VIDEO: Smokeball Overview – Top Features, Pros & Cons, and Alternatives

Smokeball is cloud-based legal practice management software that automatically records time and activity for lawyers. Whether the practice bills hourly, fixed fee, or contingency, the platform provides insights to run a more successful law firm. It also delivers full billing capability, a document automation library with numerous legal forms, shared calendars, and practice-area-specific matter types. Small law firms rely on Smokeball to increase productivity, stay more organized, and drive law firm profitability.

If you’re in the market for a Business Process Management package, you’ll want to consider Smokeball. But if you’re just starting your search, we can help. Visit our website at technologyadvice.com to get a free list of Business Process Management software recommendations. Click the annotation in the top right corner of your screen to get started. And if you find this video helpful, please feel free to like, comment, and subscribe! Smokeball lets lawyers know where they make and lose money on their matters to optimize their practices.

The software turbo-charges the small law firm’s productivity by creating a centralized location to store all documents, emails, and client information. With a solution tailored to the practice’s specific needs, it empowers firms to manage emails and documents, create documents in a snap through automation, and file documents digitally in the cloud so the staff can work together from anywhere. Smokeball compartmentalizes to-do lists for every matter.

Users can Assign Tasks to themselves or other staff members. The software also allows users to include reminders and documents directly from the file and then transfer the document or email to others directly on the Task. With the Workflows feature, sets of Tasks are available to apply across the practice. If the team has standard processes for intake, filings, and closings, Smokeball’s Workflows hands the correct Task and documents to the correct person at the right time.

Users can set Tasks against each other within the Workflows so that they appear only upon completion of prescriptive Tasks. The platform cuts hundreds of hours a year out of the firm’s workflow by automating public and firm-specific documents. Smokeball houses a library of over 20,000 public documents and will assist in automating the firm’s proprietary documents. Users won’t have to re-type information with template documents. Teams can automate and share the documents for document quality to be consistent no matter who prepares it.

Moreover, the software brings security and peace of mind with unlimited cloud backup storage. Users don’t seem to have consistent issues across the board with aspects of this software but you should always review invoices generated by the software before sending them out as you would with any piece of software with invoice generation functionality. Smokeball Communicate is the platform’s client portal with user-friendly conversational style messaging and secure file sharing.

It offers various law firm client portal features, including two-factor authentication with full data encryption. When firms need to send wire instructions or a packet of sensitive information and know email isn’t the safest option, Communicate gives the ability to send secure information and not lose a billable minute. The software’s mobile app for iPhone and Android lets lawyers bring their practice anywhere. It puts features such as legal calendar and legal file management in the user’s pocket everywhere they go.

Shared calendars are accessible on the app, allowing lawyers to know what’s going on with all staff. The Smokeball mobile app maintains access to the entire practice with every matter, like emails, documents, tasks, memos, and contacts. There’s also no need to upload or download each file to every matter because the system automatically does it. It’s a good idea to get multiple quotes before choosing a Business Process Management solution. If you’re interested in Smokeball, you might also want to consider MyCase, Clio, Zola Suite, and PracticePanther.

Still not sure if Smokeball is right for you? Visit our website at technologyadvice.com for our free list of the best options available today. Click the button on the left to get started.