Robert Ambrogi Blog
A Web-based service called vCita launched yesterday that allows you to easily add a widget to your blog or website through which clients and potential clients can schedule a meeting with you and arrange payment in advance. Once the meeting is set, you can meet with the client in a vCita-hosted video-conference room or telephone conference call. Meetings can be recorded to revisit later on.
The service is not targeted exclusively to lawyers but to anyone with an online presence who wants to give visitors a way to contact and interact with them. But it is easy to see how it would be useful to a solo or small-firm lawyer.
Here is what vCita does:
- Creates a contact interface. vCita creates both a contact page and a contact widget for you. You can add the widget to your blog or website or simply add a link to the contact page. From either the widget or the contact page, a visitor can send you a message or schedule a video or telephone conference.
- Schedules the meeting. You set your preferred hours for meetings and then visitors select open times from within that schedule. If you use Google Calendar, vCita will synchronize your availability.
- Ensures payment. If you want to set a fee for meetings, you can set vCita to ensure that the contact provides a valid payment method and to ensure that the funds are available. Once the meeting is held, vCita processes the payment.
- Hosts the meeting. Meet the contact in a vCita video meeting room or through vCita’s conference calling service. All meetings can be recorded.
vCita offers both a free and paid version. The free version does not allow for processing of online payments or for phone conference meetings. The paid version costs $21.95 a month, with discounts for four-month and annual subscriptions. It also charges a 3% credit card processing fee.
For more information, see the video below.