Smokeball Reviews

Pros

The workflow setup is really useful especially being able to attach specific templates to each process. The integrations with Word, Outlook and similar tools are a big plus too since they let me save drafts and emails directly into the file, including attachments.

Cons

The check writing and accounting side works differently from what we're used to especially in a firm like ours that deals with a wide range of payment structures and methods. That said Smokeball has been working with us to build a solution that fits our firm better.

Pros

One of the biggest advantages of Smokeball is how closely it works with Microsoft Office. Outlook, Word and Excel all connect well with the database which makes handling documents, whether that means finding them, editing them, creating new ones or sending them by email, a lot more efficient. On top of that, the document automation tools are incredibly robust and something we rely on heavily. Their customer support has also been excellent. Everyone I've dealt with has known the product very well and the company feels accessible, almost like it has a flat structure where getting answers or help is usually just a quick call or message away.

Cons

The tradeoff for all of that capability is a fairly steep learning curve. It's not that the system is especially hard for everyday users but if you really want to maximize what the software can do during setup, you need to put real thought into how your practice is structured before implementing it. I'd also like to see a stronger community of third-party consultants. A user group or shared knowledge base where customers could exchange ideas and best practices would be a valuable addition.

Pros

Moving over to Smokeball was very simple and they delivered on every commitment they made during onboarding. On the uncommon occasions when something comes up, there is always someone available to talk with us and fix it quickly. They also really want to understand how we use the software and they've often improved workflows based on our feedback. We absolutely love it.

Cons

Biggest downside is the cost because beyond that there's very little not to like about the software. The mobile app could do a better job of refreshing and syncing with the online system and it would also be helpful to save PDFs offline directly into Smokeball.

Pros

Hands down, this is the best support I've ever received from a software company. It doesn't end once you sign on or finish the migration either. The Smokeball team keeps working on the product, regularly improving it with a strong focus on user needs and overall experience. I've been behd impressed with the ongoing support and commitment.

Cons

My practice is mostly focused on personal injury so I did have to adjust my new client intake process to match Smokeball's matter type and a few elements I needed were missing from the Smokeball matter setup. Even so, they do listen to customer feedback and are willing to build suggestions into future versions of the software.

Pros

From intake to closeout, it keeps our cases organized all the way through. Being able to tag emails quickly, use standard templates and forms and handle billing in one place makes managing matters much more efficient and effective for our team. The support has also been outstanding, our Client Success team has been excellent and Alyson and Sara from training have been especially helpful. The billing reports are another standout feature and I rely on them a lot when working with clients and handling firm operations.

Cons

There are a few specialized features we'd still like to have but the team is always willing to work with us on an alternative solution or submit a function request when needed.

Pros

Keeping everything paperless has made file management much more convenient and I can pull up any message or document in just a few clicks. Having immediate access to all of my files, both current and past, has been a huge benefit.

Cons

The toughest part was learning some areas of the system especially templating and workflows.

Pros

When I was looking for my next case management system, I had two priorities, portability and simplicity. Smokeball delivered on both. Whether I'm in court, at a deposition, out of town or sitting in a conference room, my entire file cabinet is with me. At my desk or working remotely from my laptop, I can get to more than just part of a file, I have everything: documents, matter details, emails, calendar items and upcoming tasks. It really feels like carrying my whole office on my smartphone. Smokeball is powerful and can handle a lot of detail and granularity but the interface still stays simple. It organizes and stores a huge amount of information in a way that feels user-friendly and I almost never struggle to locate what I need.

Cons

I'd change how emails are stored. I'd prefer them to be automatically filed into subfolders so they don't crowd the main matter file.

Pros

Billable time tracking has been a huge win. The system automatically captures enough billable work that it more than covers the cost of the software on its own. On top of that, Smokeball's technical support is the best I've dealt with from any vendor. Whenever something comes up, their response is incredibly fast and they stay focused on getting it resolved which is rare compared to most companies I've worked with.

Cons

One limitation is the Outlook contact integration. After the initial contact import, Smokeball does not keep syncing with Outlook continuously so any new contacts have to be added manually in both Outlook and Smokeball from that point on.

Pros

Switching over from our very old and outdated case management system, Client Profiles, has honestly felt like a breath of fresh air. One thing I really value is having forms ready to email right away, instead of dealing with all the extra steps we used to go through just to prepare a document for sending. The customer support during our transition has also been excellent. Andrea Valle has been especially helpful, professional and patient with our team throughout the process.

Cons

Scanning documents directly into Smokeball does not work with our large Xerox copy machine. Because of that, we'll need to buy a separate desktop scanner just to be able to scan documents straight into a matter. We're also hoping Smokeball keeps developing and tailoring the system to better match each customer's state-specific legal practice. Our office mainly handles Workers' Compensation matters and the default Smokeball setup is built around another state. Since we practice in Georgia, the available options and configuration do not line up with what we need for cases here. That means we have to manually add different parties and settings to create the proper case setup, while also leaving some of the default options unused. I really think the platform will become much better as Smokeball continues building out state-by-state default case management systems. And with Mr. Tillman's 35+ years of experience, we'd be happy to help if feedback on a Georgia Workers' Compensation default would ever be useful.

Pros

Email, document creation and the onboarding/training have all been really solid parts of using Smokeball.

Cons

The billing process feels tedious so we end up using PayPal instead. The ticket system can also take a lot of time and because it isn't web-based, bringing new staff onboard is more limiting than it should be.

Pros

One of the best parts of Smokeball for me is its AI-powered billable time tracking. I do my best to enter time as I go but that does not always happen in real life. Smokeball makes it simple to go back, review the work I completed on a specific matter and then change the view to see every matter I worked on during a particular day.

Cons

There are a few additions I would love to see in future Smokeball updates to make it even stronger: a one-click way to turn web pages into PDF documents, the ability to capture time spent browsing the internet for work such as due diligence and a cleaner email view that shows only one version of an email thread even when multiple users saved the same string to a matter. Going through several copies of the same email chain makes review less efficient than it should be.

Pros

Right from the start, Smokeball's account management and customer support have been outstanding. They were there throughout the transition to make sure everything went well and they've continued to be just as helpful afterward. Anytime I run into a question or an issue someone is available to help, even when the problem ends up being related to my hardware rather than the software itself. They treat every concern seriously, no matter how small and the team has been genuinely wonderful to work with.

Cons

task list does not appear on the calendar page. I've requested this change more than once and still hope it gets added. That said my account manager came up with a really helpful workaround that has addressed the issue for now.

Pros

The connection between Smokeball and Outlook works well especially for saving emails without extra steps. Adding contact details all at once and having that information retained is also very useful. The letter generation feature is another big plus and works exactly as needed.

Cons

The mobile version could be better if it showed all phone numbers. It is not really a complaint but using two monitors is definitely helpful so you can keep Smokeball open on one screen and still access the Microsoft Suite on the other for Word, Outlook and Excel.

Pros

Being able to work from anywhere has been a big plus and having all of our documents stored in the cloud means our clients' files stay secure while still being accessible whenever we need them.

Cons

Integrations with Word, Excel and Outlook are definitely useful but they can slow down both Smokeball and the computer a little.

Pros

Honestly I enjoy everything about it and really like using this software.

Cons

There's nothing I dislike about Smokeball. I genuinely enjoy working with this software.

Pros

Having email integration, automated forms, Infotrak connectivity and electronic filing all in one place has been a big plus. The automated billing integration and activity tracking also make day-to-day work much more efficient and organized.

Cons

The iOS app works well overall but there's still room for improvement. One issue is that using it on a phone without a strong Wi-Fi or cellular connection isn't very reliable. After speaking with the vendor, I learned the app is currently going through a major upgrade so I'm hopeful those issues will be addressed.

Pros

One of the biggest advantages of Smokeball has been the amount of automation it offers. The search tools have also been incredibly useful especially since they let us look through not only document and email titles but the actual text inside documents and emails too. We're still getting through onboarding yet the automated time tracking and forms have already saved us a lot of effort. The account management and onboarding staff have been excellent as well. Anytime a question comes up or we run into an issue, they respond quickly and help us get back on track. The training sessions have been valuable too. It's definitely a robust system with a lot to learn if you want to use everything it can do but it has already fixed many of the problems we dealt with in our previous legal practice management software.

Cons

A few things have been frustrating. Memos don't appear in document searches which limits how useful that feature can be. There also isn't a dedicated place to log notes from phone calls so we've been relying on the memo function for that and it doesn't feel as organized as it should. Timekeeping for calendar events also needs attention. If a two-hour client conference is scheduled but the meeting only lasts 45 minutes, you have to remember to manually adjust the time entry that gets created. The only other issue I've noticed is that because the software is so large and feature-heavy, it can sometimes be a little slow to respond. Even with those issues, the advantages of the program have been much more significant than the drawbacks we've run into.

Pros

Document automation has been the standout feature for me and it's well ahead of other practice management tools that need extra third-party software to deliver anything close to the same outcome. The automatic time tracking has also completely changed the way I run my practice. Another big plus is how responsive Smokeball's account managers are. That level of support feels very different from some competitors, where getting help can mean waiting far too long for someone at a call center to reply. Here, my dedicated account manager answers emails almost immediately and stays on top of any questions or requests.

Cons

One area where the company could improve is being more open to third-party integrations and APIs. That's really the one aspect where it doesn't match some other software in this category.

Pros

Getting started was quick and low-stress thanks to the onboarding process. Once I set up the forms I use most often, putting together and sending correspondence started taking less than half the time it used to. My account manager has been friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely helpful and support has responded fast the few times I've run into issues. The Android app is also miles ahead of the other system's app. It's not flawless but when I'm away from the office and my attorney needs something handled immediately, I can do almost everything from my phone except print a hard copy. That alone has saved me a lot of hassle more than once, the difference between driving into the office on a weekend and taking care of an urgent issue from the porch in two minutes.

Cons

A few of the data entry forms still feel like they were designed for a slightly different setup than the one we use. I've had to come up with a couple of workarounds for matter types that don't quite line up though it's not a major issue and definitely not something that comes up every day. The scanning utility is another area that could be better. I do appreciate being able to scan directly into Smokeball without first creating a local file and importing it but the interface feels pretty awkward. They're clear that this functionality isn't officially supported and is just offered as an extra feature but since I use it nearly every day, I really wish it were more polished and organized.

Pros

Having everything at one spot has really helped me improve my contact database and keep all of my clients and prospects organized. It has also helped me make improvements to my website. Another big plus is how responsive the Smokeball team is whenever I need training or have questions.

Cons

I'd really like to see them add syncing between Outlook contacts and Smokeball contacts.