5 reasons why…
There’s a shift in technological sophistication occurring in the process serving world. With pressure coming from the debt collection industry to provide comprehensive reporting that meets specific compliance levels, this is also starting to flow on to related services. As a result process servers and their clients are taking a closer look at the technology that’s being used to manage service of process.
Unfortunately, not all process servers are prepared to, or are unable to provide transparency when asked for it. With the right software solution, however, a process serving firm doesn’t need to worry about audits, transparency and compliance.
Here are 5 reasons why you need to ensure that the company you use is utilising adequate software tools to offer a service that is both compliant and efficient.
1. Accountability and Compliance
Process servers are being asked for a higher level of accountability and compliance by their clients. Thorough record keeping is essential in order to provide detailed reports on all files. To do this you need a software system that records all service attempts with a GPS-verified timestamping tool. In addition to this you want a system that allows field agents to take photos and upload them to job records. This is helpful as evidence of a document affix, confirming an address if there are no street numbers, or documenting vehicles on site.
2. Updates in REal TIme
Many process servers email or simply phone through field updates to their clients. To be really effective a more streamlined approach is to record service attempts while in the field, directly into an online system. These updates can then be sent direct to the client, and the history can then be recalled at anytime in chronological order.
3. Collaboration
To save time it is essential that you are working with a software solution that offers a collaborative tool. The ability to login to your own online account in real time and view all jobs and job histories means you don’t have to spend time sifting through emails from your process server to find a particular report or update. And the more sophisticated packages will give you the ability to create jobs, upload documents, add a new service address and review data collected about a Respondent, all in one easy location.
4. Speed and Efficiency
More and more organisations are moving towards “paperless” offices, and the process serving industry is no different. A good process serving software will store information about each job, service attempt, successful service details, manage invoice creation and payments and build profiles of Respondents. It is very likely that several people will be involved in any one file, i.e. service agent, admin, accounts person and of course the client. It makes sense that they all work in the same, easy to access location. The process serving companies that are looking at improving their workflow and investing in technology are the types of businesses that are going to be able to provide quality service on a consistent basis for the long term.
5. Security
It goes without saying that any online software solution must be secure. Process servers are not IT specialists, so need to put their trust in a cloud-based solution supported by a professional, time tested provider. This means that they can focus on running their business, not managing their technology.
It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when all process servers will be required to utilise a software application to track their jobs and store their service data.
At Docuserve we have been using a software solution that is designed for process servers, by process servers. It allows us to offer a level of reporting that ensure our clients have access to all the relevant information they need regarding a file – available 24/7 in real time.