The price of postage is going up again.  Now is a better time than ever to review your firms mailing procedures.  You can read more about postage savings here.

The main change your firm should be preparing to make is the use of email in place of traditional mail, which I address briefly in the above link. There are some obvious situations where there is no substitute for traditional mail, but there are many times when email can save you and your client’s time and money.

Face it, attorneys can be extremely resistant to change. You probably still know attorneys who do all of their scheduling on paper, or fear the use of email.  The fact is, while you may be scared of email many of your clients will be expecting it.  This just happens to be one area where good customer service can save you money.

First, make sure all of you outgoing emails carry a confidentiality notice. Here is a general notice; you may want to check with your state bar to make sure you are following their guidelines.

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and are protected by legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this e-mail or any attachment is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify us immediately by returning it to the sender and delete this copy from your system. Thank you for your cooperation.

Second, learn how to use PDF documents. If you don’t know how to save documents securely in PDF format you need to learn. This link gives a decent overview.

Now you are ready to send documents to clients in a secure method that leaves a lasting digital trail.  You can even use read receipts to make sure the email was received and opened.  Don’t wait for this technology to pass you by.