What usually happens is that you start to burn out or you miss important serve by dates or don't notice the mistakes your process servers make. The more that happens, the more your legal clients become frustrated and the faster the quality of your process service falls. If you want to scale your work and have a bigger impact, you have to learn to work with a team. Collaborate with your process servers and trust other people to help you get the job done. Especially early on in your career as a process server agency boss, when you may not have direct reports, you need to learn to lead through influence. Build relationships with the people you work with to establish trust. Ask for Help A good leader has confidence but is also humble enough to know that they don’t have all the answers. Tapping into the expertise of others around you will help you learn and grow. Build a strong network of process servers, attorneys and paralegals you can reach out to in areas where you have less expertise. Make learning a priority so you have a good set of process serving resources to reference. Show your clients that you have thought through some potential solutions before going to them with a problem, but don’t spend too long spinning your wheels before reaching out for help. It’s okay not to know all of the answers, even if you are the CEO of a process serving agency. Your Ears are Your Best Tool I learned an important leadership skill from my father who taught me to “keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut until I had enough information to make an informed decision.” A good leader has enough emotional intelligence to know when to speak and when to listen. If you are working as a process server or run your process serving agency, you have to listen to what your client needs before you offer them your service or expertise. If you make decisions before you have enough information, you might make mistakes that could have been avoided. You don’t need to be the first person to speak every time an attorney calls you to retain your services. Ask questions and listen before you weigh in. This is a great way to learn and it will help you earn the respect and trust of your team and your clients. Be Willing to Take Risks No one gets anywhere in life by staying small. You have to take risks and be willing to fail if you want to grow and make an impact as a process server. However, make sure you do your homework and have data to back you up before you try out a new idea. It’s good to take risks, but they should be smart well-informed risks. Part of being the CEO of your process service business is being willing to take responsibility if your ideas don’t work out. No matter how well prepared you are and how well you execute, you still might fail. And that’s okay. We often learn more from our failures than our successes. Take the time to learn from your failures but don’t shy away from risks. Do not be afraid to take charge as you are growing in your process service career. If you want to develop leadership skills, you have to be willing to grab the reins. You don’t need to know all of the answers to lead. If you are asking for help, listening, and making informed decisions, you will have a solid base to grow and learn from as you continue to build your process serving business. The best way to learn is through experience. Each new experience teaches you what works well and what doesn’t and helps you create a management style that works for you. If you have any questions about better managing your process service business, our PROServer Center team is here to help. |
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