Category Archives: Uncategorized

Does Your Website Look Good on Mobile?

Posted on by
Does Your Website Look Good on Mobile?

Image courtesy of franky242 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If not, you may be losing out on a lot of potential business!

The next time you’re in a restaurant or store, look around you and take note of how many people are on a smartphone or portable device. More than likely, over half of the people around you (if not more) will be on one. Whether good or bad, and there are arguments on both sides of the coin here, the use of smartphones and portable devices has skyrocketed in recent years, and technology hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down on this trend.

There’s no doubt about it—the Information Age has changed the face of business, including its web presence. It is no longer standard practice for a prospective client to turn to the phone book to look for a service provider. There are entire websites focused on reviews and user ratings for services ranging from mediation to plumbing, revising the concept of what it means to keep a good “reputation” for your business.

In fact, your business’ online presence is arguably just as important as its brick and mortar presence—if not more so. As mentioned last month, without a professional website, it is highly unlikely that the majority of your potential clients will follow through and contact you concerning your services as a mediator. With the increasing use of smartphones and related apps, more people are using their smartphones and tablets to look at websites and look for service providers. If they can’t see your website properly on these devices, and if it isn’t “user friendly” via a smartphone or tablet, your website might still be coming up short in making your business look professional and polished.

The most common pitfall many business owners run into is thinking that their website looks the same on a smartphone device as it does on a laptop or PC. Without going into the differences in devices that display Flash versus those that don’t, and without detailing how screen resolution and size can change even the most carefully constructed layout into a jumbled mess, we’ll focus on a “never fail” strategy that will help you make sure your online presence is as polished on smartphones as it is on a person’s regular computer.

That strategy is: take a look for yourself. If you don’t have these devices yourself, ask a friend if you can use theirs to view your practice’s website. Try to view it from different mobile platforms (Android-based vs. iPhone, etc.) and on different devices (smartphones vs. tablets) to get a well-rounded portrayal of how each device shows your web presence.

If there are issues, fix them immediately; if you don’t know how, hire someone who does. Remember, your online presence could be even more important than your brick and mortar one; so just as you wouldn’t want your store inaccessible to some potential clients, you also don’t want your website to be.

What Your Website Reveals About Your Practice

Posted on by

What Your Website Reveals About Your PracticeHistorians refer to our current times as the ‘digital age’ or the ‘new media age.’  The reason for this is obvious—at no other time in human history have we put so much of ourselves and our lives online, or in a digital format, for the world to see.  Clients are more likely to search for a mediation professional online than through other more traditional forms of searching, like the phone book or even word of mouth.  For this reason, whether you agree with it or not, a company that has not focused on a professional website is a company that, for many, will not be taken seriously.

You should think of your website as a more modern version of your business card. You will use it to reach thousands of potential clients and it will open doors for you when you seek to grow your business. The caliber of professionalism and the quality of your services will be judged by many based solely on your website, so you should also think of it as a first impression—and in many cases, the only impression—that potential clients will have of your business.

So take a minute and sit down with your partners or key staff members and ask yourselves—what does our website reveal about our business? Here are some “tough love” questions to get you on the right track of thinking:

1. Are there spelling or grammar problems with the content?

You would be surprised at how many businesses, even law and mediation practices, have spelling and grammar errors in their online content. This means that from the beginning, the discerning potential client will automatically avoid calling you because, put simply, you are letting them know from the onset that you are not the kind of mediator who “dots all his or her ‘I’s and crosses all his or her ‘T’s.” Having a professional editor look over your website to fix these errors will cost a little but will save you thousands in lost clients.

2. Is there too much content?

This is another common mistake that businesses, particularly law-related ones, make. Too much content not only makes the website look sloppy and unprofessional—it’s also wasted effort because most people won’t read it. Think about it: when you ‘surf’ the internet, how long do you tend to stay on a website? 5 minutes? 10 minutes, at most? What would you say if we told you that according to research, most internet users stay on a webpage for a minute or less? That’s certainly not enough time to read the pages and pages of content you have. Pare down the content and stick to only the basics of whom your mediation practice serves and why you are the best. If a client wants to know your life story, they’ll ask you in person.

3. Does the look and feel of the website reflect the main traits of your business?

If you want potential clients to see you as a professional mediator who is successful, make sure this is reflected in your website. A website that is full of errors, difficult to read and difficult to navigate will reflect poorly on your business. So take a good look at your online presence and ask yourself: what does your website reveal about your practice?

What Farmer-Creditor Mediation Research Can Teach You About Mediating Creditors’ Rights Cases

Posted on by

In a study conducted by Mary P. Van Hook entitled “Resolving conflicts between farmers and creditors: An analysis of the farmer-creditor mediation process,” the author took a closer look at the effectiveness of creditors rights mediation in the influx of farmer-creditor cases throughout the country in the wake of severe economic hardship. Van Hook reiterates that due to the complexity of the situation and the prevalence of such cases, many states ruled that mediation should be the first option before further action is taken on behalf of the creditors who are owed money. Since many of the farmers involved simply did not have the equipment and supplies needed to grow the crops, get paid and pay back what they owed, tension was high in many of the cases and mediation was the most likely method of alternative dispute resolution to ease it.

Focusing her study on identifying what aspects of the mediation process made this a useful way to resolve the issues between farmers and creditors, Van Hook conducted analysis of the responses of creditors and farmers who had been through the creditor’s rights mediation process. From these responses, she was able to glean a list of ‘best practices’ for mediators when dealing with any type of creditor’s rights dispute.

Of these best practices, “impartiality and the ability to help both parties present their case emerged as important for all three parties.” According to Van Hook, helping both parties present their case required the mediator to “exercise the control needed to prevent any one party from dominating as well as make participants feel comfortable.” Additionally, she noted that many farmers involved in the process “indicated that experiencing the mediator’s concern was helpful.”

Regarding the credibility of the mediator, both the creditor and the debtor in most mediation sessions studied stated that “knowledge of financial issues was important.” This reiterates the necessity of understanding the day-to-day process, including cash flow, involved with the conflict in dispute, particularly in matters related to business and enterprise.

(Note: The entire study can be found here: http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/51202/435.pdf?sequence=1)