If you’re just starting out as a process server, you’ve probably wondered what you can do to be more successful. Process serving can be a competitive field, so you’ll want to do everything you can to stand out from the crowd. In this post, we’ll go over our top tips to achieve ultimate success as a process server in the Florida panhandle:
Get Certified
Any process server who wants to work in Pensacola must be certified by Florida’s First Judicial Circuit. The 1st judicial circuit covers Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton counties in Florida. To become certified in these counties, you must:
- Pay a $300 application fee
- Pass a written examination covering Chapter 48 of the Florida Statutes
- Submit a notarized application
- Obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct
- Post a surety bond for at least $5,000
If you want to serve process in an area not covered by the 1st judicial circuit, you must seek certification or appointment in that area. Being certified to work in multiple areas gives you a definite competitive advantage when seeking work.
Be Available
Another big mistake new process servers make is being too limited in their business hours. If you only take calls for a couple of hours each day, you could be missing out on potential customers. Many customers will simply go with whatever server they speak with first, so you need to try to be available to answer the phone and emails as promptly as possible. If you miss a call, always be sure to call the number back as soon as possible. By being more available than the competition, you can pick up those customers who go for the first available server.
Prioritize Proper Service
Process servers in Florida are held to a high ethical standard. If a server is found to engage in “malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, or incompetence” while serving, they can be permanently barred from serving process in the entire state. This is why it is so important that process servers act with the utmost professionalism while serving process. Process servers must never lie or deceive to complete service, nor should they violate any criminal laws or civil rules while working. Some areas even require that process servers not be involved in any pending litigation or be behind on their child support. If a court finds that a process server acted inappropriately while serving process, they can not only discipline the process server, but they can also deem the service invalid and require that defendants and witnesses be served again. This can cause extreme delay and extra expense to a case, which is not ideal for anyone.
Strive for Fast Turnarounds
When a civil case or subpoena is filed, a clock starts ticking. The process must be delivered to the named litigants and witnesses in the court documents before a set deadline (depending on the type of case) or the case must be filed (and paid for) again. This is why it is crucial for process servers to start working on the cases they receive as soon as possible. While most process recipients are fairly easy to locate and serve, you never know when you’ll get a recipient who doesn’t want to be found. These cases require much more time and effort, so you’ll want to have as much time as possible to locate the elusive litigant before the deadline is reached. Also, serving process recipients quickly will give you a positive reputation in the industry and could possibly lead to more work coming your way.
Maintain Communication
One of the biggest complaints we hear about our competitors is that they do not maintain contact to their customer’s satisfaction. Staying in touch with your customer is essential to build the trust and rapport that will turn them into a repeat customer. Ask the customer upfront how often they would like updates and via which method – phone call, email, text, etc. Be sure to adhere to those preferences and keep them informed about their case.
Here at Accurate Serve®, our customers are always up-to-date with our online status tracking tool, available right on our website. Customers can log in anytime, 24/7, from any device with an internet connection, and see the most recent information about their case(s).
Join the Best Process Server Team in the 1st Judicial Circuit
Are you ready to take your career as a process server to the next level? Then join our team of process serving professionals at Accurate Serve® of Pensacola, Panama City, Fort Walton Beach, Milton, and Mobile. We can offer you dedicated mentoring, an extensive professional network, and a centralized platform to use for tracking your jobs. For more information, call us at (850) 264-2917, email brennan@accurateservepensacola.com, or contact us online.
