Zlien Partners with Avvo to Bring A Robust Legal Center to the LienPilot3

We just posted about the LienPilot’s brand new look.    Well, including in the overhaul is the addition of a Legal Center.   Every project administered by the LienPilot gets its very own Legal Center, where lien law information applicable to your specific project is displayed.

To make the Legal Center even more productive, we’ve partnered with Avvo.com, the world’s largest legal directory, to provide content from construction law attorneys around your project.   Still can’t find what you’re looking for?   You can ask an attorney from Avvo.com for legal advice…for free!

Take a look:

Chart Specific To Your Project

Aren’t you sick of charts and mechanic lien law digests that show you all the information you could possibly want to know about liens….but nothing about your specific project?   The LienPilot’s legal center solves this problem.  It learns about your project, and displays only the relevant info.   Starting with this chart.

The chart displays the Mechanic Lien Law and Preliminary Notice Requirements relevant to your project in an easy-to-read chart.

Free Forms

Underneath the chart in your project’s legal center are Mechanic Lien, Notice, Release and Lien Waiver forms that are applicable to your project (again, only stuff that applies to your project).    Download them with the click of a button, or don’t – they’ll always be there.

Ask A Lawyer For Free Legal Advice

Our Legal Center is not designed to be a substitute for good legal advice.   The Legal Center is providing you with information about mechanic lien laws in the project’s area, but you may still have some questions.   Well, through our partnership with Avvo.com, you can ask for legal advice from construction attorneys in your state.    The legal advice is absolutely free of charge, and you can ask your legal questions from right within our Legal Center.

Find Construction Attorneys Near Your Project

Is it time to raise the stakes and hire an attorney to collect your debt, or resolve your dispute?    Well, the Legal Center displays to you the Top 10 Construction Attorneys near the construction project. The rankings are provided by Avvo.  The Legal Center helps you hire great construction attorneys who are familiar with the laws and procedures near your project.

Deadline Explanations

The Legal Center also provides you with a list of deadlines calculated for your project, and explanations for each.

There’s More!

There’s even more to our Legal Center – we just couldn’t fit it all here.   Sign up for Free to get a Legal Center for your project, and Lien Smarter.

The LienPilot Has A New Look!

We’ve gutted our LienPilot and completely re-designed it with a new look!    The remodeling makes the service easier to use, and easier for you to find the features you need.   We call it LienPilot3.

No-Nonsense Navigation

We’re building a web application that your business can use to calculate and manage the Mechanic Lien and Preliminary Notice requirements across the United States.   The first order of business should be a navigation system that is productive and intuitive.    Check out #1 in the above-image, and our new Main Navigation Bar.   From any screen you can easily switch from one project to another by selecting it from the drop down, or access system-wide settings and information.   Want to go back to the home screen?  Just click on the LienPilot logo.

Get Help

Every page has these two icons:   The Help Chat and the Help Video.    Click on the video link to see a video tutorial on how to use the features of that particular page.  Click the chat icon to chat with someone from the Zlien team anytime during business hours.  If it’s after business hours, leave a message and someone will get right back to you.

Project Nicknames

Perhaps this was the most requested feature from users.   Sorry it took so long, but we finally delivered.   You can nickname any project by clicking on the “Set a Nickname For This Project” link.   Wherever the project is displayed in the Pilot, this nickname will appear.

Deadline Notification Improvements

Our deadline notifier is already an industry leader, notifying you of upcoming deadlines via email, by allowing you to download the deadlines into your calendar, or by letting you subscribe via RSS Feed.   The new deadline calculator screen makes it easier than ever to read the deadlines, it allows you to dismiss deadlines…and, for the biggest improvement, allows you to order any notice or lien document due with just one-click.

Click on the “Order This Document Now” link, and you’ll be sent straight to the Lien Wizard’s check out after confirming the order information.

In-Project Navigation

Previously, everything about your project was crammed on one page.   We’ve created in-page navigation with tabs, so you can get a clear and clean picture of what’s going on with your project.   Only look at the information you want to see.  Our next blog post will highlight our new Legal Center tab – one of the more robust improvements we’ve launched.

More Improvements Planned…

We’re excited to hear your feedback about the new look. We consider this to be the start of many improvements. We’re currently designing an easier way for you to get help when you need it and we’re also working on a number of performance improvements to make the LienPilot even faster.

Let us know what you think!

Not already using the LienPilot to manage the LienLaws across the country and manage your company’s deadlines and notice requirements? Sign Up Now — It’s Free.

Where Have We Been? Fixing Server Problems

Wow – how time flies!   It has already been a month since our last blog post, and if you’re a client or frequent reader of the blog, you may have been wondering:   What have we been up to?

You may remember our website (http://zlienit.com) and blog going down two or three times in July, leaving many of our users and readers frustrated.   It made us quite frustrated, too, and since this wasn’t the first time we had problems with our GoDaddy Dedicated Servers (boooooo), we decided it was time for a change.

Over the past month, we’ve been working very hard to change servers for this blog and the Zlien service without losing any data, and with the minimal amount of downtime.    While it was a long haul, and there were some bumps, we’re happy to be finished with our move.

The website and blog are noticeably faster than before, and I can assure you – our service is more reliable than ever.

It’s a shame that the server switch took so much time and energy, and really made blogging and other updates difficult.   But, all is right with the world again, and we’ll be posting more regularly and rolling out some really awesome updates to the site.

Wait to you see what we have in store for our users in the next month…Stay tuned!

Three Ways We’ve Improved Commenting on the Construction Lien Blog

Here at the Construction Lien Blog, we love to talk about mechanic liens.    If you’re a reader, you likely have an interest in mechanic liens and mechanic lien laws too.   As such, we want to hear from you.

This is a WordPress blog, and since it’s launch we’ve done very little to make commenting easy or efficient.   We know.    Things have changed here in three important ways:

1. We’ve installed CommentLuv.   Not only is it easier to post comments, but CommentLuv will find the most recent posts to your blog and add them to your comment…thus, increasing traffic to your blog or website.

2. Our blog “follows” comments.    You may or may not know this, but the default settings on most blogs instructs search engines to “nofollow” comment links, meaning your comment does 0 for your search engine value.   We appreciate those who comment on our blog posts and participate in the conversation – and so we’ve turned this off, asking the search engines to index any links within our comments.

3. Add your Twitter username to your comments.   Whenever anyone is viewing your post, they can click on your twitter information and follow you.

As you can see, these three improvements make commenting at the Construction Lien Blog a better experience…and a more beneficial experience for you.  Go ahead, give it a try.   Tell us what you think, or how we can make commenting even better and easier.

Now Sending Emails in Text or HTML – You Choose

After updating our system back in November, we heard from many users that the system generated HTML emails were not getting to their inbox clearly, and users requested the ability to receive emails with text formatting.

Well, we went to work and now all users have the choice of receiving emails in Text or HTML.    By default, users are set to receive HTML emails.   Changing this setting is easy.

First, Log into the Lien Pilot.   On the welcome screen you should see your profile information in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.   Next to your Profile information is the “Update” link.    You will click on this link to update your profile settings.

Take a look at this screenshot of the welcome screen upon login:

Second, you’ll simply scroll down to the bottom of the page.  You should see text that says “I want to receive HTML emails” and a checkbox.   If you want to receive emails in regular text formatting, just uncheck this checkbox and press “Save.”   Here is a screen shot of this:

The Wizard Makes Ordering the Right Document at the Right Time Easy

Express Lien’s new Lien Wizard makes it easier than ever for contractors and suppliers to have preliminary notices, notices of intent to lien, mechanics liens and even lien releases processed.

It’s this simple:

1. You put in your project information (state, your role, project type);
2. The Wizard tells you the applicable notice requirements and lien deadlines
3. You select from the list of associated documents

Express Lien’s database of lien and notice deadlines and requirements is more extensive and accurate than any other database in the country.

Take a look at these screen shots to see how the first 2 screens of the Wizard works:

Step 1: Inputting Your Project Information

The first step is easy.    The Wizard asks four basic questions about your project – the state where you are working,  your role in the project, who hired you, and what the type of project.

Lien laws vary state-by-state, but they also vary depending on those other three factors.   It is common for states to impose heightens notice requirements for residential projects…and oftentimes, notices are required only from subcontractor and those without a contract with the owner (rather than from everyone).

Step 2:  Getting Applicable Notice and Lien Requirements for your project

With the small amount of information you provided, the Wizard pulls and displays from its database only the information, requirements and deadlines that are relevant to your project.

Once you’ve read over the notice and lien requirements, you’ll be ready to choose the type of document you want to file or send.   Even this component of the Wizard is tailored to your project, as only the documents relevant to you and your project will display.

Watch It On Video

Screen shots just not doing it for you?

Take a walk-through of these first two steps on video:

And remember, a database is just a database.   It has limitations.   We feel great about our product and its ability to display to you the relevant laws, notice requirements and lien deadlines.   However, there will never be a substitute for a real live attorney reviewing your specific project.    Express Lien is not a law firm.

Meet The Industry Leader in Lien Management and Filing

SEATTLE, WA (XLIEN) November 2, 2009 — Welcome to the new ExpressLien.Com – an industry leading web-based mechanics lien management and filing system.

We’re happy to announce the launch of our new website, and the introduction to a number of new services that helps your company Lien Smarter…and Get Paid.

Express Lien’s list of improvements makes our company the clear industry leader in providing web-based solutions for contractors and others in the construction industry who manage and file preliminary notices, mechanics liens and other lien documents.

The improvements and new features include:

Free Deadline Calculation & Management

Lien rights are valuable to our clients, and so it’s important to protect these rights by meeting statutory deadlines.   Managing these deadlines has proved difficult, since they are complicated, and change depending on where you’re working, the type of work performed, and more.

Express Lien offers lien deadline calculation and management for free.   You input the details about your project, and Express Lien will calculate your project’s deadlines.   When you login to the Lien Pilot, you’ll see all upcoming deadlines, ensuring that your company timely sends notices and liens…and protects its most powerful collection tools.

Improved Lien Pilot to Manage Orders, Projects and Lien Documents

When logging into Express Lien’s new Lien Pilot, clients will be met with a cleaner and more intuitive interface.   Users are able to manage project details, quickly check on the status of orders, input information to calculate and manage lien deadlines, and more.

The Lien Pilot is an asset to your collections department.   From here, you can organize the delivery of notices and liens, prevent lien rights from expiring, and cleanly keep track of your collection efforts on a non-paying construction project.

A Smarter Lien Wizard

The new Wizard is smart.    As you input information about your construction project, the Lien Wizard reduces the types of documents available to you to order.   By the time you’re ready to select your document, you’ll only see documents applicable to your project’s state, your role in the project, and the stage of the work.    The Wizard will also display the notice requirements applicable to your project, so you can review these before deciding which type of document you’d like to file.    If you are still unsure, the Lien Wizard will make suggestions to you.

Our service is completely web-based, meaning you don’t have to install, service or upgrade any software.  Everything is right where you need it, when you need it.

Plus, there’s no pressure to spend anything with our company.  You can mange you project data and deadlines without joining any memberships, without paying a monthly fee and without spending a nickel.   The nation’s most intuitive and efficient web-based lien management system is yours absolutely free.

When you’re ready to file a lien with us, you can painlessly make the order using our new Lien Wizard.   Express Lien is a revolutionary service that makes filing liens easy and intuitive.  You give us the project details, and we’ll have the lien form filled-in, filed, sent to interested parties and uploaded to your account.   It’s easy and reliable, and all done for one low flat fee.

Speak with someone today if you have any questions.  We’re glad to help your company Lien Smarter.

Construction Lien Blog added to ABAJournal Website

Since 2007, Express Lien has been in a leader in construction legal document preparation, and has published the Construction Lien Blog, commenting on our services and construction lien information and news.

We’re pleased to learn that the Construction Lien Blog has been recently added to ABA Journal’s BLAWG directory, and can be found here:  http://www.abajournal.com/blawgs/construction_lien_blog/.

ABAJournal.com is the Web site of the flagship magazine of the American Bar Association, and provides the public with an extensive listing of legal blogs from law firms, attorneys, legal journals and consultants.

The term “BLAWG” is used in the legal industry to describe “law blogs,” and is specifically derived from combining those two words.

ExpressLien’s Construction Lien Blog becomes one of just 30 blawgs nationwide delivering information in the “construction law” category.  To see summaries from all 30 blogs, click here.

Express Lien a Featured Company at Construction Exchange

Construction Exchange, a social networking site for contractors and construction professionals, has selected Express Lien this morning as today’s featured company.    Express Lien is one of 100 companies listed as a Featured Company at Construction Exchange, out of over 1000 registered companies on the site.

Take a look at Express Lien’s profile at Construction Exchange here, or click here to join and become a member there.

Express Lien Is Getting Smarter All The Time

With 2009 now underway, Express Lien is excited about the launch of new features and services that will help contractors Lien Smarter in these tough economic times.

The web and service improvements include:

The Lien Wizard: Our new lien wizard helps contractors choose which documents to file on a project, and to provide us with the information we need to prepare your instruments.  The wizard helps you Lien Smarter today…and its getting smarter everyday.

The Construction Lien Blog:   Our new blog address where we’ll blog about lien laws across the country, and any changes in the country’s lien laws.

Talk to us on Twitter:  Keep up with Express Lien’s services on Twitter, where we tweet about lien laws, construction news, Express Lien services and more.   http://www.twitter.com/expresslien

We File Notices, Lien Cancellations, Liens, Public Liens and More.  If it’s a legal document that applies to your construction project – we prepare it, file it, send it and save it.

Client Login & Lien Management:  Our clients can now login to the Express Lien website and manage all of their projects and lien documents, and since we save all of their information online:  place new orders quicker than ever.

Help! Our new “How Express Lien Works” page guides visitors through our website, our wizard, our lien management software and more with instructional manuals, videos, and other help documentation.  Don’t forget, you can always contact us via email or live chat, too.