Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Inemesit Edet. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Inemesit, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?
As popular and as old as law and the legal industry is, one would think that corporate America would nail the legal accounting and tech industry, but as far as I am concerned, Corporate America has missed the mark on legal ebilling, tech and resources. Millions of dollars or lost and disputed every year by law firms all across the globe, even the leading law firms of the world mismanage this process year after year.
Even though there are several legal billing and ebilling systems that provide additional training and resources, including ebilling systems, time tracking systems, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable systems; none of these systems nor do legal billing teams account for the amount of time, focus and hands-on training that is necessary to minimize the significant financial losses incurred monthly and to create a successful and efficient ebilling team.
Working as an ebiller at a prominent IP law firm in Washington DC, I was able to develop a successful team, processes, and create an ebilling manual that the firm still uses today. I was able to identity the areas of exposure and bring in better ebilling results that the firm had ever seen and maintain during my tenure.This was the beginning of my ebilling journey I realized that ebilling was my passion and more importantly, the work I was doing was effective,
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hello, I’m Inemesit Edet, Founder and CEO of Smart eBill Team. With my professional experience in several industries, I wanted a more challenging career. So, I applied for a position at a prevalent IP law firm located in downtown DC that was looking for an intelligent individual with no experience who had the ability to learn legal ebilling and manage the current ebilling team. I was thrilled when I received an offer letter, and believe it or not, I was sending electronic invoice files (e-bills) to one of the top Fortune 100 companies. Every day, my intrigue for all facets of ebilling continued to grow. I was so fascinated that I, with the help of other ebillers, wrote an e-bill manual for the firm that the firm still uses today. In addition to that, I was able to get record-breaking ebilling results and maintained them for the remainder of my tenure with the firm.
As I am always looking to learn and improve upon my skills, I decided to continue ebilling at other larger firms so I could gain different and additional ebilling experience. I soon realized that most firms struggle with ebilling in some capacity. I now had experience writing manuals, training other billing team members, and timekeepers of all levels. I played a major role in multiple system conversions, and the numbers confirmed the work I did made a difference. I was happy and proud. I knew I had traveled and trained timekeepers and legal billing team members of all levels the desire to work for and with more than one firm, and thus Smart eBill Team was born.
Smart eBill Team (S.E.T.) performs remote legal electronic services for legal billing teams to provide support and relieve current team members of difficult and tedious ebilling tasks. We also provide ebilling and best practices training to timekeepers, secretaries, and legal billing teams so that firms can possess the knowledge necessary to manage difficult ebilling systems and handle hundreds of problems weekly. We create tailored ebilling manuals and provide legal billing guidelines summary and notation for timekeepers and legal support and finance teams.
We take pride in our team’s combined 500 years of ebilling and billing experience. As a remote, green, diverse, and inclusive firm, we learn and grow collectively every day. We have established partnerships with some of the leading legal billing software providers on the globe, and we put our customers first. As eBilling representatives for some of the most prominent law firms all over the country, we always provide the highest level of customer service and account management for all our clients.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
As an entrepreneur, I’ve faced numerous challenges in creating a small business that supports top-tier law firms that cater to some of the biggest corporations in the world. Despite the initial struggles, my company has continued to thrive. However, being a new player in the industry, consistency has been an issue. We experienced a large influx of business in the beginning, which was more than I had anticipated or could handle. Additionally, it takes time to understand clients’ needs and provide them with the best service possible. There’s a rough trial-and-error period, and if you have high-expectation clients like we do, it’s easy to crumble. Unfortunately, we lost all our business during a three-month period when we only had low-level ebilling professionals overseeing contracts. I didn’t want to jeopardize the quality of service my clients deserved or let go of my new team. I had to be resilient and go back to the drawing board. I fixed my infrastructure, ensuring I had the necessary resources and team members to onboard clients quickly and support them. Since then, we’ve been back on track, with more work than we can handle, and we’ve been thriving ever since.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
As doers, we often use the common phrase “If you want something done the right way, then do it yourself” to justify our reluctance to ask for help or the lack of available assistance. However, this phrase falsely suggests that others are incapable of completing tasks professionally and efficiently. The truth is that there are many capable and willing individuals who are ready to work diligently for a great company, provided they are given clear expectations and adequate resources to perform their duties. Moreover, as businesses grow, so do responsibilities, and it’s impossible to be an expert in every area, such as accounting, HR, legal, and the business itself. Thus, delegation is essential, as two heads are often better than one. By limiting oneself to doing everything alone, one may also limit the potential for business growth and scalability.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.smartebillteam.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smartebillteam/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smartebillteam/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inemesit-edet-smartebillteam/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/eBillWhisperer
- Other: https://www.smartebillteam.com/no-ledes-astray