How do you use Socialwok?
My name is Stephen Marlowe, principal attorney at Marlowe Law Office in Tipp City Ohio. My firm helps people find debt relief through bankruptcy. Most of the staff (three interns, a paralegal and three lawyers) work both remotely and in-office. We’re set up in “the cloud,” so the office, if necessary, can go completely virtual. Socialwok is a critical component of that strategy.
We use Socialwok as a “Facebook” like case-management tool that is tightly integrated with Google Apps to share and archive information regarding our clients. Our law office uses Google Apps Mail and Google Docs for all our email messaging and document management needs. The first step in our client intake process is to create a Socialwok feed. Socialwok has become our front-end dashboard for Google Apps. It’s a very user-friendly, intutive way to collaborate, share emails and manage Google Documents.
We use Socialwok as a “Facebook” like case-management tool that is tightly integrated with Google Apps to share and archive information regarding our clients. Our law office uses Google Apps Mail and Google Docs for all our email messaging and document management needs. The first step in our client intake process is to create a Socialwok feed. Socialwok has become our front-end dashboard for Google Apps. It’s a very user-friendly, intutive way to collaborate, share emails and manage Google Documents.
@marlawoffice: If you’re in business and you use Google Apps and don’t use @socialwok, you’re a damn fool.
Before Socialwok, I would have to constantly email or call the client to keep him up to date on his case. We spent a lot of time consolidating information from various places to maintain client files, as well as keep up to date client contact information.
Since adopting Socialwok, my staff have been able to collaborate and archive all emails, documents, calendar events, notes to case files, voicemails, client contacts and questions in Socialwok private client feeds. We are able to create automatically an interactive timeline that serves as a perfect record of our relationship with the client. Our clients can also access and collaborate with attorneys of the firm on their cases using these private feeds.
Recently, we stopped a foreclosure that had proceeded in error. The client shot us a frantic email, which was forwarded immediately to the client's Socialwok feed. We intervened to stop the sale of the family’s home in minutes--not hours or days--to the client’s benefit. There were no voicemails waiting to be addressed, no emails stacked awaiting attention. Socialwok made us nimble.
Socialwok has saved the law firm an immense amount of frustration and time, allowing us to take on more clients.
Since adopting Socialwok, my staff have been able to collaborate and archive all emails, documents, calendar events, notes to case files, voicemails, client contacts and questions in Socialwok private client feeds. We are able to create automatically an interactive timeline that serves as a perfect record of our relationship with the client. Our clients can also access and collaborate with attorneys of the firm on their cases using these private feeds.
Recently, we stopped a foreclosure that had proceeded in error. The client shot us a frantic email, which was forwarded immediately to the client's Socialwok feed. We intervened to stop the sale of the family’s home in minutes--not hours or days--to the client’s benefit. There were no voicemails waiting to be addressed, no emails stacked awaiting attention. Socialwok made us nimble.
Socialwok has saved the law firm an immense amount of frustration and time, allowing us to take on more clients.
Has Socialwok helped your organization become more productive?
Marlowe Law Office has increased billable hours and eliminated phone-tag with clients because we share Socialwok feeds with them. Before Socialwok, our law office was using labor intensive and data-entry oriented solutions like Basecamp and Google Sites for collaborating with our clients. Often, we had real adoption problems with these programs because our clients found them to be too troublesome or user-unfriendly.
With Socialwok, we created email filters in Gmail that allows us to forward emails from our clients into specific Socialwok feeds. We scan paper copies of legal documents related to a client directly into a private feed that the client can access. We can now view all the information related to a client by searching for his last name, or by hashtags. Socialwok lists all messages, emails, files and meeting notes related to the client in chronological order.
This is a true story: one of our paralegals had just moved to another firm and, though she did it playfully, she shamed her bosses during her first week because they didn’t use Google Apps and Socialwok. Our firm was her first job as a paralegal; she assumed all firms used Google Apps and Socialwok. She couldn’t imagine how to organize a case without the combination. She told us that once she explained our setup, the other firm was openly envious. They realized just how important the right tools--mature, fully realized Apps like Socialwok--increase efficiency, reduce effort and raise returns.
We’re not in the business of pimping brands. At Marlowe Law Office, our loyalty is not won easily; however, when it is won we’re not shy about evangelizing. During the first week we had Socialwok, I tweeted from @marlawoffice:
“If you’re in business and you use Google Apps and don’t use @socialwok, you’re a damn fool.”
Learn more about Marlowe Law Office use of Socialwok
With Socialwok, we created email filters in Gmail that allows us to forward emails from our clients into specific Socialwok feeds. We scan paper copies of legal documents related to a client directly into a private feed that the client can access. We can now view all the information related to a client by searching for his last name, or by hashtags. Socialwok lists all messages, emails, files and meeting notes related to the client in chronological order.
This is a true story: one of our paralegals had just moved to another firm and, though she did it playfully, she shamed her bosses during her first week because they didn’t use Google Apps and Socialwok. Our firm was her first job as a paralegal; she assumed all firms used Google Apps and Socialwok. She couldn’t imagine how to organize a case without the combination. She told us that once she explained our setup, the other firm was openly envious. They realized just how important the right tools--mature, fully realized Apps like Socialwok--increase efficiency, reduce effort and raise returns.
We’re not in the business of pimping brands. At Marlowe Law Office, our loyalty is not won easily; however, when it is won we’re not shy about evangelizing. During the first week we had Socialwok, I tweeted from @marlawoffice:
“If you’re in business and you use Google Apps and don’t use @socialwok, you’re a damn fool.”
Learn more about Marlowe Law Office use of Socialwok