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. 
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What would your business be like if you were the process server who came to mind every time someone said they need a process server in your area? ​We bet your inbox would be full of requests or orders to serve legal documents from qualified legal professionals. All of us at the Process Server Center want this for you! We want you to be the Go-To Process Server in Your Area! We want you to be successful in growing your process service business! And we are excited to be a part of this journey with you!

​Becoming the Go-To person in your industry takes consistent, laser-focused and clear direction and effort. As a process server you must be bold in your beliefs and confident in your knowledge in order to be seen as a resource in your industry. 

Does it sound difficult? Perhaps it does, but remember Steve Jobs' words that "perseverance is the main determinant of a success". Most people easily get discouraged or even give up but we are convinced that "about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance", Steve Jobs added. 

So who are the Go-To process servers that attorneys, paralegals and other legal professionals turn to when they need that service done right the first time? The Go-To process servers are the fixers who step up and do the actual work. Under pressure, other process servers turn to them to identify and implement solutions. They get the legal documents served every time on time. They are the ones who know how to find that person who is avoiding to get served. They are the ones who know people, know how to talk to people and know how to calm down an angry person. The Go-To process servers possess that knack for making process service seem so easy. 

How can you become a Go-To process server in your area? Here are nine ways to achieve that:

• Prepare: 

It is not luck that simply puts you on the Top and makes you the Go-To process server in your area of coverage. It is rather a culmination of the sweat and sacrifice that few see. Greatness is built on doing what is repetitive and dull, like going from door to door to serve legal documents or making cold calls to attract new clients. The Go-To process servers constantly battle doubt and temptation. Away from the actual action or field work of serving process, they face their limitations and fears, taking small steps forward as they push out of their comfort zones, always telling themselves, "Just one more service" or "Never again".​

As they prepare and train, Go-To process servers imagine the day when it all comes down to the wire. They visualize different scenarios when they knock on that door, and physically, mentally and intellectually prepare themselves. Alone, they study the strengths, flaws, and tendencies of their competition. They learn from the best in the process service industry and never tire to learn. There is nothing supernatural about it. As hockey great Wayne Gretzky explains, "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." The same is true for the Go-To process servers. They just prepare more and process faster. As a result, their reactions become unconsciously instinctive and the end result is a proper service of process done right every time.

• Open to Responsibility:​

Most people wait for life to come to them. They play small. They are intimidated by the prospect of stepping-forward, of taking risks and of challenging themselves. When difficulty or even opportunity presents itself, their first reaction is disbelief, doubt, denial and dejection.

The Go-To process servers are more afraid of missing out than making mistakes. More than anything they want to own the outcome. Go-To process servers take responsibility and assert themselves when others shrink back. They learn from challenges when serving legal documents and they embrace opportunity to step in and take this difficult service of process that no one else wants. 

• Set an Example:

​Go-To process servers are leaders and this leadership stems from the example they set every day. Other process servers measure themselves against their example. Go-To process servers are the ones who always go above-and-beyond, whether it's doing the extra research about the person to be served or finding and confirming a new address without being asked for it. They don't take shortcuts, they don't forget to timely turn in affidavits. They are consistent in what they do, so attorneys, paralegals and the likes know they can rely on them when it really counts. Go-To Process servers set the bar high. Top process servers don't need direction They have already figured out the destination. They just need a vehicle to get there.

• Take Charge:

​Do you know the top reason why people fail? They react. Go-to process servers are proactive. They appreciate that they may only get one shot at serving the legal documents or providing top service to that client. Go-To process servers don't get ahead of themselves by worrying about any fallout. They are not paralyzed by fear of falling short. And they don't let themselves be distracted by what other process servers are doing. Top process servers are 100 percent certain and 100 percent committed. By seizing an opportunity to serve a single serve client who later may turn out to be a high-volume long-term one,  process servers stand the greatest chance for success. 

• Don't Shy Away from Failure: 

​Go-To process servers often face a dilemma best summed up by Michael Jordan. " I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times. I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. And that is why I succeed."

Winners know that the distance between winning and losing is often a matter of inches. Go-To process servers are humbled by the knowledge that they can always fall short no matter how far they came. Despite any setbacks, successful process servers don't dwell on the moment or feel sorry for themselves that they lost that contract or missed that client.  Go-To process servers know that learning entails a lot of losing. It may be losing a contract. It may be not charging enough for that hard service. But they never lose their stamina, confidence or will. 

• Bear the Criticism:

Your work as a process server reflects who you are as a person. Pressure situations can bring out your best. But they can also expose your worst instincts. Go-To process servers also have flaws, and sometimes disappoint. But they do have the courage to act and are willing to accept responsibility for the outcome in order to best serve their clients. 

What separates them from other process servers is accountability. Go-To process servers do not make excuses or blame someone else. They don't play the victim or wallow in anger. They realize that they set the standard. Top professional process servers get back on their feet and lift their heads high.

• Build Relationships:

​Go-To process servers carry an innate air ... a vibe... a spark. They exude energy and confidence in their knowledge and constant training. Clients gravitate towards them. Other process servers too. Most important, attorneys and paralegals trust them to take them where they can't take themselves. They trust these top process servers to step up and serve this difficult case when they need them.

Go-To process servers forge relationships. To succeed, everyone must believe in each other. Top process servers build connections with others, whether they are clients or peers. They look for ways to keep everyone involved, helping and finding ways too constantly become better at what they do.

• Summon Your Will:

​Sometimes there are hardships and difficult times. It all seems to be slipping away. Frustrations are piling up. Some are looking for a reason to quit. In those difficult moments, when those around them are losing their faith, Go-To process servers make themselves bigger. They find that little extra to make a second or a third effort in finding that person who is clearly avoiding service. They channel everything they know into that difficult moment, believing that nothing can stand in their way.

• Maintain Composure:

​Go-To process servers may feel anxious like everyone else. But they don't freeze up. They keep their head high when everything around them is crumbling. They don't overreact. They don't allow themselves to get overwhelmed with more volume of services that they can possibly handle. Go-To process servers know where they want to be and prioritize what will help them reach their outcome, their goal, their dream. 

There is one trait that unites top process servers and that is grace under pressure. They have mastered their emotions. Clients have confidence in them and are relaxed because top process servers stay calm themselves, even when the deadline is short. It is exactly what earns them the respect and loyalty of both legal professional clients and their peers. 
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​Do you have the perseverance to be the Go-To Process Server in your area? The Process Server Center is here to help you every step of the way in your journey to the Top!
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Author:  Brani Andreev, MBA, expert in nationwide management of process service, consultant, speaker, and developer of the breakthrough Management Model of the 4Ps™ that ensures the consistent quality of process service.
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Personal service of process has been the hallmark for initialing litigation for nearly 100 years primarily because it guarantees actual notice to a defendant of a legal action against him or her.

• The Courts It is estimated that more than 30% of the U.S. population is now served by courts that either already have or are in the final stages of transitioning to an electronic courthouse. It seems that 30% is just the beginning and the pace at which courts are moving in this directions is quickening. This change has required courts, their constituents and justice partners to rethink how they interact with the courts and how to do business more efficiently. The court constituents now enjoy electronic filing, electronic service between represented parties, electronic alerts/case events, electronic docket sheets and case management tools, all of which have arguably forever changed the way one interacts with a digital court.

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• The Continuing Relevance of Process Service

In favor of the electronic service of process still being the exception, the author of “The Continuing Relevance of Personal Service of Process” argues that the electronic service of process schema still falls far short of Due Process demands of “notice reasonably calculated under all the circumstances, to apprise interested parties of the pendency of the action…” Specifically, the anonymous nature, the security vulnerabilities, access issues and inadequate document retention requirements--inherent in current technology--fails to meaningfully address or meet minimum due process standards as set forth in the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The author further argues that for the reasons set forth above, while electronic service of process may hold promise for the future, and until adequate technological measures are engineered that (1) satisfy constitutional Due Process requirements for the parties in a manner substantially identical to those provided by physical service of process, (2) more closely approximate the reliability of physical service of process and maintain a presumption of validity generally free from wanton and frivolous challenge, and (3) ensure that the security profiles, retention and validation capabilities of any such proposed system are engineered with true longevity in mind, personal service of process remains the most effective, reliable, and trustworthy method for providing notice of a pending lawsuit and an opportunity to be heard.

• The Process Server

The type of change described above cannot be said for the process serving industry.  It has been slow and even reluctant to adapt let alone embrace the digital revolution.  Electronic service of case initiating documents is currently the exception.  

• ​​Electronic Service of Process

As mentioned above the service of process by electronic means is the exception.  That exception being instances where a party is able to demonstrate to the court that they have exhausted all efforts to affect service by traditional means and a judge prescribes a manner of service that is otherwise reasonably calculated to provide actual notice. 
To learn more about how this process has worked with real cases and to see if it really was that simple, we inquired about service by Facebook with the team at Statewide Process Servers out of West Jordan, Utah, who affirmed that: “...We have had it happen 3-4 times in the last few months. They are divorce/custody cases in which they either do not have an address for the respondent or we are unable to serve the respondent at the addresses they have. Our client will file a motion for alternative service with the court in which they ask to serve the person through their confirmed Facebook page. Once the Judge signs the order granting it they send it to us. I then create image files of the documents and send them to the person through Facebook messaging. I take a screenshot of each image being sent through the Facebook messaging app and include them with an Affidavit of Service indicating that I served them via Facebook Messaging per the judge's order to do so.”
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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. 
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​What is Process Service? - Process service also known as “service of process” is the procedure employed to give an appropriate notice of initial legal action to another party (such as a defendant), court or administrative body in an effort to exercise jurisdiction over that person so as to enable that person to respond to the proceeding before the court, body, or other tribunal. Notice is furnished by delivering a set of court documents (called “process”) to the person to be served.

​The above definition is the legal definition applied to service of process. What is Process Service in reality then?  It is the simple complicated occupation. It is simple because Process Service is simply the delivery of legal documents to a person or a business. Simple enough, right? Not so fast!  It is also complicated because Process Service must be done right the first time or the service may be deemed invalid and even the legal case may be dismissed.  It is this done right part that makes service of process complicated.  To deliver the legal documents correctly, a process server must navigate through the myriad of federal, state, local, municipal, and county rules, laws and regulations. He or she must correctly understand the methods of service prescribed to this one particular service of process, and then apply them while serving the legal documents.  The process server must be well-informed and well-prepared in advance of the simple task of going to the person's address and handing the legal documents. That's why Process Service is the simple complicated job that process servers do on a daily basis, in rain or shine days.

Of course, service of process does not have to be hard. All it takes is preparation, so learn more on how to jump start your career as a process server and get certified through the only one nationwide Certification Program for Process Servers.