7 Reasons Why Your Business NEEDS a Professional Website

Many small to midsize business owners believe that their business cannot benefit from a professionally developed business website. Several business owners are also under the impression that their prospective customers will not go searching for a website. These are misconceptions. Here are seven reasons to show you why your business requires a professional business website, irrespective of the size or nature of your business:

1. Gain credibility

Unlike in the past, customers of today, use the internet to search for services/products. Your business can gain better credibility by owning a professional-looking website, instead of a poorly designed site. Prospective customers will most likely choose your competitors over you, if you lack a website.

2. Save on cost

If you think that you cannot afford a business website, then you must think again, as making a one-time investment in a business website can be much cheaper that regularly advertising in newspapers or magazines. Moreover, a business website is a convenient and cost-effective way to market your services/products and promote your brand to a larger number of consumers.

3. Keep your customers informed

With a business website, you can very easily and quickly update any new information related to your products/services. This way, you can inform your customers about your new products, special offers or upcoming business events. Unlike print ads, which can very quickly become outdated, your business website can offer the latest news and information about your company. Continue reading

Why Choose India for Legal Drafting & Analysis?

Are non-core legal activities like legal drafting, legal documentation or legal analysis robbing your law firm of precious hours?  Outsourcing such legal functions to India can be the answer to your problems. Not only can your law firm or corporate legal department enjoy over 50% cost savings, but can also get access to accurate legal drafts or documents within a relatively short turnaround time.

Initially, India was known only as an IT outsourcing destination. However, this has drastically changed over the past few years, with India being voted as the most “preferred” legal outsourcing destination by legal firms in Europe, US and UK.  India’s talented legal professionals, low cost of labor and unique 12 hour time difference has transformed the nation into one of the world’s largest providers of back-office legal functions.

Time-consuming legal activities that India can handle

Drafting legal pleadings, documenting discovery documents, preparing pleadings or analyzing legal information can take up a countless numbers of hours and effort. This can shift your law firm’s focus away from core legal activities. The following is a list of time- consuming and non-core legal activities, that your law firm  or corporate legal department can think about outsourcing to India:

  • Drafting legal summons and complaints
  • Drafting legal responsive pleadings and answers
  • Drafting legal correspondences
  • Editing and proof-reading legal agreements
  • Preparing deposition notices and subpoenas
  • Drafting legal deposition questions and outlines
  • Drafting discovery documents
  • Drafting legal memoranda and briefs
  • Maintaining legal files Continue reading

5 New LPO Functions That Your Law Firm Can Outsource!

Did you know that Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) is one of the biggest and most active areas for outsourcing in today’s business market? From large legal firms to small legal departments in corporations, almost everyone is outsourcing. LPO comprises of all the things that lawyers have to do on a regular basis. The amount of non-legal work that can pile up is huge! This can eat up time and effort that can otherwise be spent on representing clients in the court, providing legal opinions and approving the final legal drafts of contracts to name a few.

If your law firm has not yet started outsourcing, then it’s time to give LPO a rethink. Today, LPO is no longer only about legal drafting, law office management, litigation support or legal document management.  Here are five new LPO functions that your law firm can outsource:

1. Legal writing: Law is all about documents and this includes millions of briefs, pleadings and memorandum. Legal writing involves a lot of work, as the documents not only need to be created, but also have to be mailed, filed and emailed into document management systems.

2. Legal summaries:  The need for well-written legal summaries of documents like depositions is another area that is getting popular in the legal scene.  Creating a good summary, takes time and effort that can be otherwise spent on core legal functions. Continue reading

5 Things That A Virtual Assistant Can Help You With

By hiring a virtual assistant, you can save several hours from your hectic workweek. However, knowing which business tasks to outsource to a virtual assistant can be tricky, whether you are starting a new business or trying to expand one.  Most remote assistants have expertise in administrative tasks that are similar to those carried out by your current secretary or executive assistant.

In the recent past, the number of virtual assistants and their areas of specializations have grown by leaps and bounds, making it very easy for everyone to find someone who fits the unique needs of their respective organizations. As an entrepreneur, you can use a virtual assistant for anything and everything, right from making vendor/client service calls to emailing out thank you notes to prospective customers.

As you work with a virtual assistant, you will realize that over time they will become a part of your team, who just happens to work from a remote location. Do you want to try out a virtual assistant, but don’t know where to start? Here are five ways in which you can use a remote assistant to develop your business.

1. Bookkeeping: Accounting and bookkeeping is one of the easiest things that you can outsource to a virtual assistant.  Several businesses, both small and large prefer to hire virtual assistants who can keep a tab on their bills and follow up on outstanding invoices /unpaid bills. The best part is that you can enjoy the expertise of a professional and dedicated bookkeeper without having to spend a huge sum of money.

2. Online research:  Internet research is something that you can easily outsource to a remote assistant. Whether you require help to find information from websites, get inputs about new products, obtain ideas for your weekly blog or conduct research on a new market, your virtual assistant can help you.  With a dedicated virtual assistant conducting all your research, you can channel hours of your valuable time into other core business activities. Continue reading