Smokeball

SmallLaw Review

Commentaires : Overall, an excellent software and definitely worth considering for your law firm, especially if you handle real estate transactions.

Avantages :

1. Smokeball is an "everything" platform. We realized we were only using the other softwares for billing/invoicing, but found little use for them otherwise. Smokeball, on the other hand, is much more versatile. We track our to-dos there, create workflows, assign tasks/projects to others at the firm (it avoids the back-and-forth internal emails), share our draft documents with client through a secure portal, and much more! 2. If you are a real estate transactions law firm (as we are), Smokeball is the only platform specifically designed for that practice area. We love that it automatically calendars deadlines, has templates built in, and otherwise automates much of the closing process for us (and avoids costly mistakes such as missing a deadline).

Inconvénients :

1. Cost (yup, it's one of the more expensive options you'll find out there). But when evaluating options, the thought process should be whether you will save some time by implementing the features of the software. And if so, a few extra bucks monthly is well worth it. 2. A little glitchy at times. We sometimes would create an invoice but would not be able to load it or send to a client until the next day. I have no idea why this happens, though it hasnt been a big issue for us. 3. Requires you to invest a lot of time to set up to automate your documents and learn how to modify them as you go. But, again, it is time well spent.

I Love Smokeball

Avantages :

I love Smokeballs features. The document automation saves me time and headache with formatting. The integration features make sure that nothing I do is missing in the client files. The cases are always complete. the ease of integration for the products that I use is excellent and seamless. The time tracking capabilities help make sure that I don't miss a billable.

Inconvénients :

They recently updated the mobile software so it is more difficult to use on a tablet or my phone.

Why did we wait so long...

Commentaires : Our firm purchased Smokeball in September 2022, and this software has far exceeded our expectations. [SENSITIVE CONTENT] was our sales representative. [SENSITIVE CONTENT] conducted several demos for our team, and his customer service was among the highest level I have experienced. It was evident from the beginning [SENSITIVE CONTENT] was knowledgeable and passionate about Smokeball. His presentations were clear, and where needed, he provided enough details for us to make an informed decision about this product working for our firm. [SENSITIVE CONTENT] is our onboarding specialist. He, too, has provided the highest level of customer service and training.

Avantages :

Smokeball is intuitive and designed for law practices.

Inconvénients :

We have not found anything about the software we are not impressed with.

Disingenuous Company. Dead End Product. Stay Away

Commentaires : I said I wanted API access. They said, "what's an API?" I sent them a link to their website showing where they provide API access to developers. They refused. This became an issue because they will not provide your client and matter data in a useful format. It's a lawyer-run company. The support staff is legalistic and misleading. I would not do business with them again. I don't think "they'll make it right" if you have an issue. I know I sound like a crank. But I feel pretty badly treated by them and in 2023 the lack of an open API is insane. Now that I have my data out of their system, I am no longer hostage to their garbage. If I had read a review like this during my evaluation, I hope that I would have hesitated and made a different choice.

Avantages :

The software has a point of view. Its ideal user is a middle-aged tech-phobic lawyer that needs most decisions made for him.For that reason, the software makes a lot of choices for you. And mostly they are fine choices if you want a desktop-based app and a forms-heavy practice.They oversell their integration with MS Word and Outlook. Their custom add-ins are slow to load and unimpressive.If you truly want to play in the MS Dataverse, which I think is a smart long-term play, then use a product that integrates with Sharepoint and Teams. Also, the app is a POS.

Inconvénients :

This software is a technical dead end. They will never have an open API and integrate with the web. But if you ask for it, they "will submit a feature request" despite the fact they actually have an API that developers can use.They will not help you export your data. They provide you with your files in an unstructured mess of separate .csv files and client folders.They answer the customer service number 1 out of 5 calls. They shuttle you to email, where the support doesn't read the emails you send.Their document automation team screwed up my documents. I sent templates in Georgia 11 and got back documents with a mixture of Times New Roman 12 and Georgia. I sent over documents with tables for signature blocks and got back documents where the signature block was done with an underline and space bar.

Allows for easy systemization saves time increased profit

Commentaires : Smokeball is an excellent system that has allowed me to streamline my Estate Planning and Elder Law practice. They systems I have put in place through smokeball have allowed me to increase profit in each practice area. And my team can sleep well at night knowing things won't get missed or fall through the cracks.

Avantages :

Easy to use, easy to implement. Customer service is excellent they are always willing to improve their product and help with issues and questions. We have systemized every practice area so we don't forget steps and can sleep at night knowing the system has our back.

Inconvénients :

hybrid cloud and desktop was helpful in the beginning. It is nice to work when not online, however it slows the system a little and going completely cloud based would probably remedy that issue.