Client Intake

Believe it or not, the key to a successful law firm is more than just getting your clients the best possible outcome on their case. As a matter of fact, many lawyers don’t win their client's cases, yet their clients are thrilled with them. Ultimately, it all boils down to the customer experience. Building strong connections with your clients through professional conduct will keep them returning for more business, and encourage them to refer you to their friends and family.But if you fail to build that bridge, it won't just result in poor reviews, it will affect your revenue. It goes without saying that it's in your best interest to elevate the client experience.Here are some of the best tips for getting the most out of your relationship with clients, streamlining client intake, and accumulating rave reviews.

1. Practice diligence

Before anything, you have to practice diligence for your clients. So how do we define diligence in the context of client-attorney relationship? For starters, it means performing to the best of your ability when handling their case — being thorough, being transparent, and being as prompt as you can.Beyond that, it’s about keeping your clients' best interests in mind. In some cases, your client's best interests may clash with what's most convenient for you. And though a customer-centric mindset is the key to making happy customers, putting your clients at the center doesn’t always mean putting them first. Going above and beyond for each client at the expense of your business isn’t sustainable in the long-term. What you should strive for is finding a balance between keeping your client’s satisfaction in mind and focusing on the best interests of your business. For many, finding this balance can be a challenge. However, a customer-focused mindset counterbalanced with a business mindset can be a virtue that will open many doors for you.

"Going above and beyond for each client at the expense of your business isn’t sustainable in the long-term."

2. Pay attention to details

The devil is in the details. Attorneys are all-too familiar with this idiom. From your operational duties to your billable work, one seemingly minute overlooked detail could play a key role in your client’s case or conflict. However, with so much on your plate, it can be challenging to stay on top of it all. From juggling your law firm marketing to responding to incoming lead inquiries to drafting up complicated contracts, lawyers have plenty to worry about that can make the minuscule details a blur. The great news is that you can avoid this limitation with the right tools; staying on top of details doesn't require more work. It's all about being resourceful.Law firm client intake software, for instance, guarantees that your client's information is entered correctly — the first time. Rather than manually inputting your clients' information, client intake software pulls it directly from the client intake form and plugs it directly into your database, saving you time and eliminating errors.Lengthy contracts and other critical, informational documents that can take hours to days to assemble manually. Legal document automation makes it possible to turn template documents into intelligent automated workflows, saving you hours a week on busy work.With law firm automation tools such as these, not only do you ensure 100% accuracy on the details, but you also gain priceless time that you can focus on what matters most at your law practice — your relationship with your clients.

3. Manage your time wisely

In a busy practice, every second on the clock is valuable. Making the most out of your time will increase your efficiency, avoid lawyer burnout, and in turn, create happier clients. To that end, accountability for your time is key. But without a baseline of how your time is being spent and how much you’re allocating to administrative work, identifying opportunities to be more efficient becomes particularly challenging.Consider, for a moment, the amount of time your firm spends on new client intake — sending fee agreements for signature, data entry, consultation scheduling, etc. You have no real way of measuring your current or potential efficiency without knowing how many hours you currently dedicate to that part of your business.Lawyers looking to keep track of where their time is going turn to legal reporting software. An easy-to-read dashboard makes it simple to measure how productive you are, how many tasks you're completing overall, and where the problem areas lie. That way you know whether or not any improvements need to be made, and where, for instance, the holes in your client intake process are that should be addressed and improved. Goal tracking for law firms will ensure that you're aiming to deliver fast and consistent results for your clients, by keeping the ball continuously rolling on their cases.

"The most practical way to make each client feel like they're your only client is by employing legal technology."

4. Make it easy to get ahold of you

One typical complaint that clients have about their legal counsel is inaccessibility; they seem impossible to get ahold of for legal advice or a quick legal question. This is understandable, of course, since lawyers are spread in 10 different directions at any given moment of a day. Yet, the foundation of a strong relationship whether in a law firm or elsewhere is communication; your ability to build a lasting connection depends on it. The more responsive you are, the more satisfied your clients are with your legal service. But, to be clear, this does not mean answering the phone for every client or replying to emails as they appear in your inbox — that’s downright unrealistic. The most practical way to make each client feel like they're your only client is by employing legal technology to make them feel connected every step of the way.Client intake software is capable of delivering an immediate response based on triggers of your choice. Whether a client signs up for a newsletter or fills out a legal client intake form, they'll get an automated reply almost instantaneously. Once they're a client, you can use tools like a client portal to grant them access to their case details 24 hours a day. They can log in with a secure link, view everything from calendar events, to important documents, and even send you a message.But not all clients have the same communication preferences or access to technology. In addition to a client portal, you may also want to consider giving them multiple ways to communicate with you. Whether by email, a client communication portal, or SMS for law firms, it helps to have multiple options. The less you make your clients sit around waiting to hear from you, the higher your client satisfaction rates will soar.

5. Make document signing simple

One of the biggest hiccups of the client intake process is getting documents signed. After all, asking your clients to print, sign, scan, and send back to you isn't always easy for their schedules. The easier you can make it for them, the more likely they are to be happy with your services.Instead of asking clients to take multiple steps to get an important document back to you, allow them to sign electronically. Electronic signature for legal documents is an alternative and hassle-free way to sign documents. Not only does it make your clients' jobs much easier, but also yours. You can get the ball rolling much faster since clients can sign and send documents back to you from any device with an internet connection. Convenience is key.[oxygen-template id="6135"]

6. Allow them to self-schedule

There's nothing more frustrating than trying to find an appointment time that works for both you and your client. In many cases settling on something that accommodates both of your schedules can result in a long, drawn-out string of emails getting nowhere. Instead of dreaded email back and forths, avoid this limitation and allow your clients to schedule their own appointments. Simply sync your calendar to a CRM for lawyers with built-in automated appointment scheduling. Doing so will offer your clients visibility into your availability by the date and hour so they can choose the time that works best for them. Not only will you impress your clients with your modern approach to appointment setting, but you'll significantly lower your no-show rate and schedule conflicts.

7. Make sharing files easy

Digging through emails trying to find the right attachment is exhausting, not to mention disorganized. Make it easy to send and receive critical case files and confidential information securely by sending links to your client where they can upload files directly to the client portal. Centralized storage eliminates the need to dig through multiple locations to find the right file, and makes you look much more organized and competent as a lawyer, further improving your client-lawyer relationship.

8. Offer e-payment

The latest legal trends report shows that 65% of legal consumers prefer paying for legal representation online with a credit card. That being the case, it’s safe to assume that many of your clients have the same payment preference. Rather than subjecting a potential client to an in-office visit each time they owe a balance on an invoice, make payments as quick and effortless as possible by offering e-payment.

Source: Clio 2021 Legal Trends ReportE-payments also make your life easier since you can effortlessly keep track of who has paid, and who still needs to settle up.

9. Keep your clients engaged at every stage of the client journey

Keeping your clients engaged through personalized, scheduled and targeted emails is a must. Modern legal technology makes it easy to send automatic messages to clients each time they move from one stage to the next. However, one of the biggest mistakes that lawyers make is assuming that clients only need to be engaged during the potential and existing client representation phase. In actuality, former clients can be one of your biggest gold mines for more business. 75% of law firm business comes from referrals. So if your goal is getting more clients, understand that cutting off communication after a closed case is a major missed opportunity.There's no time like now to engage and re-engage with existing and former clients. Whether you're sending a welcome email, or a happy birthday message to someone you worked with before, nurturing and engaging through targeted emails solidifies the client-attorney relationship and breeds more business.

10. Use data to measure your relationships

Don't take your customers' words for it — use data to measure whether your lawyer-client relationships are as strong as you'd like them to be. A great place to start is by tracking your client acquisition rate. Legal reporting software like Lawmatics shows you where your best clients are coming from, and what your prospective client retention rate is.A low retention rate could be an indication that you need to make serious changes. You should also consider sending out surveys to your clients regularly. Feedback can be a wonderful tool for understanding what it is that your clients would like to see more or less of. Lastly, read your reviews regularly. If the majority of them are positive, then chances are you are doing things right. If you get one or two bad reviews, then chances are you're still probably doing things right. However, if the same issues continue to pop up across multiple reviews, then it's something that you should take into consideration.The more that you can tune into what your customers are thinking and feeling through reviews paired with law firm data analytics, the better you can use that information to strengthen your client relationship.

11. Don’t bite off more than you can chew

At some point, you have to accept that you have a limited workload. In order to give each client the attention they deserve, be sure that you don't take on more work than you can realistically handle. Your clients are paying you to be committed. Spread yourself thin and it will be obvious to them that they are not a priority. By Identifying and sticking to an ideal caseload, you won't jeopardize their experience.

12. Practice self-care

Your commitment to a meaningful attorney-client relationship doesn’t equate strictly to legal representation. Instead, think of it as the oxygen mask scenario on an airplane. Always tend to your own oxygen mask first before helping others with theirs. In other words, if you don't practice self-care, you won't be able to put your best foot forward for your clients. That's why it's important to take breaks when needed and get plenty of rest. Statistics show that lawyers are one of the most stressed-out professions and have a higher propensity to suffer from depression.So, if not for yourself, at least practice self-care for the well-being of your clients. A burnt-out and overworked lawyer can't adequately represent their clients.

Make each client feel like they’re you’re only client with Lawmatics all in one law firm CRM marketing automation and legal intake solution

When you're spread thin it's not always possible to stop what you're doing for a 10-minute follow-up call with every client throughout the day. That's why it's critical that you harness the power of the right legal technology to strengthen your relationships with your clients without the manual effort that comes with it. Lawmatics’ marketing automation for lawyers, law firm CRM, and client intake solutions, not only connects you with new clients but stays in touch with your current and former clients, and elevates the client journey. Put your client relationships first, while Lawmatics takes care of the rest.Are you ready to see how Lawmatics can help you nurture your relationships with clients, and enhance their overall client experience? Sign up for a free demo today!

In today's digital-driven world, people are much more likely to go online to find lawyers than they are to look inside of a heavy phone book. People go on Google to find what they need and they want to find it quickly. Studies show that after performing a Google search, 25% of people will call one of the first three results on the page. If that wasn't enough to make your ears perk up, 95% of web users never even click past the first page of Google search results aka Google SERP.

As the joke goes:- Where is the best place to hide a dead body?- On the second page of Google SERP.

So, in short, you want to make sure that you show up on the top of the first page! The secret to getting to the top is SEO for law firm websites. If you're not sure what that means, don't worry. Chances are they probably (definitely) didn't teach you about it in law school. Besides, this article isn't for lawyers who are already SEO experts. It's for lawyers who are just getting started with their online marketing strategy. So, let's break down what SEO is and how it can help your law firm.

What is SEO?

This short and sweet little abbreviation stands for search engine optimization. It is the practice of bringing more visitors to your website and improving your search engine results. There are a few different ways to use SEO to encourage your websites to appear at the top of the search result page for search engines, and there are several different search engines out there, but the one we all know best is Google.SEO-optimized websites generate more traffic to your law firm’s website on Google and in turn, generate more leads. In short, SEO helps people find your site without it getting lost in a sea of search results.

What is an SEO ranking?

Your ranking, as the name suggests, refers to how you rank on search engine results. For example, a number one SEO ranking means that you appear at the very top of the page for a particular search term.Without making your head spin too much, basically, Google has incredibly complicated algorithms that decide what content gets displayed, how, and the order it will show it to you in. Google gets this information by sending around search bots known as spiders to creep and crawl around the web (Get it? Spiders? Web? You see what they did there?) and add optimized pages to Google's index. So, when people go to Google and search for something, Google will go into its index and deliver what they think the most useful pages are.These spiders check for qualities like:

• Page purpose
• Content quality and amount of content
• Information about whoever created the content
• Reputation
• User Interaction like bounce rates and amount of time spent on the page

And lastly,

• E-A-T: expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Meaning that they want to make sure that your page can be trusted as a reliable source.

Why does SEO matter for lawyers?

So, how do all these crazy acronyms come into play for your law firm? SEO matters for your law firm because it's a key method for reaching customers, not to mention it's more cost-effective than traditional advertising. Many businesses have been optimizing their website for SEO for years. However, more than ever have now caught onto the importance of focusing on their digital marketing strategy since the onset of COVID. People are online more than ever now, so now is the time to get your law firm visible on Google search results.Let's go over how SEO helps you take your law firm to the next level.

Organic search matters

A recent trends report revealed that nearly 20% of legal clients found their lawyers online by performing a basic search. Usually, it goes something like this: "best lawyer in Denver'' or "divorce lawyers near me." Google lists the best results according to its band of spiders, and the user makes their selection on what to click. This is known as an organic search because the results aren't influenced by advertisements.Organic search traffic is one of the most effective ways to grow your leads. So, as marketers are starting to figure out, you need to make friends with Google if you want to increase your brand's visibility. Although there are different ways to improve your website's performance, ultimately, organic search is almost always the primary source of website traffic.

Builds trust and credibility

Quality SEO establishes trust and credibility for your law firm. When someone clicks on a beautifully laid out website that's easy to get to from a simple web search, then people are more likely to trust its credibility. People assume that whatever Google shows them must be the real deal. However, trust and credibility don't happen overnight; it takes time and patience.By chipping away slowly at your SEO strategies, over time you'll build authority and credibility on Google that establishes yourself as an industry leader.

Better understanding of clients

Once you start tuning into the SEO world, you start understanding the voice of your legal clients. In short, SEO keywords tell us what your potential clients are looking for, and what they need. By observing SEO data, you'll understand the intentions of your ideal client. What are they looking for? What is their user behavior? SEO will lay all of this out to better understand the brains of your target audience.

Improved user experience

Ask any marketing expert, and they'll tell you that user experience should be a high priority. Despite the value of better organic search rankings, user experience is still high up there on the scale of importance. Google knows how to interpret a good user experience, and if it rates your website as a poor user experience, it will affect how successful your website is.So, what goes into the user experience? Some examples include:

• How quickly users can find what they need on your page
• Any errors a visitor encounters
• How mobile-friendly your site is

A great user experience is one that addresses the needs and desires of your website visitors and delivers.

More clients

Local SEO will optimize your presence for a specific area so people can easily find a lawyer near them. By optimizing your page so that it focuses on a specific city or region, you'll stand out as the local trusted source for your practice area. Make sure that in addition to optimizing your website with local citations and backlinks, you also encourage user reviews on your Google business profile. When people search for a local lawyer, and they see you with a 5 star Google review next to your name, chances are they're going to call you first.

You can measure your results

One of the best parts about SEO is that you can measure your results with tracking and analytics. The most successful firms are data-driven and use analytics to understand their performance, especially when it comes to their online marketing efforts.

How to monitor your rankings

Before you can start improving your SEO ranking, you need to know where you are starting from. One of the most straightforward ways to find your starting point is to start Googling search terms that you think potential clients would use to find you. See where your website appears in the list of results.You can also use online Keyword research tools that will show you the specific organic keywords that your website ranks for. Here are a few to choose from.[oxygen-template id="6129"]

6 SEO strategies to start with

1Do keyword research

A great place to start is thinking of what kind of topics or keywords you'd like your law firm website to rank for. Write down at least ten of these. Once you have a few topics in mind, start identifying some important keywords that fall into each of these categories. For example, if you are a family law attorney, and you'd like to rank on a topic like "getting custody of my children," try to think of a few keywords that people might type in related to that.When coming up with keyword ideas, use keyword research tools to find even more alternatives that you may not have thought of otherwise. There are several different keyword research tools to search from, but for purposes of keeping things simple, try using Google Keyword Planner first. It's a straightforward tool that helps you identify how often certain keywords are used, and other alternatives to consider.

2Create a blog that answers potential clients common questions

Websites that have a blog get 55% more web traffic and a whopping 70% more leads than those that don't. Starting a blog on your law firm's website can be an incredible boost to your ranking. Each time that you add a blog post it counts as a new indexed page and increases your credibility.The key to a successful blog is writing about subjects that your target audience wants to know more about. For example, if you're a DUI attorney, it would make sense to write a blog about common DUI charge questions. Provide something valuable that will lead people to your page for more information. Instead of making it an overly self-promotional post, stick to legal advice and double down on what you're good at. Focus on providing your readers with solutions and expertise.A great way to get more readers to your blog is sending out an email blast and promoting on your social media accounts. You can use law firm data analytics software directly built into your law firm CRM to see how well your emails are performing. If your click through rate is not where you'd like it to be, meaning that people aren't following the link to your blog, then tweak your call to action wording a little next time until you see an improvement.The more visitors you can get to engage with your blog, the more credible you'll appear to Google

3Optimize your website with relevant keywords

Now it's time to start using all of those keywords throughout your law firm's website. Every single page on your website should include those keywords to help Google understand what your website is. Each time that you create a new blog post, make sure that you've included all of the words in your keyword list. The more that Google sees these keywords, the more that you'll be leaving bread crumbs for a prospective client to find you.

4Link to your own content

You can think of the number of links that lead back to your website as a popularity ranking on Google. The more websites that link back to your page, the more Google will trust that your website is a valuable source. Linking to your own content can help Google recognize your website as a relevant and authoritative source, increasing your search ranking. In short, each time that you link to another page on your site you're reinforcing your authority.

5Create a Google My Business account

Google My Business is a totally free listing directory and is your direct link to Google Maps and Google local search results. And although there are many different business directory sites, Google is the most important that you should focus your efforts on. 72% of consumers say that they would trust a positive review on Google as much as they would a personal recommendation from a friend. So, if you can manage to establish a five-star reputation for your law firm on Google, you'll find a significant increase in reaching more potential clients.The more reviews you can get from your clients the better. Not only will it improve your search engine rankings, but you'll also establish trust.You can even link directly to your integration with Lawmatics CRM for lawyers and attorney intake software so that people can book their own consultation directly from your Google business profile.

6Analyze and improve your results

Building a winning SEO strategy doesn't happen overnight. You'll have to go through a continuous cycle of trial and error to eventually get the results that you want to see. Analyze your results and refine them as you go. Use a tool like Google Analytics to see how your SEO efforts are performing and how well you're ranking.

Should I do my own SEO or hire an expert?

If all of this is making your head spin, then you're not alone. Your area of expertise is law, not keyword optimization. But using on-page, off-page, and technical SEO can be one of the best things that you do for your law firm. Make no mistake about it, however, there is a time investment required which isn't always realistic for busy lawyers. Adding one more project onto your plate when you already have so many administrative tasks required to run your practice may seem impossible.You may want to consider hiring a law firm SEO expert. Outsourcing your attorney SEO to a pro may be much more convenient than trying to take it all on yourself. Although they are convenient, a law firm SEO expert is an additional investment. So if adding one more expense to your budget isn't something that you want to commit to, then you'll need to carve out more time in your schedule to focus on your law firm SEO marketing strategy.[oxygen-template id="6131"]

Grow your practice with SEO

The overall premise of SEO isn't complicated. Its purpose is to increase your law firm website's visibility on Google and get you more clients. Yet, there is a big learning curve and a significant investment whether you decide to do it yourself or hire external law firm SEO services. Like it or not, it is an essential part of marketing your law firm in 2021.By implementing a marketing strategy full of the best SEO marketing for lawyers and content marketing for law firms, you'll skyrocket the number of leads you produce and in turn, boost your revenue. However, it can't be stressed enough how important it is that you understand what legal client intake is and that you have an effective intake process in place once leads contact your law firm.Many law firms find themselves with a sudden rush of incoming inquiries but don't have a reliable response system that organizes leads and ensures no one gets forgotten. Manually inputting each contact's information is incredibly time-consuming and risks plenty of errors. Statistics show that 86% of the time law firms fail to collect a potential client's email address, which means they can't follow up with email.The right client intake software like Lawmatics will get all of the necessary contact information from a lead the minute they first contact your law firm through Google or fill out a legal client intake form. From that point on they're tracked meticulously, ensuring that no opportunity gets missed, alerting you what actions need to be taken next.You'll be able to see where each lead stands from a glance in one single dashboard, ensuring that your hard SEO efforts don't go to waste. Are you ready to see how Lawmatics law firm CRM and client intake software can help boost your law firm SEO strategy? Sign up for a free product demo today!

A recent survey asked just under 100,000 customers about a recent service interaction they had to gain better insights into customer loyalty. They found that exceeding customer expectations made nearly no difference in how loyal a customer was after the experience. So, contrary to popular belief, going above and beyond for a customer doesn’t actually create loyal customers for life. In reality, it’s expensive for a business to deliver beyond their means 100% of the time considering it clearly yields no more results than meeting expectations.Yet while what you do beyond what’s expected of you may not make a huge difference, what does make a difference in customer loyalty is the amount of work you make them put in. The fact of the matter is people want to put in as little effort as possible if they're paying you for a service or product.So, the secret is, if you can simplify your clients’ lives by making things as easy as possible while still managing to meet their expectations, you'll have a loyal customer for life.

The key to customer loyalty is reducing the amount of effort your clients have to put in

The amount of loyalty your legal clients will show you directly hinges on how easy you make it to work with you. People want to feel valued and connected to their lawyers every step of the way. The last thing they want is to be treated like just another number on the list, so if you can delight them by making it easy to get a hold of you and answer their questions as quickly as possible, it may not even matter if you get the best possible results on their case. What matters most to clients is speed, efficiency, and as little effort on their end as possible.[oxygen-template id="6131"]

9 ways to give your clients a low-effort experience

1Make it easy to communicate with you

One of the most common complaints that people have about lawyers is poor communication. In a traditional law firm, it can be downright impossible to get a hold of a lawyer. Statistics show that 42% of the time law firms take an average of three or more days to get back to their clients. Needless to say, this is way too long of a delay.Put yourself in your leads’ and clients’ shoes for a minute. If you’re interested in purchasing a product or service from someone, you expect to be called back sooner than three days later, right? With so many competing law firms out there, clients are likely to forget about the law firm that didn't call them back and go with the lawyer that gets back to them as soon as possible.Nobody is interested in playing phone tag. They expect to call or email a lawyer and get a response back, it's really that simple. The only way to meet the modern consumers’ need for immediacy is to get back to them right away.Yet, as any lawyer can tell you, a lawyer’s job is extremely demanding. Between attending court dates, creating complex legal documents, and developing legal strategies for their clients, they don't always have time to step away from a paying client to pick up the phone or answer an email as quickly as people can stream a movie of their choice on Netflix.Even if you have a front desk staff, getting back to every single client right away paired with all of the other administrative work it takes to run an office is impossible. After all, lawyers are people, not robots! This is where technology steps in to do what humans can not.The highest performing law firms rely on automation to reply to leads and clients right away for them.The right law firm client intake software and CRM for lawyers delivers an immediate response so that you never have to step away from a paying client again. Automated and personalized messages are sent out based on triggers of your choice that will delight and engage from day one.Whether a potential client signs up for a newsletter or someone fills out a legal client intake form on your website, automation sends out an immediate reply. Your CRM will start tracking that lead meticulously from the very first day they contact your law firm so that your clients never have to chase you. Software tells you what steps need to be taken next ensuring that no opportunity gets missed And no clients have to sit around waiting for the lawyer to get back to them.

2Let clients check the status of their case any time

In a traditional law firm, clients must collaborate with their lawyers on their case according to their lawyers’ terms. Yet no one wants to be at the mercy of their lawyer's erratic schedule and wait around to get a simple answer back.Software like Lawmatics' built in client portal makes it possible for clients to access their case details at any moment. They simply log into a secure link where they can view everything from documents, tasks, to calendar events, and even send a message to your lawyer with any questions. Your clients will be thrilled with this low-effort, modernized self-service option that gives them direct access to your law firm.

3Don’t make them repeat information

One of the most common reasons why people hate calling customer service is because they dread being passed on to different departments and having to repeat the same issue over and over. The redundancy of having to repeat a problem sometimes upwards of three times is downright frustrating.In the legal world, it can be extremely insensitive to ask your legal clients to repeat information over and over. Some legal matters are highly emotional, and asking clients to relive their problem over and over by answering the same questions isn't fair or professional.Make it easy for your clients by ensuring that everyone on your staff is up-to-date with case details. A CRM for attorneys stores all case and contact details in one single database so that no matter who is answering the phone, they'll have the information they need and right in front of them.

4Make it easy to pay you

Nowadays the modern consumer is accustomed to arriving at checkout and being given a wide range of payment options. Whether it's PayPal, installment options, or by credit card, people are now conditioned to being able to pay however they want. So, if the modern consumer is already used to being able to pay however they want for day-to-day transactions, why would paying their lawyer be any different?A recent trends report showed that 65% of consumers prefer to pay with a credit card. So, for crying out loud make it easy for your clients and offer e-payment. First of all, most people don't have a $10,000 retainer lying around. Even if they do, it's probably tied up in investments. Besides, having to pay by cash or check is incredibly time-consuming for your clients. Asking your clients to manually fill out a check, put it in an envelope, and take it to the post office is high on the effort scale. The same goes for asking your clients to pay you face to face — especially during a worldwide pandemic. So, simplify things for your client and offer e-payment.You should also seriously consider implementing payment plans that allow your legal clients to pay by automated payments or transfers. Chances are that some of your clients will have money constraints, so they'll greatly appreciate the offer to split payments up. By making payments as easy as possible for your clients, they'll be much more likely to return for repeat business, and refer you to their friends and family.

5Make it easy to sign documents

Part of the client intake process involves a lot of document signing. In many law firms that means a client needs to print, sign and scan or fax these documents back to their lawyer, or even drop them off at the post office. With so many steps involved, it can be a real hassle for clients to find time to do. Clients are understandably irritated having to go through all these processes to get something signed. This puts lawyers in a tough position since the longer it takes to sign important documents, the longer it takes to get the case rolling.Offering an alternative and effortless way to sign legal documents can be a game-changer. Allow your clients to sign important paperwork on the go from wherever they are. Law firm client intake software like Lawmatics comes with built-in electronic signature for legal documents that makes it easy to create, sign and send your most important documents into one single place. Not only does it make your clients' lives much easier, but it makes lawyers' lives easier too!

6Make it easy to schedule an appointment

Dreaded long drawn out emails back and forths are no one's idea of a good time. When all the client wants to do is schedule a consultation, but you can't seem to agree on a time that works for both of you, you're creating a substantial amount of friction in the client journey. Consider offering a simpler way to schedule appointments by offering a self-service option.It's as simple as syncing your calendar to your legal CRM and sending a link to your clients. With direct access to your schedule, your clients can choose only the available times you want them to see that works best for their schedule thanks to automated appointment scheduling.Not only are you making the scheduling process a million times easier for your clients, but you'll significantly reduce no-shows and scheduling conflicts. In most cases, your clients are busy people too. So, make their lives easier by keeping them informed by sending automated appointment reminders.

7Don’t make them wait (for anything)

Clients want to be able to communicate with their lawyers and be able to ask what the status of their case is or request a document. Making your clients wait around to hear back from you is no good. what if you gave your clients the power to instantly collaborate with you whenever they want.Allowing your clients to access any documents, notes, or messages at any time means your clients no longer have to play a waiting game when they have questions. A client portal gives your clients direct access to your firm, providing instant client service without costly bottlenecks that make clients feel forgotten!

8Communicate their way

Not every client has the same communication style. Some people prefer the phone, while some people prefer texting. Instead of only giving your clients one way to get a hold of you, why not offer multiple channels. SMS for law firms gives your clients the power to communicate with you in the style that works best for them. Don't worry about having to scramble in multiple inboxes or through your phone to find your client's last message. Thanks to your CRM, you can see all of your client interactions in one place. from emails to text messages, it's easy to keep track of all your interactions, regardless of how the client got a hold of you.

9Make file sharing easy

Nobody wants to have to dig through email attachments to find important files. Instead, make file sharing a smooth process. The right software like Lawmatics allows you to send a link to your clients where they can log into their portal and find or send documents right away.An all-in-one centralized storage solution eliminates the need to track down files, and keeps them all in one place, making life considerably easier for your clients and you at the same time.

Take your client’s experience from high-friction to highly efficient with Lawmatics legal software

Simplifying your clients' lives as much as possible will ultimately win them over. If you can provide an effortless and streamlined error-free experience then you'll watch your customer loyalty skyrocket.These are just a few of the ways that you can deliver effortless legal services to your clients, and transform your practice so that it meets the needs of the modern consumer. The no-effort service possibilities are endless once you start getting creative with new ways to better serve your clients.Are you ready to learn more about how Lawmatics CRM for lawyers and attorney intake software can boost your legal business in ways you didn’t even know were possible? Sign up for a free demo today!

The process of moving leads through the client intake process can be one of the most chaotic and time-consuming parts of a lawyer’s job. Not to mention — unbillable. Be that as it may, capturing clients’ information is an unavoidable part of making a great impression and getting everything you need to open their case. For this reason, lawyers eager to take on as many clients as possible need to master the most efficient way to handle the client intake process.Before we dive into what makes an amazing client intake process, let’s start with examples of client intake that look more like, “meh.”

5 biggest client intake mistakes

Losing time on manual data entry

Administrative tasks are some of the most arduous and taxing parts of running a law firm and can quickly eat up a lawyer’s day in no time. Even so, there’s no way to get around them. The good news is that there are smarter ways to get these tasks done. If your client intake process involves repetitive and manual processes like data entry that eat up hours of your day that you could be spending on more important matters, then you need to rethink your client intake process.Keeping up with the demands of all your clients with a manual system will surely lead to burnout and frustrated clients. Workflow automation for law firms can save you so much time on your client intake process that you’re actually losing money by not making the switch to automation. What would have taken you hours to days to get done manually can be accomplished in a matter of minutes — all with the click of a button.As a lawyer, time is money and every second counts. The more time you can save to focus on what matters most in your law firm, the more time you have to increase your revenue.

Taking too long to get back to leads

One of the most common complaints about lawyers is their communication (or lack thereof.) Taking too long to respond is a tremendous mistake when it comes to client intake. The client intake process is all about setting the tone for what a lead can expect from you once they’re a client. So, if you take three days to get back to their initial inquiry, or worse, fail to get back to them at all, then you’re missing a huge opportunity.In today’s consumer-driven market, prospective clients want to feel like they’re a priority. If you can’t make a client feel like they are then they’ll turn towards a lawyer that can. There are 1.3 million attorneys across the United States — the competition is fierce, so you need to be on your A-game.

Not tracking your leads

If your law firm takes down a lead’s information by pen and paper that gets stuck to a desk somewhere to be “called back later” then you’ve got a fallible client intake process on your hands. You must have a system set in place that meticulously tracks a lead from the minute they contact your law firm, or you have no way of knowing whether you’ve followed up or not.What’s more, tracking your leads shows you what’s working and what’s not. Although tracking your leads on a spreadsheet is possible, you risk errors. The most reliable way to ensure that leads never get forgotten is with client intake software for lawyers that meticulously tracks each stage of the client journey. You can see whether a lead has been followed up with and what actions need to be taken next all in one single dashboard.

Losing time on lengthy back and forths

Part of a successful client intake process involves setting up the initial consultation. Finding the best time that works for both you and your client can quickly turn into a drawn-out game of email tag.Not only does this waste your time, but you’re also wasting clients’ time. Eliminating the back and forth of setting up an appointment is one of the best ways to deliver an optimal client experience. Automated appointment scheduling makes things easier and faster for everyone.

Not pre-screening clients

You’re not always going to be the right fit for everyone that calls your law firm. That’s why it’s imperative to get the important information upfront before a consultation. Taking time out of your already busy schedule for a consult only to find that it’s not the right fit for your law firm is time and money lost.It’s as simple as using a custom template that quickly gets the answers you need from your leads so everyone is on the same page. That way, whether they’re not in the right geographic area, or you don’t practice the area of law their case requires, you can guide them in the right direction without losing time on a consultation that wasn’t needed.Now that you’ve got an idea of what not to be doing, let’s go over what you should be doing to deliver an exceptional client intake process.[oxygen-template id="6131"]

1.Identify what you need to know about your client

The first step is identifying who you’re trying to sell to.- Who are they?- What do they do? - How do they spend their time?- What’s their salary?- Do they have a family? Do they have a spouse?Knowing who your ideal client is will help you build a more consistent intake flow based on the most consistent patterns you see coming in. Consistency is key when it comes to delivering a quality client intake process.By knowing the type of person you’re trying to appeal to, you can fine-tune your efforts and set yourself apart from other law firms. A one-size-fits-all approach isn’t realistic. So, with your ideal client in mind, you can appeal to their unique needs and speak the same language.

2. Understand your ideal client

Beyond knowing who your ideal client is, you should also understand them from the inside out. Identifying their actual problem will help you pitch the best selling point for why you’re the best possible attorney for their case.The more that you dive deeper into what your ideal client needs, the more you can get creative with who you partner up with. For example, a personal injury client who was injured in a car accident is likely to need a new car. It might be a good idea to partner up with a local car broker, or even a mechanic.Offering a holistic approach that offers connecting them with other professionals who can help them with their bigger problems beyond just their legal case is a great way to offer a thorough intake process — one that makes it clear why you’re the best person for the job.

3. Know where your clients are

When your ideal client has a question you must make yourself the most obvious choice for the answers. For this reason, knowing where your clients are and where they’ll be makes it easier to present yourself as their best resource.For example, if you’re an estate planning lawyer, your best clients may not even know they need you yet. Put your ads where those kinds of clients are likely to be, like financial advisers. The more you can think ahead about where your ideal client already is, the more you can narrow your focus and anticipate what they’re going to do to find you.

4. Track your leads

If you’re not tracking your leads then you have no idea what law firm marketing efforts are a complete waste of resources and you have no insight about what needs to be improved. Using a lead tracking law firm client intake software like Lawmatics organizes your leads into categories of your choosing like how they found your firm and their demographic data.The categorization and tracking of your leads doesn’t just lead to better organization, but it helps you gain better insight into what the most effective methods are for conversion to clients. Law firm reporting software can reveal who your most valuable leads are, how they found you, how much revenue they produced, and how many hours their case involved.Knowing what kind of prospects become clients the most consistently helps you capitalize on your best leads to get the most ROI on your marketing campaigns. Because when it comes to growing your law firm, information is power.

5. Proactively tell your potential clients what they need to know

Once your leads are in your CRM for lawyers, it’s time to start engaging them to convince them how you can help and why. Automated email workflows for law firms make it easy to set up personalized drip email marketing campaigns that get the right message to leads tailored towards their unique needs.Proactively send them information that shows why you’re a credible and trusted source to handle their case. Rather than an overt sales pitch, focus on sending relevant and useful information that positions yourself as an expert.Give an overview of how you can help them, and any successful cases like theirs that you’ve had in the past. Send social proof like client testimonials and expand on anything in their case that could build your credibility even more.Talk about why you’re a great attorney for their case, why it should be you, and most importantly, make sure that you include a call to action. A call to action is an invitation for them to take the next steps towards becoming a client. Whether it’s sending a link for automated appointment scheduling so they can book their own consultation, or inviting them to sign up for your newsletter. Make it easy for them to choose you as the right person for the job!

6. Screen your leads quickly

Before going into your consultation, send your lead a legal client intake form so that you have as much information as possible. Not only will it make your consultation go that much better if you know important details already going into the meeting, but it will also determine whether you’re the best person for their case.There are several factors that could result in referring them to another lawyer as the best choice. Whether they’re not in your geographic area, or their case does not fall within your area of practice, get them to someone who can take care of them.If you can’t help someone on their particular case, but you can help steer them in the direction of someone who can, you’ll build a great rapport with them that could lead to future referrals. Not to mention you’re saving time that you would have lost on a consultation for a case you won't take on.

7. Make a smooth transition for your client

By using the information stored in your attorney intake software, your staff can stay on the same page about your clients’ information. Making your client repeat the same details over and over about their case isn't just irritating for them, it can also be traumatic.Family law cases or personal injury cases may be extremely emotionally charged for your clients. Don't make them have to repeat the same story over and over each time that they call your law firm.Make it as smooth as possible as a transition for the client as possible and it won’t go unnoticed. Save the information and refer to it rather than making them repeat their story to a paralegal, lawyer, receptionist, etc. Make it so if there is new information, you can override it, or change it within your system, but please don't make them repeat it again. If they do want to rehash their story, then by all means be all ears. But don't force them if they are reluctant to go over it yet another time.

8. Sell without selling

The most effective way to convince your client that they've made the right call to reach out to your law firm is to deliver an exceptional client experience from day one. The minute a client first contacts your firm is an opportunity to show them why you're the right person to hire. Whether they send a client intake form from your website, or they call on the phone, they are as of that moment a potential client who you need to pitch yourself to.Sell them on the experience that they’re going to have with you. That means making sure whoever answers the phone is kind and helpful, and that your website is in working order without bugs or crashes. Deliver a beginning to end exceptional experience that shows them you value them as a potential client.Right off the bat clients want to know they made the right call by hiring you, so don’t give them any reason to think otherwise! Have your staff tell stories as they go into the consultation sharing similar success case stories. Assure them that you have plenty of experience with similar cases and how you made a difference. In short, help people psychologically convince themselves that you’re the best option for them and you’re well worth their money.Keep your clients up to date by giving them direct access to their case, and streamlining the process by sharing files directly with them through your CRM.

9. Use e-signature and e-payment

The most modern practices offer e-signature. Not only is it much more convenient for your clients to be able to send something from the palm of their hand using a client intake software like Lawmatics, but you may have clients who are particularly vulnerable to COVID.Asking them to get in their car and drive to your office to sign something could be (literally) putting their life in danger. Use legal file request automation to get whatever documents you need from them and allow them to sign from wherever they are using a client e-signature tool. What’s more, asking clients to have to print, sign, and mail something back to you means the longer it will take before you can get their case rolling.In addition to electronic signature for legal documents, you should also consider offering E-payment. No one likes credit card fees, but it keeps things clean and organized. You’re better off with a credit card fee than going through the hassle of waiting for a check and waiting for it to clear. Getting things signed and paid as seamlessly as possible is ideal for your client and your practice!

10. Keep the great work going

Don't make the mistake of believing that once you have secured a client that it's okay to stop delivering a consistent experience. Many law firms neglect the importance of delivering a consistent experience through each stage of the client journey, not just intake and active matter.75% of law firms' business comes from referrals, so deliver an exceptional experience that will encourage former clients to refer you to their friends and family.Don't make your clients regret hiring you for the job. Follow through with your promises, and your Google rating will show for it.

Deliver an amazing client intake experience with Lawmatics robust legal client intake software

Lawmatics is recognized as the most intuitive and robust CRM for attorneys and client intake platform specific to the legal industry. Lawyers can lighten their load and let automation handle the tedious and time-consuming day-to-day administrative tasks that can bog down their schedule, negatively impacting their attentiveness during the client intake process.By relying on a go-to client intake resource like Lawmatics that automates the client intake process for you, you can create more business, happier clients, and ultimately greater profitability at your law firm.Are you ready to see how Lawmatics can help your client intake process be the best that it can be? Sign up for a free demo today!

A career as a lawyer is one of the most coveted occupations there are. Beside the opportunity to help people, becoming an attorney offers unique flexibility, huge earning potential, and diverse selection of practice areas to choose from. Because of the rewards that come along with a career in law, it’s no big mystery why the ambitious decide to take the path to become a lawyer. However, along with all the perks can also come a considerable number of challenges. Going to law school with the intention of starting your own law firm requires undertaking a tremendous commitment. Although the end result can be rewarding, anyone looking to become an attorney has their work cut out for them—to put it lightly.The reality is that many lawyers spend very little time in an actual courtroom, and often more time taking care of the administrative tasks that it takes to keep a practice going. Statistically, lawyers spend over 50% of their work week on tasks they’re not even paid for, like sending out marketing emails and following up with potential clients.The great news is that lawyers' workloads can be significantly reduced thanks to the help of legal software. As legal technology continues to advance, the more that lawyers can leverage these tools to efficiently handle their workload. The client intake process in particular is one of the most time consuming aspects of a lawyer's job. Provide a five star client intake process that’s thoughtful and thorough and you’ll successfully convert prospects— provide a careless client intake process full of holes, and you’ll lose business. It’s that simple.With so much going on in a lawyer's schedule, it can be difficult to give each client the attention it takes to please them. Every client wants to feel like they're your only client, and let's be honest, with so much on a lawyer's plate, it's impossible to give each client five star service on their own. The only way to give the kind of service it takes to delight and engage clients from start to finish is to automate with client intake software.Unfortunately, this is where many law firms get it wrong. In an effort to save money they avoid investing in tools like law firm CRM and attorney intake software. Yet in reality, client intake software like Lawmatics saves lawyers so much time that they’re actually losing money by not automating. Here are some of the challenges that you may be facing in your own practice and how automating with client intake software can be a game changer.

1. Law school doesn’t teach you
how to run a business

Law school teaches you all that you need to know about practicing law. From legal methods, to civil procedures, to legal writing, you learn everything you need to know to be an effective lawyer — except one major component that will determine the success of starting your own practice: how to run it like a business. Despite being technically trained to be a lawyer, that alone won’t find you clients. The only way to stand out in a sea of competing law firms and differentiate yourself from the other options is to start thinking like a CEO. The truth is that lawyers aren't just lawyers, they’re also salespeople.Manually marketing your law firm and following up with potential leads eats up a considerable amount of hours. Using law firm client intake software can streamline and automate your process, so you can turn your attention towards what you went to law school to do— practice law.When you start thinking like a business person, you realize that focusing your time and energy on profit-generating tasks is the most effective way to grow your practice. Turning to legal client intake software to automate processes can save you hours per week that you would have lost on administrative tasks.

2. Long manual processes

From responding to a lead's initial inquiries to scheduling appointments and sending and receiving agreements, manual processes take up countless amounts of hours to get done. Most of these administrative tasks are tedious, lengthy, and often risk being full of errors.Legal document automation software shaves off hours of your day with quick and easy document assembly that would take substantially more time to generate manually. Not only is the actual document creation simplified, and automated, but client intake software also eliminates unnecessary back and forth to get important forms signed by the client. Lawyers can easily send important paperwork to their clients who can sign from wherever they are thanks to a client e-signature tool. Paperwork that would have taken hours to days to get done is done with a few clicks, giving lawyers more time to turn their attention towards what matters most in their practice.Turning to client intake software can fill the gaps in your processes, doing them for you, so that your staff never feels like they’re gasping for air to keep up with it all. Automation saves hours a day, and doesn't just make things easier for your team, but also improves client satisfaction. Tools like SMS for law firms, automatic follow-ups, and the ability to self-schedule appointments makes your clients feel connected to you every step of the way. Thanks to automation in law firms, you can easily handle more business, because automation takes care of most of your client intake for you.In short, instead of drawn-out manual processes taking up all of your law firm's time, you can focus your energy on revenue-driving tasks and become more profitable. Best of all, automation allows you to personalize your responses so that your clients feel like they're connected to you and engaged every step of the way.

3. Competing law firms

Statistics show that over half of Google users use it to search for businesses. More and more law firms are starting to catch on to the fact that Google is one of their most important tools for convincing potential clients that you're the right law firm for the job. The truth is that you can be the best, most undefeated, and client-focused lawyer in your area, but if Google doesn't show you in the top search results, then people will go wherever the search engine is telling them to go.The best way to stand out against competing law firms is to execute the right marketing strategies. Even though the main part of your job is winning clients' cases, your job is also to market yourself. Finding and retaining clients is all about developing a law firm marketing strategy paired with tools like client intake software. From building a presence on social media to optimizing your website for SEO to blogging, the idea is to bring in leads. Once you have a steady stream of leads coming in, it's critical that you have an effective intake process to ensure a successful client conversion rate. Without client intake software, it can be difficult to prioritize finding time to manually follow up with leads when you already have paying clients who require your time.Client intake software doesn't just automatically follow up for you, increasing your chance of converting a lead into a paying client, but it also tracks each lead and tells you what actions need to be taken next. Surprisingly, nearly 30% of law firms don't track their leads at all. If you hope to stand a chance against the competition and ensure that your name comes up first in Google search results, you have to prioritize getting back to clients as soon as possible.Client intake software is your all-in-one solution for reducing your response time, eliminating the risk of leads falling through the cracks, and in turn improving your online reputation and making Google your best friend. Incorporating client intake software means you can rely on automation to do your marketing for you, so you have more time to focus on what matters most— your clients.

4. Long hours

Lawyers are no strangers to hefty workloads, and the smaller their practice is, the less staff they have to delegate all of the work it takes to keep their law firm running. Many lawyers work over sixty hours a week and as a result, many of them find themselves struggling to find a healthy work-life balance. As much as lawyers may seem like superhumans sometimes, the truth is they’re plain old mortals who require free time just as much as anyone else.A recent study revealed that due to the long hours and demanding workload, legal professionals have some of the highest rates of mental health disorders. It also revealed that a shocking 28% of lawyers suffer from depression, 19% suffer from severe anxiety, and over 10% of the lawyers surveyed had experienced suicidal thoughts that year.These statistics paint a startling yet accurate picture of the enormous stress that lawyers are under. The question then becomes, how can lawyers lighten their workload, and improve their mental well-being as a result? The answer lies in leveraging technology to reduce the pressure.Manual processes aren't just standing in the way of law firms' opportunity for growth, but also standing in the way of many lawyers' mental health. Using the right tools reduces tedious tasks, and makes your practice more efficient for less work. The end result is a greater quality of life, and more revenue— what more could you ask for?

5. Balancing potential clients
with paying clients

One of the biggest complaints that legal clients have about their lawyers is a lack of communication. Statistics show that two law firms as a whole have a remarkably low response rate, with as little as 30% answering the phone in a recent study. From a prospect's point of view, it's downright infuriating not to get a response back when you're looking for a lawyer. Yet, from a lawyer's point of view, it can feel downright impossible to prioritize getting back to leads when they have paying clients to focus their attention on.Many solo practitioners don't have the luxury of a front desk staff to get back to leads, so with all of the administrative tasks coupled with handling their clients' cases, it's easy for lawyers to have to prioritize paying clients over following up with leads.The debacle then becomes the fact that a steady stream of leads is how you build your practice. The only way that you can hope to succeed in attracting, retaining and delighting clients is with an effective client intake process. The most successful law firms regardless of their size rely on client intake software to follow up on their leads for them to ensure no opportunity gets missed.Automation ensures that clients get responded to quickly, and efficiently, from the first phone call to signing a retainer agreement. Client intake software like Lawmatics allows you to personalize your automations, and trigger certain responses based on your preferences. Perhaps when signs up for your newsletter, drip campaigns for law firms will send them an automated follow-up giving a little more information about your law firm. Or perhaps your client schedules a confirmation, client intake software will send an automated reminder significantly reducing the risk of client no shows resulting in lost time.Automation is the only way to prioritize leads and clients equally without having to sacrifice one for the other.[oxygen-template id="6131"]

Save time, cut costs, and drive growth with Lawmatics client intake software

It takes a team effort to build a thriving law firm, yet a team can only do so much with the resources that they have. The fewer employees that a law firm has, the more difficult it can be to follow up with every inquiry. A client intake solution like Lawmatics means automating your business and making it more efficient so your team can focus on staying connected with clients while automation handles your leads.From automated email workflows for law firms to sending out fee agreements and getting them signed thanks to electronic signature for legal documents, automation makes it possible to take on more business for a fraction of the work. You can seamlessly move your leads through each stage of the client journey with custom automation that offers a tailored experience that leaves a positive impression. Why over complicate your client intake process when you could leave it to technology to do it for you? The reality is that most challenges faced by law firms can be easily handled with Lawmatics.Are you ready to see how you can win more business, and impress your clients with the help of Lawmatics? Sign up for a free product demo today!

Legal case management software is a useful tool for helping law firms with their day-to-day operations. From managing contacts to billing and payments, it's a practical approach to managing workflows and accessing case details instead of digging through piles of paper. Usually, a case management software’s core features include:

Case Management

Case management software keeps track of all of the information you need allowing you to access it whenever and wherever you need it. You can access an overview of all of your cases in one single location from a cloud. Regardless of what computer you're on or even by using your phone, you can access each case detail you need.

Task Management

Lawyers can create tasks and assign them to multiple lawyers in their practice with assigned due dates for each different case. As such, they can easily view any upcoming appointments or noteworthy reminders.

Document Storage

Any important documents and files for each client are easily stored in one single location, accessed from anywhere at any time. From images to videos, any supporting case files are located in one place.

Billing and Payments

Billing and payments can be handled all within a case management software, automating the time-consuming parts of billing, helping lawyers get paid faster. It's also easy to track who's paid yet and who still needs to pay, making sure that nothing slips through the cracks in your accounting.

Contact Management

All contact information can be stored within case management software, making it easy to access contact details and keep you connected.

Basic Calendar

Any important case deadlines are kept within a built-in to help you stay on top of critical dates without having to use a separate calendar application.

Insights

Certain case management software helps you gain better insight into your law firm's efficiency and productivity with analytics.

Ultimately, a legal case management software helps lawyers stay more organized with their existing clients' information. Although, at first glance, case management software alone may seem like enough technology to run your practice, it's important to remember that a case management software only handles existing client matters and not on client intake. And although your existing clients are incredibly important, so are your prospective ones. Potential leads are what continually bring in a steady stream of revenue and ultimately scale your firm.In order to streamline your client intake process and seamlessly move leads into paying clients, making a positive impression along the way, you'll need a separate software that delivers a clear and consistent process for client intake.

What client intake software does that case management software can’t

Client intake is the process of attracting, following up with, and engaging with leads, eventually setting up a consultation, and ultimately converting them into paying clients. Throughout the process, lawyers need to collect important information from leads to determine whether their area of practice suits their needs and discuss details like fees and whether they’ve ever worked with a lawyer before.Gathering all of this information requires a tremendous amount of manual work for lawyers if they do it on their own. So, attorneys looking for a more efficient way to attract and convert leads rely on client intake software to simplify and automate the monotonous tasks associated with client intake.If you’re serious about growing your law practice, then you must engage leads from the moment they fill out a legal client intake form. In the absence of a systematic client intake process, leads can get lost, and opportunities slip through the cracks. Prioritizing tracking contacts throughout every step of the client journey, not just the existing client stage, will accelerate your practice and make lasting impressions that lead to repeat business and client referrals. Here’s how client intake software can help generate more business in ways that case management software can't.

Makes a great first impression

First impressions are critical for your conversion rate. With client intake software, you can make a lasting impression that shows potential clients you're the right lawyer to choose out of all of the competition. Since the most important thing people look for in a lawyer is responsiveness, it’s crucial that you follow up immediately. Statistics consistently show that the sooner you get back to a prospect, the greater your chances are of closing a sale. Without client intake software, it's impossible to manually get back to everyone promptly while giving your existing clients the attention they need. Statistics reveal that as many as 60% of firms fail to get back to leads inquiries within 72 hours. The result is lost opportunities and, in turn, lost revenue.Client intake software captures information from your client intake form and inputs it directly into your case management software or CRM for lawyers, eliminating the need for tedious manual entry. Once the client's contact information is in your system, your client intake software meticulously tracks each stage of the client's journey, telling you whether they've been followed up with or not and what steps need to be taken next. Automation makes it easy to elevate the client experience from the very beginning, keeping them engaged and ensuring that no opportunity gets missed.

Automated and customizable follow-ups

In the absence of client intake software, using case management software alone, there's no way of knowing where each client stands in the client journey. Client intake software puts your follow-up process on autopilot by meticulously tracking each client's transition through each distinct phase of the client journey. From client intake to active matter to former client, each phase is individually important for unique reasons, not only existing matters. Since case management only handles active matters, you need additional software to give your potential clients just as much attention through consistent follow-ups that send out the right message at the right time.From sending an initial follow-up message with helpful information about your firm to sending a reminder to schedule a free consultation, email automation for law firms stays in touch for you without you having to do a thing.

Automated marketing

The only way that your law firm can continue to grow is by continuously bringing in new clients. Although your primary job is to practice law, you have to put on your CEO hat and treat your firm as a business if you hope to scale your practice.Client intake software helps you reach your prospects through marketing automation for law firms, personalized and scheduled to your choosing. Drip email marketing keeps your prospects engaged to keep your firm top of mind. Automated marketing gives you the tools to grow your practice with the hands-off approach that allows you to turn your energy towards your clients while software attracts more leaves.Whether sending out an automated email for new clients or a newsletter to prior clients to encourage repeat business, automated marketing nurtures and engages contacts beyond the active matter stage of the client journey. Audience segmentation software gives you the power to group your contacts into separate email campaigns based on their unique characteristics for a more targeted and tailored approach.

Custom forms

Lawyers are no stranger to redundant tasks— yet they're a necessary component of running a practice. A substantial amount of lawyers' week is spent gathering client information during the intake process, which can quickly eat up time when executed manually. Instead of relying on manual methods to enter clients' information, dynamic smart form builders built and robust integrations into client intake software make it easy to get the information you need from your client and input it directly into your CRM for attorneys and case management software.Attorney intake software allows you to customize your forms with only the relevant questions you need from your clients, save them and you time. Potential clients can easily submit their answers, optimizing and streamlining your intake process and speeding up the transition to the next phase of the client journey. Features like legal document automation make it possible to take on more business at once and efficiently manage it without feeling overwhelmed by the administrative work that comes with more clients.

Automated scheduling

Although case management software comes with a basic calendar feature, it doesn't allow your clients to self-schedule. Running a practice with case management software alone means lawyers lose time on lengthy email back and forth and phone tag with leads and clients trying to find the best time for a consultation.Automated appointment scheduling is as easy as sending a link to your clients for your calendar, which allows them to choose a time based on only the dates you want them to see. Clients can easily set their own appointments and even cancel them themselves, saving you even more time on administrative work. Because of the added convenience of being able to schedule themselves, clients are thrilled by the modern approach with direct access to their lawyer.

Sends out reminders

Client no-shows are a serious problem for lawyers, with statistics showing that over 25% of initial consultations result in a no-show or cancellation. Not only is a client no-show a missed opportunity and a waste of time, but it's also an expense. Time is money when it comes to running a firm, and every minute wasted is time you could be spending on a pressing matter.If you have a significant client no-show rate, then one of the reasons why this may be happening is a lack of follow-ups. Although a zero no-show rate is highly unrealistic, automatic appointment reminders can lower your no-show rate significantly. Law firm client intake software sends out automated appointment reminders either by email or SMS for law firms, greatly reducing the chance of a no-show.When you make a personal connection with your clients, they are much less likely to cancel or fail to show up at all. Automated marketing and follow-ups stay top of mind with your leads and clients. Furthermore, it can save you hours you would have spent emailing and calling your contacts to remind them about their appointment or having to pay a front desk receptionist to do it for you.

Offers e-signature for legal documents

Most clients are eager to get their case rolling as quickly as possible. Before you can get started on your client's case, you need to draft up important documentation and agreements and get them signed. In a traditional law firm, lawyers ask their clients to print, sign and scan or mail the documents back to them, which can take a considerable amount of time depending on the client's schedule. Legal client intake software offers an electronic signature for legal documents that gets anything signed within minutes. From fee agreements to contracts, clients can sign from anywhere anytime— even from their phones.A client e-signature tool like Lawmatics offers, eliminates bottlenecks in your practice and gets the ball rolling on your clients' cases significantly faster. You can easily see within your software which clients have opened, signed, and approved their paperwork and keep a complete paper trail going without having to bother with printers or piles of documents to sift through. You can easily store everything in the cloud, making it simple to access important documents from anywhere, anytime.[oxygen-template id="6131"]

Prioritize every stage of the client journey with Lawmatics

The client journey starts the minutes that someone contacts your firm. Using case management software alone can leave a lot of firms failing to make a good first impression. Since case management software only handles the active matter stage of the client journey, you may be missing a significant amount of opportunities. Attorney intake software prioritizes every stage of the client journey because each one is an opportunity for more business, even a former client.Carrying out a client's case to end doesn't mean that it's time to hang up your hot and say goodbye. Since 75% of law firm business comes from referrals, you shouldn't stop the attorney-client communication even when a case is closed. Client intake software keeps contacts top of mind through engagement cadences like email drip campaigns and even friendly birthday messages. Showing your clients in each stage of the client journey that you remember and value them encourages customer loyalty.Are you ready to see how Lawmatics client intake software can help you increase your business, delight your clients in the stage of the client journey and earn a five-star reputation and plenty of client referrals? Sign up for a free demo today!

In a world where you can access 24-hour virtual assistants, order something online and receive it in an hour, and stream an entire season of a series in one sitting, it’s safe to say that consumers want what they want when they want it — which is as soon as possible.Welcome to the age of accessibility and convenience, where patience is low, and consumers expect more than ever. The most successful businesses know the importance of adjusting to the demands of the modern consumer and delivering a customer experience that delivers what's expected of them.The legal world is no exception. When looking for a lawyer, modern prospects expect to be followed up with immediately. Yet, speed is only part of ensuring a positive customer experience. A quick reply isn’t enough — on top of a fast initial response, you’ll also need to keep up with consistent communication during every phase of the client journey. You must show each client that they’re valued, treating each one like they’re the most important one you have. Ultimately, you have to meet your clients' needs to keep them coming back for more.

What legal clients expect

A quick response

Statistics show that over 80% of consumers expect an immediate response when inquiring about legal services. However, because of the demands of a lawyer's busy schedule, it's not always easy to answer the phone immediately or write an email back instantly. Besides practicing law itself, lawyers have hours and hours of administrative work to do every day that can eat up a considerable amount of their week. It's no big surprise why a recent report revealed that over 60% of clients who contacted a law firm inquiring about their services never even heard back from the firm at all.The same report showed that most lawyers are only able to spend an average of less than two hours a day on billable work with so much administrative work on their plate. With so much of a lawyer’s time spread thin trying to get everything done, it's not difficult to see why many lawyers feel like it's impossible to keep up with the demands of the modern consumer. Most lawyers are faced with the dilemma of trying to serve clients while still finding time to complete all of the necessary administrative duties that it takes to keep a firm going.

Friendly and helpful attitude

While a quick response is a great way to get things off on the right start, it's not just about speed but also the quality of the response. Legal clients expect to have their questions answered in a friendly and helpful way. Yet, so many lawyers fail to deliver the response that their prospects are looking for. In an attempt to respond to every incoming inquiry, the replies are often cold, brief, and lack important information. The end result is often clients opting for a competing firm that gave a more thorough and friendly response.The minute a client first contacts your firm is your chance to make a lasting impression that will set the tone for what they can expect if they work for you. Not only should you be willing and able to answer any of their questions, but the most efficient law firms also know the importance of asking them questions in return. The right kind of questions to ask are things like why they need a lawyer? And whether they've ever hired a lawyer before? Asking important questions upfront can quickly determine whether you are the right fit for each other, And ultimately save everyone time.The only way to ensure that a client is a good fit for your firm is to identify or qualify factors like their location, price range, and the type of case they have. In the absence of a thoughtful prescreen, you may find yourself scheduling consultations for people who aren't actually a good fit for your law firm. So, beyond speed, a systematic and thorough response is also important.

Error-free work

In the absence of a systematic intake process, there are all sorts of things that can go wrong. From drawing up contracts with the wrong information to making scheduling errors, it's important that you avoid these kinds of mishaps that could lead to negative outcomes for your clients' cases. Clients pay lawyers to solve their problems, not make more problems for them, so they’re often not very forgiving when it comes to making errors on their cases.With so many efficient law firms out there relying on technology like a CRM for attorneys and attorney intake software, clients are less tolerant than ever of things going wrong in their case. Human error is something that can be expected with manual processes. No matter how meticulous you are, errors come up from time to time. However, by relying on technology, you can significantly reduce errors in your practice, and in turn, create greater customer satisfaction.

Consistency

One of the most frustrating things for customers is inconsistency. It's not uncommon for clients to feel like they're not getting the best out of their lawyers at any given time. However, the most efficient law firms know how critical it is to deliver a consistent experience during every step of the client journey.Beyond waiting on hold, surveys show that one of the most frustrating experiences for clients is having to repeat the same information to multiple people in a firm. Everyone who answers the phone should be on the same page about where a client stands.The only way to deliver a consistent client experience is to use a client portal software for law firms that tracks every step of a customer’s journey. By using unified communication you can deliver a smooth experience that makes important information instantly accessible and keeps everyone in your firm on the same page about clients' cases.

Transparency

One of the biggest lawyer stereotypes is that they’re dishonest and lack transparency with their pricing. In many cases, legal clients will base their decision to hire not only by responsiveness to their initial contact but also by clearly laying out their pricing from the beginning. Honesty is the best policy, and transparency won't just win you new clients, but it will keep them coming back for more. Customer loyalty comes from trust. The more transparent and trustworthy you are, the more repeat business you'll generate and the more referrals.

How the right software can help meet legal clients consumer-driven expectations

Automates follow-ups

The right legal client intake software and legal CRM system like Lawmatics automates follow-ups, so you don’t have to pull your attention away from what matters most at your law firm to meet the demands of clients who expect immediate replies. From the initial lead capture, technology allows you to build custom automations that make your customers feel connected to you every step of the way. No more having to step away from important matters to keep your practice running — technology caters to your clients on auto-pilot through automated personalized follow-ups.Rather than a generic automatic message, clients receive a tailored response based on their characteristics, delighting and engaging them consistently. Whether through text messaging for law firms or email, clients expecting direct access to you will be delighted at your modern and speedy communication.

Auto-fills documents

Legal document automation software makes it easy to turn templates into automated workflows, saving you hours of work that it would have taken to do manually. In several clicks, you can assemble a document by merging data directly from your matters and contacts into your PDF and word documents. Not only does legal document automation reduce the chances of errors, but you gain a significant amount of time that you can focus on giving your clients the attention they deserve. No more taking attention away from your clients to spend on tedious data entry — let legal document automation do that for you.With so many tasks already pending, the last thing lawyers need is more time-draining work. Law firms looking to take on as many clients as possible and give each one the attention they deserve need to rely on document automation software to complete everything that needs to get done without sacrificing a positive client experience that prioritizes speed and efficiency.

Automates scheduling

The modern client doesn't like to have to waste time on lengthy back and forths any more than lawyers do. Instead of wasting time sending and receiving emails trying to find a time that works for everyone’s schedule, automated appointment scheduling takes away the headache of finding the best date and time. It's as simple as syncing your Outlook or Google Calendar to your legal CRM and letting your clients choose a meeting time of their choice. Clients will love the direct access to your schedule and the ability to self-schedule with no fuss or waiting.

E-signature gets the ball rolling on cases

For clients, the faster you can obtain a favorable resolution for their case, the better. One of the biggest causes for things moving slowly towards resolution on their case is having to wait for signatures. A traditional law firm requires their clients to print, sign, and send back documents, which can take hours today's to get done. Lawyers often find themselves chasing after clients to get things signed to get things moving along.However, electronic signature for legal documents allows clients to sign important documents from wherever they are and send them back immediately, all from the palm of their hand. From agreements to contracts, anything you need to be done can be created and shared quickly with a client e-signature tool, making the process easier for everyone.

Analytics show you how happy your clients are

One of the most effective ways to keep up with client's expectations in a consumer-driven market is to have a clear vision of what's working and what isn't. With custom data reports, you can get a better picture of where your best clients are coming from and how happy they are. For example, by tracking client referrals, you can get a clear indication of how satisfied your customers are with their experience. In turn, you can improve your law firm's performance strategies and turn your attention back to where it matters most — the client experience.Custom legal reporting software like Lawmatics lets you choose the data in your law firm that you want to see to improve in whatever area you need to. Data allows you to make better business decisions that can meet the demands of your clients and ultimately put more revenue in your pocket.[oxygen-template id="6131"]

Meet the demands of the modern client with Lawmatics robust legal software

Statistics prove that the modern client wants an immediate and thorough response. In the absence of quick communication, most people turn to a competing law firm instead. The right technology can help you increase the speed of your communication and stay organized so that you can resolve client concerns and questions without having to dig through your inbox or through papers scattered on your desk.A CRM for lawyers is one single organized destination for a unified view of everything your law firm needs to know about its clients. You can onboard new clients effortlessly and make consistent follow-ups tailored to their unique characteristics. When you can see all of your leads and clients at a glance, it's easy to grow your practice and build a strong reputation for your law firm.A unified system makes it easy to respond to your clients with ease and communicate efficiently. With so many competitors catching on to the fact that speed is everything in today's consumer-driven market, today, your greatest chance of standing out against your competitors is coming out on top with the help of the right technology like automation.Are you ready to see how Lawmatics can help you meet the demands of impatient clients who expect top-notch service? Sign up for a free product demo today!

It’s no secret that lawyers have extremely busy schedules and are some of the most hardworking people there are. It’s not uncommon for many lawyers to work well over 60-hour workweeks. From juggling phone calls to advising clients to attending court hearings, it’s no wonder why there never seem to be enough hours in the day for lawyers to get everything done.It's not surprising that law is one of the most common industries that result in burnouts. The pressure to get everything done by extremely rigid deadlines and always being “on” can lead to a significant lack of work-life balance, particularly if you run your own practice.Yet, out of everything that goes on in a lawyer’s busy schedules, statistics show that lawyers spend a significant portion of their week devoting their time to things they can’t even bill for. Is that even possible? Yep.Even though non-lawyers often perceive a day in a lawyer’s life as passionately defending clients in front of a jury and drinking leisurely coffees outside of the courtroom with other lawyers, the truth is that lawyers have much more going on than that.Since running a law practice is the same as running any other business, there’s a lot of work that goes into keeping it going. Although the daily tasks of lawyers can vary depending on their area of practice, some of the most commonly shared tasks for lawyers are:

Document preparation

Phone calls

Client meetings

Onboarding clients

Consultations

Email marketing

Billing-related tasks

Following up with leads

On average, lawyers spend less than three hours a day actually practicing law. In many cases, the tasks required to keep a practice running can start to pile up so much that lawyers are often forced to choose between serving their clients and completing administrative work. The end result is stressed-out lawyers, dissatisfied clients, and plenty of missed opportunities for lawyers to grow their practice.This is where automation can help. With the right client intake software, lawyers can run their practice much faster with greater ease, with much fewer errors. Instead of spending hours on repetitive and tedious manual tasks, lawyers can rely on software to do it instead, turning their energy towards their paying clients and expanding their firm—all thanks to automating their client intake process.

Signs that you should start automatingyour client intake process

Losing track of leads

A law firm that’s lacking a solid client intake process is one that lacks an efficient system for tracking leads. If you’re still relying on manual methods like a pen and paper or post-it notes to track incoming lead inquiries, then please accept our invitation to join us here in 2021! Manual processes aren’t just time-consuming, but there’s a tremendous risk of losing track of leads.Many law firms have no idea how many inquiries have come in and who’s been followed up with or not. As a result, they are missing out on the opportunity to grow their practice and increase their revenue.

Chasing after documents

Most lawyers know the headache of trying to get important paperwork signed and sent back in a timely manner. When clients have to use scanners, printers, and sometimes even fax machines to return important files, it takes much longer. As a lawyer, you need to get the ball rolling on cases as quickly as possible to get the most favorable outcome for your client— time is everything.

Low client retention

A lot of attorneys don’t realize that they need to treat their law practice as a business by focusing on client satisfaction. Client retention is only possible when you give them an excellent client journey with exceptional services and communication. If you rarely have return clients, then chances are there may be some holes in your client intake process you should examine closer.

You don’t know where yourleads are coming from

Marketing costs time and money. If you want your investment to be worth it, then you need to know what’s working and what’s not. Without a clear understanding of where your best leads are coming from, you risk squandering your precious resources in places that offer no return on your investment.Does this sound like you? Automating your client intake process could be one of the smartest decisions you’ve ever made.

Losing time on lengthy back and forths

If scheduling a consultation with a client involves a series of emails back and forth trying to find the best time that works for everyone, then you’re losing valuable time. Setting up appointments with time-consuming ping pong exchanges trying to make sure everyone’s schedule works for the appointment time is a thing of the past. Automation can set your appointments for you.

Lots of no-shows

When you rely on setting appointments without an automated client intake process, you risk people forgetting their appointments, often resulting in a no-show. As a lawyer, time is money, so if you set aside a part of your day to meet with a client and you end up losing that hour due to a no-show, that’s less money in your pocket.[oxygen-template id="6131"]

10 benefits of automating yourclient intake process

1Simplified processes

Don't overcomplicate things in your practice that could be simple instead. The client intake process doesn't have to be a headache unless you allow it to be. By using client intake software like Lawmatics, you can streamline your processes and make your law firm more efficient, giving you more time to prioritize your paying clients.No more running your practice out of your email inbox or on spreadsheets that hurt your eyes. The right client intake software will eliminate chaos in your practice and simplify, keeping track of every single contact, all while impressing your leads and clients.From capturing your clients' information to setting up meetings with them, Lawmatics makes everything simple so you can focus on what matters most: getting your clients the best possible results and providing an excellent customer journey.

2Saved time

Not every law firm has the luxury of a front desk receptionist to handle incoming inquiries. In many cases, solo-practice lawyers answer every call and follow up themselves, taking up a considerable amount of time that could otherwise be spent on your clients' cases. By automating your client intake process, you can follow up with leads on autopilot without having to do a thing.Medium to large-sized firms can also benefit from the time saved through automation. The more clients you have on your plate, the more you need to focus your energy on your clients' cases rather than administrative tasks.Regardless of the size of your firm, the right software will take the information provided by a lead after they fill out a legal client intake form and input the details into your law firm CRM database. They receive automatic follow-ups without you having to type anything. No more having to double-check your spreadsheet or your email inbox to see if a lead has been followed up with or not. The right client intake software can give you a full birdseye view of where each lead stands at a glance and do the busy work for you.Automating your client intake process means no more worrying about taking time aside from your busy schedule to follow up with each prospect. Easily set up drip email marketing that sends out personalized and targeted emails that reach the right person at the right time. Standard tasks and checklists make it easy to deliver consistent communication every step of the way without you having to do a thing, all thanks to automation.

3Fewer errors

One of the leading causes of client dissatisfaction is human error. Anytime that processes like data entry are manually typed in, you risk mistakes. In the legal world, the slightest error can be critical and, in some cases, even lead to malpractice, so it's essential to eliminate the potential for mistakes that could easily be prevented with technology. Automation means significantly lower possibilities of errors and greater client satisfaction as a result. Because you deliver error-free work, you'll build client trust, which in turn creates higher client retention, and more referrals, helping you build your practice.Custom form builders make it easy to get whatever information you need by only asking relevant questions. No more copying and pasting or manually entering fields. With Lawmatics legal CRM and client intake software, you can auto-fill important client documents like attorney-client agreements, using workflow automation for law firms that merge data from your matters and contacts, saving you hours of work and avoiding potential errors.Error-free, hassle-free, and instant legal document automation— what more could you ask for?

4Improved client experience

Many lawyers make the mistake of assuming that their job is only to practice law. The truth is that being a lawyer also involves being a business person. In order to thrive as a law firm, you'll need to start focusing on client satisfaction as well as practicing law. The best place to start with that is your client intake process. It's critical that you make a good impression on your clients from the minute they first contact your law firm. Since 35% of law firms don't even answer the phone when a client calls, it goes without saying that a speedy follow-up with your prospects can make a phenomenal impression.Even though representing your clients zealously may seem like the most important part of your job, the truth is that in many cases, it's not. Ultimately, happy clients equal a happy practice.Believe it or not, there are lawyers out there who don't manage to get their clients the best possible results on their case, yet their clients are still thrilled with them— why?It all comes down to the client's journey. By offering an attentive client experience that makes your customers feel valued, your clients will feel delighted. Automating your client intake process means that your clients never feel forgotten or put on the back burner to other priorities. By giving extra effort and a consistent and positive experience, you'll find yourself with more clients and more revenue; it’s really that simple.

5Greater efficiency

Studies show that the longer you take to get back to leads, the fewer chances you have for closing a deal. Automating your client intake process means taking advantage of every opportunity by reducing delays in response time.The client intake process is arguably one of the most critical parts of running your law firm, so if you have an inefficient and sloppy process, then it's only a matter of time until your practice becomes chaotic. Automation in law firms puts your intake process on autopilot so that you can focus your energy on what matters most at your law firm. By following the right steps done the right way, you'll have significantly higher conversion rates and boosted revenue.Law firm reporting software usually reveals that one of the biggest reasons for low conversion rates and dipping revenue is holes in your client intake process. By putting an optimized strategy in place with the help of automation, you’ll attract more leads, convert more clients and create a greater return on your marketing investments.Client intake software meticulously tracks each step of the client journey, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks. Lawmatics shows you who's been followed up with and who needs to be contacted when. By having a 360 degree of each prospect, your law firm increases its efficiency and gives your leads a reason to choose you over the competition.

6Better communication amongst staff

Without an efficient client intake process in place, communicating among staff about where leads stand can be a nightmare. If you're relying on spreadsheets or paper to track where each prospect is in the client journey, then it's easy for miscommunications to happen if multiple people are trying to access a client's details. One of the most frustrating things for a client is when two people handling their case are giving conflicting information.A CRM for lawyers and client intake software ensures that everyone stays on the same page by allowing anyone in your law firm to access a client's details from anywhere through the CRM database. As a result, you'll have better communication among staff members and less risk of things falling through the cracks when following up with prospects. Keep everyone on board and deliver consistency amongst your staff by relying on technology to keep everyone in the know.

7Fewer no-shows

Finding a time that works for everyone can often be a nightmare for attorneys. Lengthy email back and forth asking “what time works for you?” can be a time-draining hassle. Not only can it be frustrating for lawyers, but also for their clients. Most clients have busy schedules, just like lawyers, so making appointment-setting a painless experience benefits everyone.Automated appointment scheduling software allows your clients to choose meetings based on your availability. It's as simple as syncing your outlook or Google Calendar to the CRM for attorneys, and your clients can choose a time slot of their choice.By giving them direct access to your schedule, you'll significantly reduce the possibility of no-shows and double bookings, not to mention you'll impress your clients with your tech-savvy approach to appointment scheduling. No more missing meetings or losing time for no-shows. Lawmatics automates the appointment setting process and even sends automatic follow-ups to keep everyone on the same page.

8Increased referrals

One of the things that they don't teach you in law school is that it's up to you to find leads for your practice. Networking is incredibly important if you hope to grow and expand your law firm, and referrals are one of the best tools you have. Leveraging the power of happy clients is a valuable form of word-of-mouth advertising. People are much more likely to trust someone directly in their network than they are to trust an advertisement.Statistics show that 62% of people looking for a lawyer ask around with friends and family before searching online.Simply put, if you can increase the number of referrals at your law firm, you can significantly grow your practice and increase your revenue.One of the best ways to increase your referrals is to provide an efficient and consistent client intake process with automation. Email automation for law firms makes it easy to follow up regularly with targeted messages tailored for each client. By tracking where each client stands at each stage of their journey, you'll thrill and delight them and encourage them to recommend your services to their friends and family.

9Greater organization

Law firms are often perceived as cluttered environments and for a good reason. Regardless of the size, law firms are incredibly stressful and high-performing places, so it’s easy for things to pile up. There's always something going on, and there's always a phone ringing. Between important documents, incoming emails, client hearings, consultations, and sending out invoices, it's easy to get disorganized without a system in place.One of the best ways to get organized is implementing an attorney intake software and CRM into your law practice. By automating your processes, you'll free up a considerable amount of your time and take control of any disorganization in your practice.Ditch the pen and paper and post-it notes taped all over your desk. Forget about having to visit multiple spreadsheets to access client information. Using a CRM for attorneys and law firm client intake software means you can access everything all in one place, establishing order and organization in your law practice.

10More clients

One of the biggest challenges that law firms have is finding clients. With so much of their time devoted to their clients, it can be challenging to market themselves and produce high-quality leads. Using the right software like Lawmatics can help you take your law firm marketing efforts to the next level and significantly grow your practice.When you have a legal client intake software that automates your marketing emails for you and tells you which source is your best leads are coming from, you can significantly grow your business. By streamlining your processes and taking the hassle out of repetitive tasks, you'll have more time to take on even more clients.Drip email marketing nurtures your leads from each stage of the client journey process to the next. Your law firm can choose custom triggers that send tailored emails based on certain actions. For example, if someone signs up for your newsletter, they'll receive an email with more information on your practice.[oxygen-template id="6129"]Customized marketing templates make it easy to extend your reach to even more leads and never miss an opportunity to convert someone into a client. Audience segmentation software increases your chances of someone opening an email by grouping contacts based on demographics like case type and career industry. Sending marketing materials based on criteria like matter type, age, and profession can help you deliver more personalized content that they’ll be more likely to open. The end result? More clients and more revenue.

Automate your client intake processwith Lawmatics

Automating administrative tasks can help you take control of your practice and focus your energy where it matters most. In turn, you’ll have a much more efficient practice that delivers what it promises, creating happy and loyal clients who will refer you to friends and family.There's a reason why more and more law firms are turning towards more Lawmatics, the most powerful legal intake marketing automation and law firm CRM for attorneys. Our robust software helps firms execute effective strategies based on their individual goals and attract and convert more clients through the power of automation. Integrated law firm reporting software makes it easy to see what parts of your efforts are working and which parts need work.Are you ready to see how Lawmatics can help you carry out your client intake process in a fraction of the time and take your law practice to the next level? Sign up for a free demo today!

Clients are the blood that keeps a law firm's veins pumping, so it's critical that you have a steady stream of leads coming in at all times. Regrettably, many lawyers may be excellent at practicing law, but they’re clueless when it comes to capturing and converting clients. The fact of the matter is that a law firm is a business just like any other. In order to succeed and keep up with the competition, you'll need to start thinking like a CEO.If you observe the most successful law firms out there, you'll notice that they share critical similarities.

7 characteristics the most successful law firms have in common

They have a solid client intake process

Once upon a time, law firms had to depend on a good old system of a telephone, paper, and pen, and file cabinets to keep track of all of the leads coming in. It goes without saying that this system left a lot of opportunity for human error and things getting forgotten. It's impossible to keep track of all of your leads coming in when you're relying on an old-fashioned intake process like this. How can you possibly know where each client stands in their part of the client journey when you're busy handling open matters?

They use technology to their advantage

The answer to how to take on the maximum amount of matters while still keeping meticulous detail on each lead and where they stand? — With a client intake software.The second a lead fills out an intake form or calls your practice, the first part of their client journey begins. It's critical to be as sharp as possible during your first interaction since first impressions are everything. A timely response is everything when a lead first comes your way. Successful firms know the importance of getting back to leads quickly and efficiently, which can only be done with automation.Not only do they get back to their leads immediately using automation, but they track every step of the process carefully and can tell you at any moment who's been followed up with when. They don't use spreadsheets or their email inbox, but rather a sophisticated and robust software that gives them total control over their leads in clients' information. With so much control over where each lead stands, their conversion rates are significantly higher, and therefore so is their profitability.The strongest firms know that client intake software isn't the only technology that can help boost and optimize their process, either. A client intake software pairs with a CRM for lawyers, which manages all client information and tracks each interaction in one single database.Rather than losing hours of their workweek on monotonous administrative tasks like data entry, they rely on their CRM for attorneys to turn potential leads into loyal clients by automating and streamlining processes. Without technology, managing the progression of client relationships would take significantly longer.They also make use of tools like case management software which tracks all of the details for each case in one place, from billing to essential documents and legal timekeeping software to help improve productivity. There's no need to dig around in multiple file cabinets or search desperately through their email inbox. Everything is on a cloud in one place and can be accessed from anywhere at any time.

They have a clear intake strategy

Regardless of the size of your law firm, you need to have a strategy in place. Attempting to expand as a law firm is impossible without a clear and intentional system set in place. Think of your intake strategy as a plan that serves as a road map for you to reach your objectives and optimize your legal client intake process. A strategy means inspecting your strengths and weaknesses and discerning where to make changes for improvements.The most thriving practices know that strategies are best created through the help of observing their data. Data can help you uncover any bottlenecks in your law firm and sharpen your strategy so that it's the most future-oriented possible.

They aim for referrals

The best strategies are the ones that strive to meet the clients' needs as a top priority. In turn, high client satisfaction leads to referrals. When a business model is built around the client, it creates excellent reviews and loyal customers who provide plenty of referrals. If you can manage to keep and retain clients, they, in turn, tell their friends, family, and colleagues—bringing in even more business.

They are data-driven

When people think of data, they often think of complicated charts or an alarming amount of numbers that they don't know how to decipher. The truth is that with the right technology using data isn't as hard as you think it would be. Law firm data analytics make it possible to see your law firm's trends and identify any places where you're in trouble.Yet looking at data alone isn't enough to call yourself data-driven. A strong strategy takes data and metrics and puts them into action. The best law firms identify where the bottlenecks are in their practice and make changes immediately rather than hoping it will get better.

They pay attention to what's going on around them

In addition to paying attention to their own data and marketing analytics for law firms, the most competitive law firms know the importance of also paying attention to market trends. By studying trends inside and outside your firm, you can build a stronger strategy that stands up against the competition.

They put their clients first

The most forward-thinking strategies are the ones that keep clients in mind above all else. Law firms who hope to keep up with the competition will have to start adopting a customer-centered mentality. In a world of online reviews and competing firms with client-centered business models, it's no longer acceptable for a practice to give a mediocre client experience. Customers expect more than ever now, so it's your job to not only help them resolve their legal concerns but also make sure that every step of the way is completed efficiently and to their delight.The best strategies are client-centered and well thought out, and consider how the client will be affected every step of the way.[oxygen-template id="6131"]

6 most common client intake mistakes

Relying on outdated processes

Despite all of the technology out there available to optimize the legal intake process, an alarming amount of law firms are still relying on outdated processes. For example, if your law firm takes down clients' information with a pen and paper, you're already headed in the wrong direction. Not only are you opening yourself up to the possibility of human error, but you're also wasting precious time that you could be practicing law. If you're running a small practice, chances are it's you that's handling most of your incoming calls. So, when you have to do it all manually yourself, you’re losing hours a week when you add it all up together.Leave the legal pad and ballpoint pen in the past and catch up to us here in 2021. It's time to embrace technology to optimize and streamline your intake process through a client intake software and law firm CRM!

Failing to deliver a consistent intake process

If you have multiple people working in your firm who all take part in the intake process, then everyone must be on the same page. The most successful firms have their intake process down to a T so that there is no confusion about what needs to happen.When your practice lacks a consistent client intake process, you risk leads falling through the cracks. There's nothing more frustrating or inefficient than trying to figure out whether a lead has been followed up with or not. If you're still relying on things like post-it notes to share information about leads with other staff members, then your clients' experience will be impacted but the lack of efficiency in communication.When everyone is approaching legal intake differently in your firm, then you won't wind up with the same information. You should always have the same person answering the phone, and everything should be entered into a legal CRM system. That way, your whole team knows exactly where each lead stands in the client journey.

Wasting time on data entry

Your client intake process should be as quick and efficient as possible so that you can go back to taking care of what matters most at your firm— getting the best possible results for your clients. If your intake process involves manually entering a client's name, contact information, and information like where they heard about you from into a spreadsheet, then your intake process is taking too long.Not only are you wasting time on an overly long client intake process, but you're also wasting your client's time. Nobody wants to take more than a few minutes to give you their details. The point of client intake is to take down a lead's needs and make sure that you're a good fit, not wasting an hour of your day on a questionnaire.

Taking too long to follow up

A startling amount of lawyers take far too long to get back to inquiring leads. Statistics show that as little as 52% of law firms call leads back. It goes without saying that this is a considerable opportunity thrown away. After all, how can you expect to turn a lead into a client if you don't even call them back? Ideally, you should get back to leads immediately to increase your chances of conversion. Studies prove that taking any longer than a few minutes can lower your chances of a sale significantly.This is where workflow automation for law firms can come in to take care of the hard work for you. A legal CRM can send a follow-up email immediately after a client fills out a legal client intake form. The best part is that it's personalized in a way that best targets your lead. All this can happen without you having to lift a finger thanks to automated email workflows for law firms.

Not relying on data

One of the biggest mistakes that you can make in 2021 is failing to make use of data. The most successful firms are the ones that are data-driven and use analytics to make better business decisions. Without data, you can only guess what the best marketing sources are for your firm and what methods attract the most clients.With visual analytics, you can observe things like how many clients you've acquired this year compared to last year and how many are currently in the pipeline as opposed to the previous month. Tracking critical data like this will help you strengthen your strategies and stand a chance against the competition.

Wasting time on back and forths

Once you manage to establish that a lead is a good fit for your firm and you're the right fit for them, it's time to make an appointment. This is the part where many old-fashioned law firms lose time on a lengthy back and forth proposing an appointment time. Between your schedule and the leads, you lose precious time sending emails back and forth, trying to find the right time that works for everyone. Eliminate this waste of time in your client intake process and automate your appointments instead. It's as simple as using self-scheduling software that allows your clients to choose the best date and time based on your availability.Not only does it make your life easier, but it also makes your clients' lives easier. Chances are they have busy schedules too, and the last thing they want to do is waste time emailing back and forth.Now that you've got a better idea of why the client intake process is so critical for your firm's success let's explore the 13 best tips for how you can improve yours.

13 tips for improving the client intake process

1First impressions are everything

First impressions are everything when it comes to onboarding clients. With so many different law firms out there for clients to choose from, you must shine as a lawyer. If you can manage to present yourself as easy to work with, friendly, and fast-paced with cutting-edge legal technology, you're already off on the right track.Clients will love that you offer them a seamless intake that doesn't require long phone calls or scanners and printers. Fast, efficient, and polished is the best possible way to make a great impression on your leads from the minute they contact your firm.

2Pre-screen your clients

Ideally, you should pre-screen your clients before the actual consultation. The reality is that not every lead that comes through will be the perfect fit for you and your team. Before taking time out of your schedule to see a client, make sure that you pre-screen them to ensure that you're a good match.If you have a receptionist, make sure that they pre-screen clients. If you don't have the luxury of someone at your front desk, you should try to get as much information as possible through custom templates. That way, you can get whatever pre-screen answers you need quickly without having to lose time you could be practicing law.

3Stop manually entering contact information

Need we repeat it? Put that pen down and stick that legal pad in a drawer! —That also includes spreadsheets. It would be best if you weren't manually entering anything about your clients. It's time to start relying on a CRM that automatically intakes your clients' information for you. No more wasting time on manual data entry when you can rely on automation and never lose track of a client again

4Let your clients self-schedule

Stop wasting time trying to find an appointment slot that works for everyone's schedule through email. Clients will love having direct access to your schedule and being able to set an appointment time based on whatever you want them to see is available thanks to automated appointment scheduling.A solid client intake process is all about eliminating bottlenecks and offering the most efficient and smooth process possible. Self-scheduling is one of the most convenient features that you can offer your leads and clients.It's as simple as syncing your personal calendar with your attorney intake software. Choose only the dates and times that you want your clients to see, and allow them direct access to you by automatically setting up an appointment themselves.

5Be a good listener during the consultation

One of the first things that people look for in a lawyer is strong communication skills. It's critical that you're an effective listener so that all of the essential details of the case are discussed upfront. One of the most powerful ways to show leads and clients that you value them is to listen. Avoid interrupting and ask plenty of questions. During the consultation, make sure that you allow your client to do most of the talking.The last thing you want to do is miss critical information because you weren't listening closely enough. This is your moment to clearly understand what your potential client needs and show them why you're the best person for the job. Make sure to show them a healthy balance of listening and participating.

6Discuss fees upfront

One of the points you should ensure that you go over during the consultation is your fees. Whether you charge a flat fee or by the hour, you must cover basics like these upfront. Discuss how you accept payment and any other important details like payment plans. That way, you'll easily be able to draft up a contract already having gone over everything.

7Automate email replies

Email automation for law firms is the easiest and fastest way to ensure that your clients are followed up with promptly. Use a CRM for lawyers and follow up with your clients automatically. Use audience segmentation software to tailor each massage to your client with a personalized and targeted approach.

8Track each lead’s status

The most effective method for strengthening your relationships with clients and ensuring that they are delighted every step of the journey is by tracking every single interaction. From the moment your lead first fills out an intake form to the moment they sign a contract, a CRM will show you each step of the way. That way, you never miss an opportunity.

9Use e-signature tools

As any lawyer knows, drafting up contracts can be a lengthy and tedious process. Use automation software to eliminate the risk of errors and make the process go much faster. Quickly fill out document templates using custom fields, and get important documents out in a fraction of the time thanks to legal document automation.Simply export the information from your CRM directly into the custom form builder. Once it's time for the client to sign, make things even easier for them by offering a client e-signature tool. E-signature technology makes it simple to onboard your client without having to worry about printers and fax machines, and scanners. — oh my!

10Don’t assume all leads are the same

You can't expect to get the kind of results you want from an all-in-one marketing approach. The truth is that every lead is different and needs to be targeted in a unique way. Use audience segmentation software to take your marketing to the next level. Separate your leads into different categories that work best for your firm and send the right message at the right time to the right person using marketing automation for law firms.

11Send out reminders

One of the biggest frustrations that lawyers have is time lost on late or missed consultations. Lawmatics law firm client intake software makes it easy to keep everyone on track with automatic reminders. You'll never miss a beat or waste time on missed appointments again thanks to SMS for law firms and automated follow ups.

12Make sure your everyone on your team is consistent

Get everyone on board on your team and deliver a consistent, reliable intake process. Using the right legal client intake software, anyone on your team can access where lead stands in the journey and anything they need to know about their client details. Consistency is the key ingredient when it comes to delivering a superior client intake process free of errors.

13Use data to see your most valuable lead sources

Run regular reports through law firm reporting software to see where the bottlenecks are in your client intake process. Goal tracking for law firms makes it easy to keep track of the most important metrics like where your leads are coming from and how many of them are being converted. Without data, business decisions are nothing more than guesswork. The only way to take your client intake process to the next level is by tracking the most critical metrics and becoming a data-driven firm.

Take your firm’s legal client intake process to the next level with Lawmatics

The success of your law firm relies on the most important part of the client journey— the intake process. By embracing technology and becoming data-driven, you'll not only kick your client intake process up to a notch you didn’t even imagine was possible, but you'll also have more time to dedicate to what you're trained to do best— practice law.Are you ready to see how best CRM for law firms Lawmatics can help you step up your firm’s client intake game? Sign up for a free product demo today! We have solutions for every practice area — personal injury software, family law software, immigration client management software, and more.

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that attorneys are busy people.Yet, believe it or not, a vast majority of their tasks are administrative, sometimes even making it a challenge for them to prioritize practicing law over monotonous office work like getting back to potential clients.You heard that right — sometimes lawyers have so much going on that they hardly have time to be lawyers.Sounds pretty backward, right?Yet, for a law firm to succeed, it has to prioritize the tedious administrative tasks — like the client intake process. The client intake process is unquestionably the most important part of a law firm’s opportunity to uphold its reputation. First impressions count, so if a lawyer blows their intake process, they’ve already lost half the battle.Far too many law firms neglect their client intake process and, as a result, have a poor conversion rate. A poorly-developed client intake process doesn’t just result in friction and disorganization; it results in lost money. And let’s face it, the goal is to make revenue, not lose it.When you don't have a good intake strategy in place, then you're losing time that you could be spending practicing law. So, before you lose any more valuable time on a poorly constructed client intake process — it’s time to start prioritizing, streamlining, and optimizing your client intake process.A great place to start is knowing the do's and don'ts of client intake.

Do: pre-screen your clients

Pre-screen your clients

As an attorney, your schedule is already spread thin. Why waste time trying to onboard clients who aren't a good fit for your practice? Unfortunately, not everyone who comes into your office will be the right match for you and your team, and that's just the way things are. Believe it or not, you don't have to say yes to everyone who comes into your office. In some cases, it benefits both you and the potential client to send them elsewhere for legal services.Rather than carving out a consultation in your schedule only to realize during the appointment that you're not a good fit for each other, you should conduct a thoughtful prescreen. Prescreening is a great way to assess things like what the person is looking for services for and whether they've ever sought out legal services in the past.Bigger firms have the luxury of a receptionist who can conduct phone pre-screening prior to consultations. However, if you're a solo practitioner, then you probably don't have a lot of time to spend on prescreening clients. One of the best ways to speed up your intake process without forgetting to collect important information is by using custom templates. Quickly get the answers you need from your clients upfront, so everyone is on the same page before your consultation.With Lawmatics drag and drop custom form builder, you can easily grab whatever information you need, making the prescreening process that much faster and easier.

Do: capture contact information

Capture contact information

Using the same custom form builder, create a legal client intake form that requests your potential client to fill out their contact information. Customizing your field inputs ensures that you'll capture only the information that you need in a way that makes sense for your practice. Once it's filled out, the form will automatically go into your CRM for lawyers.No more searching through your inbox or digging through spreadsheets — grab your clients' information right away with the right attorney intake software. Once the contact information is collected, you can start meticulously tracking your client's journey and never losing track of a lead again.

Do: automate email replies

Automate email replies

One of the biggest missed opportunities that lawyers make is failing to follow up after grabbing the initial contact information. With so much on your plate as an attorney, slipups are expected. That's why automation makes it easy to stay on top of getting back to clients.From the initial lead capture, law firm client intake software automates the client experience so that your clients stay happy from the very beginning. Custom automation makes it possible to follow up with clients without you having to do a thing. From sending an automatic thank you message with a bit of information about your firm to confirming your consultation, automation keeps everyone on the same page, so nothing slips through the cracks.

Do: be friendly

Be friendly

It seems so simple when you see it in writing, yet being friendly is something that many lawyers forget. Don't forget that even though your job is to practice law, you're still a salesperson. As your grandma always said, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, and if you hope to get the sale, you’ll need to be friendly.Delighting your clients is one of the best ways to boost your conversion rates, and nothing delights like friendly customer service. It's really that simple. From sending out an automatic thank you message to smiling during your consultation, a bit of friendliness makes your clients feel valued and results in more referrals.

Do: track your data

Track your data

Data is an essential part of better understanding how well your firm is achieving its goals; otherwise, you’re just guessing — particularly when it comes to your intake process. Goal tracking for law firms is as easy as using the right legal client intake software. For example, Lawmatics can help you determine key analytics like where most of your leads are coming from, how many of them are successfully converting into clients, and which of them have turned into the most profitable for your firm.Thanks to easy-to-read dashboards, you don't have to be a computer scientist to understand law firm data analytics. Law firm reporting software will present you with a report that is incredibly easy to use and understand so you clearly see what's working and what's not in your client intake process.

Do: offer e-signature

Offer e-signature

So often, lawyers assume that they’re the only busy ones in a client-attorney relationship. The truth is that your clients don’t love lengthy back and forths any more than lawyers do.Why spend hours and even possibly days sending back contracts and agreements that require printers and scanners? Offer a client e-signature tool instead. An E-signature feature doesn't just allow you to create, send, and sign important documents, but it also stores them safely in one single, convenient place. Legal file request automation saves time sending the right attachments for your clients to sign quickly.It's as easy as creating, signing, and sharing within minutes. You'll wow your leads and clients by eliminating bottlenecks and simplifying a large portion of your client intake process.[oxygen-template id="6131"]

Don't: waste time on repetitive data entry

Waste time on repetitive data entry

A recent report revealed that the average lawyer spends nearly 50% of their workweek on administrative tasks. Unfortunately, that's a serious hit on lawyers' productivity. Many practices still rely on repetitive data entry to keep up with all of their client's information. Unfortunately, if you hope to grow as a law firm, you'll need to upgrade to a superior process.There's no way you can possibly keep up with the demands of all your clients with a manual system in place. Workflow automation for law firms is the best way to get the same amount of work done in a fraction of your time, giving you more time to spend on practicing law.

Don't: use paper and pen

Use paper and pen

Let's put it this way — if your client intake process involves paper and a pen, then you're likely not converting that many leads. Not only do you risk leads falling through the cracks, but you're probably making all sorts of errors during your manual pen and paper process. Forget about post-its stuck all over your desk, and join us in the 21st century.!A huge part of your firm's reputation rides on the client journey. If you hope to deliver a positive client journey and delight every step of the way, you have software to ensure no one gets lost in the mix.Automation makes it so that you never have to worry about a task being taken care of or whether a lead's details have correctly collected.Using software instead of a pen and paper means no more digging through stacks of documents. No more worrying about who's been followed up with or what the last thing you discussed with them was. Intake software makes it easy to track your client every step of the way and easily store important information in one central location so that anyone in your law firm can see where the client stands.

Don't: take too long to respond

Take too long to respond

One of the biggest complaints that people have about lawyers is their lack of communication skills. Recent studies have shown that as little as 64% of lawyers get back to their leads clients and phone calls. While this may seem like a shocking figure to some, it's no big surprise for firms that are still relying on pen and paper or their email inbox to run their law firm. Software is the only way to ensure that leads are followed up with right away. Email automation for law firms makes it possible to give your clients the attention they need every step of the way without you having to lift a finger. Whether it's to confirm an appointment or thank someone for signing up for your newsletter, following up has never been easier than it is with automated email workflows for law firms.

Don't: spend time on long email back and forths

Spend time on long email back and forths

Is all too common of a scenario: A lead requests a consultation from a lawyer, the lawyer gets back to them with a list of possible appointment time, and unfortunately, none of those times work — resulting in a lengthy back and forth. Instead of wasting your time with unnecessary back and forths, it's time to start incorporating automation into your process.With the help of client intake software, your leads can self-schedule without you having to do a thing. It's as simple as syncing your calendar with only the dates and times you want your clients to see. Show them only the available appointments that you'd like them to be able to choose from. After choosing from your available time slots, everyone will be notified with a consultation confirmation by email.Not only does automated appointment scheduling save time by allowing your clients to self-schedule and keep you on track with your appointments, but clients will significantly appreciate the direct access to your schedule.

Don't: skip talking about fees upfront

Skip talking about fees upfront

Failing to talk about your fees beforehand can lead to misunderstandings later down the road. It's best to get the conversation of money out of the way as early on as possible so that it's clear what you're both asking of each other. During your consultation, take time to discuss how your billing works and what kind of methods you accept. If you offer payment plans through a legal billing software, make sure that you explain how they work. Ensure that everything billing-related is gone over and put in writing, so there's no question about it later on. Failing to get this critical information on the table can lead to frustrations for everyone.

Don't: assume all leads are the same

Assume all leads are the same

Lumping everyone together into an all-in-one marketing approach is a huge blunder. Don't make the mistake of assuming that all of your leads are the same. The only way to grow your law firm is to get to know your prospects in and out, and strong connections are the key to generating new and repeat clients. With audience segmentation software, you can deliver targeted and personalized marketing campaigns that will make meaningful impressions. Thanks to client list segmentation, targeting distinct groups of your clients makes it easy to deliver personalized content through drip campaigns for law firms.Create tailored ads, and engage with leads individually by marketing your law practice through audience segmentation software.

Optimize your client intake process with Lawmatics

At the end of the day, time equals money. The more time you spend on unnecessary tasks like monotonous data entry, redundant back and forths, and inefficient processes, the more revenue is lost. However, by automating whenever you can, you'll lighten your workload and improve your clients' experience throughout the intake process.First impressions are critical, so your intake process should be optimized every step of the way — and Lawmatics can help you do that.Are you ready to see how to optimize the legal client intake process with Lawmatics? Sign up for a free product demo today!

As a lawyer, your job is to practice law. Yet, despite your title as a legal professional, like it or not, you're also a salesperson. When there are so many other law firms for people to choose from, it's up to you to bring in business, but it's not always easy to turn your attention towards chasing after prospects since you're busy getting the best results for your clients.Leads may contact your practice, and sometimes you have the time to get back to them, or maybe you have an office administrator do it for you, but there's no real system in place beyond a spreadsheet or a few post-it notes. After a while, you're unsure about who you've gotten back to already and who you need to call back. You lose valuable time you could be spending practicing law digging through your email inbox and scribbled hand notes.Perhaps this sounds like you.Situations like these in an overwhelmed law firm is precisely where client intake software steps in. What would typically take a considerable amount of time to do yourself can be done with reliable intake software. With a few clicks, you can turn your client intake process on autopilot and put energy towards the most critical areas of your law firm, like serving your clients as best as you can.

Client intake process outline

1. What is the client intake process for law firms?
2. What are the 4 steps in the client intake process?
3. How to optimize your law firm’s client intake process
4. 5 tips for a successful client intake process
5. Why law firms are making the switch to client intake software
6. Start thinking like a CEO: why law firm intake is sales
7. Exceed your prospective client’s expectations by optimizing your client intake process

What is the client intake process for law firms?

The law firm intake process is a critical part of running your law firm. The client intake process involves the stages of client acquisition, follow-up and continued communication, scheduling a consultation, and securing the client. Client intake software helps automate and organize the steps of the client intake process, helping lawyers focus on client needs and case work rather than worrying about whether they called a prospect back.Let’s compare the client intake process to a guest walking into a restaurant. The guest will become a customer only if the restaurant is open and available to take customers, if they are greeted and shown to a table (or given a reasonable wait period), and if the food being offered is appealing. If the guest’s experience is mishandled in any way, the guest may only order a starter and ask for the check. Or worse, leave altogether and grab a burrito to-go down the street.However, if the restaurant has space, and the waiter communicates well and is attentive to the needs of the guests, the guests might order a five-course meal, a bottle of your finest Cabernet, and come back for repeat business.It's all about following the right steps to convert a prospect into a paying client.Despite its importance for turning leads into clients, a poorly executed legal intake process is more common than you might think. Many law firms fail to optimize the client experience throughout the intake process and, as a result, have low conversion rates.In order to improve client satisfaction and boost your firm's revenue, a strong intake process is essential. A solid process of converting interested prospects into paying clients is what sets apart the successful law firms from the not so successful ones.To get a better idea of why client intake features are a must, let's break down each step of the client intake process.

What are the 4 steps in the client intake process?

1. Attracting prospective clients

The minute a prospective client first interacts with your law firm, the client intake process starts. Some leads may have come across your website from an online advertising campaign and fill out a client intake form, while others might come to you because of a referral. They usually fill out an online intake form or call your firm directly to ask for more information related to their case. Obtaining their contact information is critical because it's the next step in making them a client.However, in the absence of a systematic law firm intake process, these leads often get lost in a pile, never to be followed up with again. Sadly, lost leads equal lost revenue. A lead needs to be followed up with and convinced to choose you over someone else before they become a paying client. It's up to you to win them over.

2. Following up

Capturing a lead's information is only the first step and doesn't come with any guarantees. Follow-ups are vital for driving a lead to become a paying client. However, when you're handling piles of leads in addition to practicing law for your clients, it's almost impossible to see who you've contacted already unless you have a system in place.Follow-ups are where many law firms go wrong. A recent trends report revealed that there's a remarkable lack of responsiveness to lead outreach. Out of consumers surveyed in the study, most agreed that timeliness is a critical factor when choosing a lawyer. Over half of the firms in the findings failed to reply to an email or voicemail at all. If you're failing to get back to your lead inquiries within 24 hours or less, then you're missing tremendous opportunities for your business. It's critical that your client's journey is meticulously tracked, so you know who has been followed up with when, and who needs to be contacted and where they stand as a prospect. Lawmatics’ workflow automation software can help.

3. Scheduling a consultation

Once you've moved a lead closer towards becoming a client, you'll need to schedule a consultation to go over their case and learn about what they're looking for. It's an opportunity to pitch why your firm is the best choice and ultimately turn them into a loyal client. However, between your busy schedule and theirs, sometimes finding a time that works for everyone can be a logistical nightmare. This step can get tricky since you've got a law firm to run, and your leads likely have full schedules too.Lawyers are no strangers to drawn-out back-and-forths trying to agree on an appointment time. Not only can the actual meeting booking be laborious, but in some cases, clients may not even show up, costing your firm even more lost time.The Lawmatics legal calendaring software provides instant appointment booking without the back-and-forth.

4. Secure the client

Once you've secured your client, the next step in the client intake process is to draw up all of the paperwork to finalize the attorney-client relationship. Lawyers know all too well the work involved with drawing up legal paperwork, which can take hours to days depending on the type of contract.Without legal document automation, clients are required to print, sign, and send physical papers back to you, which requires printers, copy machines, scanners, and sometimes even *gasp* fax machines. Document automation makes this step of the client intake process smoother, faster, and may remove barriers to client signing.Once your client has signed all of the necessary paperwork and agreements, and you've successfully onboarded your client, it's time to celebrate. You've won the sale!

"So very glad we invested in this program when we did. We are getting more use out of it than we imagined we would ever have to. We are now using an automatic intake form, video conferencing through GoToMeeting for our consultations, and e-sign with our rep. agreements."— Alicia Bostrack, Orchard Law Firm

How to optimize your law firm's client intake process

A quick response is critical

A timely response is critical when it comes to conversions. Regardless of whether a lead calls, emails, or it's a digital client intake, the rule remains the same: get back to them as soon as you can. The quicker you reply, the less time a customer will have to potentially change their mind and turn to a competitor law firm.All it takes is a few clicks around the internet to find poorly rated law firms with reviews saying no one ever got back to them. Recent studies reveal that an astonishing 60% of law firms called don't respond to any emails requesting more information, and just under 30% don't answer or return calls.An effective attorney-client intake process includes the following criteria when responding to inquiries:

• Response within 24 hours;
• Using the clients' preferred form of communication;
• Clear answers to questions;
• Detailed information regarding the legal process;
• An outline of projected costs;

Be friendly

Beyond being informative, you should be warm. It doesn't matter whether you pick up the phone on the first ring or the tenth ring; if you aren't friendly and relatable on the call, the customer isn't likely to stick around. Act engaged and genuinely interested in their case. The key ingredient to law office client intake is creating a bond with your lead.There are already plenty of negative stigmas associated with lawyers, so you'll have to work to prove you're not just another lawyer who wants their money.Get to know the details of a caller's inquiry and ask plenty of questions. It's not recommended to double-task when talking to a client for the first time. You'll need to lend them your undivided attention with no distractions.Even though you may not think it's coming through on the call that you're distracted, the caller will more than likely sense it. If you have to choose between taking a little longer to get back to a client so you can get something else done first, do it. Only call clients back when you can genuinely take the call.Even though you may not think it's coming through on the call that you're distracted, the caller will more than likely sense it. If you have to choose between taking a little longer to get back to a client so you can get something else done first, do it. Only call clients back when you can genuinely take the call.

Use technology to your advantage

It can't be stressed enough how important a robust CRM is for optimizing your law practice client intake. A legal CRM built for law firms is an end-to-end solution for managing and strengthening client relationships by tracking all interactions.From managing the first moment a lead fills out a client intake form to the moment they sign a retainer, a CRM for attorneys helps law firms manage the entire progression of their client relationships. That way, it's simple to see the progression of events and what actions and follow-ups need to happen. Audience segmentation makes it possible to deliver tailored messages that appeal to a lead's unique needs.In short, a CRM is there to turn a potential client into a loyal client by automating and streamlining your tasks and follow-ups and is critical for a successful legal client intake process.

Get your entire team on board

All of your staff should be on the same page when it comes to how you respond to leads. The key is consistency and promptness. It may be useful to create a basic script for answering the phone or responding to online client intake forms. It's critical that whoever is answering the phone at your practice is qualified to answer whatever questions come their way.By creating a consistent response system that everyone is on board with, you'll reduce the risk of leads slipping through your fingers throughout the client intake process. Your frontline staff or intake team should understand the basics of law and whether your firm even handles the area that a lead is contacting you about.If an inquiring caller's case falls outside of your firm's practice area, have a list prepared of lawyers that you recommend or minimally a legal referral service. People appreciate when you go the extra mile to be helpful. It's not unheard of for callers to leave a positive review for your law firm online simply because the person on the phone helped guide them in the right direction. A little kindness goes a long way.

Follow up

Rarely will a prospect sign a contract on the first day they call you. Usually, people are shopping around and researching the best fit for their case. Chances are they may have spoken to a handful of law firms recently, and they may not even remember which firms they were talking to. It's up to you to send a follow-up email or text message, so you stay in their mind.Not only does it keep you in their minds, but it also makes contacting you much easier. Rather than doing a Google search when prospective clients want to find you, which may not always lead back to your firm, a text message or email makes it easy for them to scroll through their phone to find the last message you sent to get back to you,More often than not, people just want the most straightforward solution that requires the least amount of effort. A good law firm client intake process makes it easy to choose your law firm over another by making things easy.When you follow up with an email, do more than just self-advertise. Educate the customer on things related to their inquiry. This can be anything from articles to videos to testimonials from other clients who have worked with your firm on the same kind of case.

5 tips for a successful client intake process

1. First impressions are everything

As mentioned, the client intake process begins the moment a lead expresses interest in your firm. In some scenarios, a potential new client will come to your website as a result of a client referral, website traffic, or via an advertising campaign. They'll often fill out a contact form on your law firm's website asking for information. If they fill out a client intake form, they'll be asked to provide their contact details and a summary of the services they're inquiring about.In other cases, a client may call your firm directly, hoping to gather the information they need. If they're lucky, someone will answer, they'll take their information down and answer any questions about whether the firm is the right fit. The less than lucky ones will reach voicemail.This is the moment a lot of law firms get it wrong. Studies show that one of the most common complaints about law firms is poor client communication. A receptionist may write down a potential client's information on a Post-it for someone to follow up with "later." Maybe it even gets entered into a spreadsheet that gets looked at once in a while. Or worse, maybe whoever answered the phone gets distracted on another call, and the lead is forgotten altogether. The result is a poor reputation for your law firm and lost revenue.To help eliminate the risk of leads getting lost, it's essential to optimize your lead management process with a legal CRM system. A proper customer relationship management tool will ensure that your lead's information is recorded correctly with an effective questionnaire experience.Rather than losing your potential client's interest with unnecessary questions that may cause them to click away, you can customize a beautiful and complex questionnaire with only the questions you need to ask.The Lawmatics legal form builder feature makes it easy to control when certain fields are visible to whoever is filling it out by building custom forms.Easily ask the questions you need to ask with the style you want to ensure you get the information you need, all with the power of a robust legal intake software. Be thoughtful about what information you're getting from them. The types of questions to ask are:

• What do they need a lawyer for?
• Have they hired an attorney before?

Documenting the entire process is critical if you hope to keep things clear for you and your client, ensuring you're both a good fit for each other.

How legal client intake software can help

Instead of leads getting lost, legal client intake software acquires contact information for you, so there's no need to manually extract and input information from an online intake form to a spreadsheet. Client intake software inputs lead information directly into a centralized database that you can access anywhere at any time. There is no need to step away from doing important work for a paying client to take down a name and number again. Technology does it all for you while you focus on what matters most for your firm.[oxygen-template id="6131"]

2. Track every step of the way meticulously

Once you've captured your potential client's information, a legal CRM inputs the information into a centralized database where the client journey is meticulously tracked with pipeline management. Since it's critical to strike while it's hot to avoid them slipping through the cracks, they'll need to be followed up with as soon as possible.But let's be frank about it, getting back to a lead right away isn't always convenient when you've got a law firm to run. Following up with potential clients when you've got paying clients to do work for can seem like less of a priority.Results from a recent study show that a startling majority of law firms deliver disappointing follow-ups. Leads in the study reported that only 40% of law firms responded to emails, and a whopping 70% of them were considered unsatisfactory.When it came to phone calls, just over half were answered, and the rest were answered by voicemail. Over half of the law firms took over 72 hours to respond to voicemails.First impressions are critical for client conversion, so it goes without saying that unsatisfactory follow-ups are a missed opportunity.

How legal client intake software can help

Client intake software automates the entire process, so you don't have to worry about digging through your inbox to see who's been followed up with when. A pipeline view allows you to view where all your leads are at a glance and what actions need to be taken when.Automated and personalized emails respond on your behalf immediately, so you don't have to worry about leads falling through the cracks. With automated drip campaigns, you can stay on the top of leads' minds while they weigh out their choices. Best of all, both email and text message follow-ups are preprogrammed without you having to do anything.With a legal CRM, you never have to worry about losing time on billable work to get back to a lead. An effective legal software like Lawmatics will send an automated email to the client immediately to keep them engaged.Custom fields make it possible to tailor automated emails to the client’s needs and contact information for a more personalized greeting. A lead is then given an invitation to take the next steps in becoming a client with your law firm.

3. Get everything you need out of the consultation and be a good listener

When a lead gains your trust, the next step to turning them into a paying client is scheduling a consultation. It's an opportunity to learn what your clients need, pitch yourself as the best choice, and ultimately win their business.Converting leads into customers is a tricky process in any industry. When running a law firm, you must have a good strategy in place for setting these consultation appointments. If handled poorly, people show up late or don't show at all, costing your law firm time and money lost.An example of an ineffective scheduling process is going back and forth in emails, trying to find the best time that works for everyone. As a busy lawyer, you have more important matters to focus on than email-tag. CRM software takes the hassle out of appointment setting so you can focus your energy on revenue-producing work rather than menial administrative tasks.The right program sends an email to your client linking to a calendar with your availability. By syncing your Outlook or Google calendar to your CRM calendar, leads will see only the time slots you want them to see. They can choose an appointment time that works for them all with a few clicks. You're one step closer to converting them into a client.

How client intake software can help

With a complete client intake software like Lawmatics, you don't have to write another email asking what time works for anyone ever again. Simply sync your Outlook or Google calendar to your intake software, and your lead will receive a link to your availability.Tailor your calendar so that only the time slots you want people to see are visible. Leads can scroll through your availability and choose whatever time works best for them.When the consultation gets booked, an automated confirmation email goes out. Automation makes it easy to send all the important information that your soon-to-be client needs. From your contact information to any crucial details about your location, they'll get everything they need in one single email. Your emails can also include relevant information about your law firm that can help warm clients up. Use software to automate anything you'd like your leads to know about your firm to boost your chances of gaining them as a client.In addition to the initial confirmation email, client intake software also sends out a reminder to both you and the client. No more paying an office administrator to make appointment reminder calls again. Your firm can save money by automating it all through the power of technology, which is one of the biggest client intake software advantages.

4. Keep your legal team on track with reminders

Recent studies show that the rate of client no-shows has risen 5% since early August 2020. Because of this higher missed appointment rate, it's more important than ever to stay on top of reminding clients about their appointments.This reminder should come in two stages.

Stage one reminders

As soon as the appointment is booked, a client should receive an email confirming the appointment. It should include all of the necessary information- from your contact information to your law firm's address and any important details like access codes.Think about including relevant information about your law firm in the email to warm clients up. Plugging in client testimonials and educational resources builds a sense of trust with your lead and boost your chances of gaining their business.

Stage two reminders

The day before or several hours leading up to the consultation with your potential client, they should receive an email reminder. While some firms leave this step to an office administrator, automating the reminders can save your firm money on tasks you'd otherwise be paying staff to do.

How client intake software can help

Client intake software takes over all of that for you by onboarding your clients without the hassle. Everything is digital and considerably faster with no risk of human error, which is an inevitable risk whenever you do something manually. With automation software like Lawmatics, you eliminate the risk of mistakes in your important paperwork.What would have otherwise taken a considerable amount of time takes a matter of minutes, all with the help of technology. Document templates like the client intake form template can be filled out using imported data from your intake software, streamlining your onboarding process and saving you time.

5. Secure your client thoughtfully and discuss fees in advance

Assuming the consultation goes as planned, you'll verbally secure the client's business. In order to finalize the attorney-client relationship, you'll need them to sign the paperwork and agreements. It's highly recommended that you go over fees at the initial consultation so that there is no grey area about your billing. You'll need to cover the basics like whether you bill hourly or charge flat fees. If you offer payment plans, you'll need to discuss how they work.As any lawyer knows, drafting up contracts is a lengthy process that takes time to ensure there are no errors. To streamline the process and eliminate the risk of errors, you can use automation software like Lawmatics.

How client intake software can help

Lawmatics does the tedious work for you, so you can sweep through creating intake documents with ease.Document templates can easily be filled with data imported from fields in your legal CRM coupled with easy e-signature software. You can seamlessly input information using a template, eliminating unnecessary fields, saving you and your client time. No more risks of missing critical steps or time lost on tedious tasks.Technology makes it simple to onboard your client by making it easy for them to send you whatever you need from the palm of their hand. By clicking a link from their mobile phones or laptop, they can effortlessly download and email documents back without having to bother with printers or scanners. E-signatures make it possible to streamline the contract process which your clients will appreciate especially.In short, what could have taken hours or even days happens in a matter of seconds, all thanks to an effective client intake process.

Why law firms are making the switch to client intake software

In a traditional law firm, the client intake process involves tedious processes that don't only eat up your time but also clients. However, when you switch to a cloud-based client intake software like Lawmatics, you have complete control over your legal client intake process, which is why so many law firms are making the transition. Here are a few of the benefits you can expect to gain.

Better first impressions

First impressions count, especially when it comes to finding the right lawyer in such a competitive market. A common stereotype is that lawyers are old-fashioned, so when you present a streamlined, fast process to leads with cutting-edge legal technology, they're pleasantly surprised and impressed.A tech-savvy approach starts things off on the right foot and gives people high expectations of your firm. Regardless of the size of your practice, you'll give the impression that you're polished and up to date with the latest methods.

Better workflow and organization

If you're a law firm still carrying out a disjointed client intake process full of manual entry and endless tedious tasks, then a software solution is for you. Making the switch to software means you can cut back on the time you spend on menial administrative work and get back to practicing law.Lawmatics' systematic workflow allows you to manage all of your prospects in one single location and automates everything for you, keeping you organized and improving your workflow. No more digging through file cabinets to find the document you need-easily access files from wherever you are with the Lawmatics legal file request builders.

Less tedious work

No more working out of your email inbox or jotting down stick notes to manage leads. Gone are the days of losing time on monotonous data entry you have to do yourself or paying someone else to do it. No more manually filling out contracts or writing out follow-up emails. The magic of client intake software does all of that for you so you can focus on legal work.Everything goes automatically into the cloud, where anyone can access it quickly at any moment. Easily export contact information directly into custom consent forms, including only the fields you need, saving everyone time.

Improved client experience

Believe it or not, clients don't like meetings any more than you do. They don't like having to go back and forth in emails to find the best time that works for everyone's schedule or having to print out PDF consent forms to fill out and scan back. Clients don't like it when the person they're talking to on the phone isn't up to speed with the same information on their case as the last person they spoke to, and above all, they don't like wasting their time any more than you.When you make the switch to software, you're not only providing clients a more simplified process but also direct access to you. A fast and streamlined client intake process is a pleasant surprise to clients looking for speed and ease.By using a legal intake software, you'll be delivering a client-friendly intake process that produces better results by leveraging technology -no headaches required. You can even integrate our software with other legal apps your firm may already be using, like case management software, making your job even easier.

Data Tracking and Analytics

As the legal market continues to become increasingly competitive, data tracking and analytics are critical for your success. If you hope for your law firm to stand the test of time, you have to embrace technology.Robust data tracking and analytics are included directly in your client intake software, helping you keep track of the most important metrics-things like where you're getting your leads, how many of them are successfully converting into clients, and which cases are worth the most value. Metrics like these make it possible for data-driven changes where it counts most so you can boost your profits.

Start thinking like a CEO: why law firm intake is sales

With millions of law firms to choose from across the United States, you might wonder how some are so much more successful than others. Despite so many competing firms, some lawyers seem to catch all the fish. Why? The secret is in their law firm intake process. Most successful law firms agree that the secret to success is a powerful intake system that successfully converts leads into paying clients.Strangely enough, they don't teach about the client intake process in law school, despite it being such a critical factor in the success of your practice.It's incredibly rare for lawyers to come out of school equipped to bring in business. Yet, it's up to you, not anyone else, to bring in your law firm's revenue.You might be thinking, "wait a minute, I'm a lawyer, not a salesperson."*Cue wrong answer buzzer.*You are a lawyer and a salesperson.When you run your own practice, it's up to you to find your own leads and convert them into paying clients with an effective legal intake process.For the sake of argument, let's switch out 'legal client intake process' with 'sales process' for a minute. In a traditional sales environment, the sales process is a customer's journey from the moment they need a product to the moment they purchase it.Research shows companies that use a structured sales intake process are the highest performing. 90% to be exact. The reason for their growth was a shared emphasis on the same goal:A relationship-led approach that focuses on the best possible experience for the customer that includes:

• Quick and efficient responses
• Personalized communication and follow-ups
• A frictionless experience
• Proactive support
• Leveraging technology to eliminate human error
• Nurturing relationships through engagement

Now let's replace 'sales process' with 'legal intake process' again and explore how you can apply the same relationship-led approach to your law firm and out-perform your competition.On average, it takes about eight interactions to convert a lead into a client, so you'll need a prospect's contact information to continue following up. When you add up all of your leads, it's easy to see how keeping track of each can get confusing. There goes that little voice in your head again. "Wait a minute. I'm a lawyer, not a salesperson. I don't have time for all of this."*Cue wrong answer buzzer again.*You are a salesperson. But you’re also a lawyer, so no one expects you to follow up on all your leads yourself when you could be focusing on billable work. This is where technology comes in.[oxygen-template id="6130"]

Optimize your firm's client intake process by seeing it as a sales process

When you start to see that the client intake process is a law firm sales process, you start to realize how critical it is for the success of your law firm. By using a structured and efficient intake process and by leveraging technology like Lawmatics, you can improve client satisfaction and increase your law firm sales.

Exceed your prospective clients' expectations by optimizing your client intake process

The only way to grow your law firms is to dedicate time to getting results for your clients and less time on administrative tasks like data entry. Recent data shows that the average lawyer spends only 2.5 hours a day actually practicing law.Time is money, and time lost on tedious tasks is money lost. Investing in a client intake software doesn't just make your job easier; it can significantly impact your profits. The more you leverage technology like Lawmatics to automate your operations, the better you'll serve your clients, and the more you'll drive client referrals. Lawmatics actually has a variety of features that can help you save time, such as our legal CRM, automation solutions, and time and billing software.By incorporating automation into your practice with legal software, you'll be able to focus your time on what matters most: providing the best possible experience for clients while meeting the needs of your leads. A considerable portion of a law firm's success depends on your client intake process. By reacting correctly to potential clients through an optimized client intake process, you will see your revenue grow exponentially by becoming a goal-driven firm.

The client intake process is a critical part of running your law firm. Think of the intake process as a waiter showing the menu to a dinner guest. If presented carelessly, the guest may only order a starter and ask for the check. Or worse, leave altogether and grab a burrito to-go down the street.However, if done the right way, your guest will order a five-course meal, a bottle of your finest Cabernet, and come back for repeat business. It’s all about following the right steps to convert a prospect into a paying client.Despite its importance for turning leads into clients, a poorly executed legal intake process is more common than you might think. Many law firms fail to optimize the client experience throughout the intake process, and as a result, have low conversion rates.In order to improve client satisfaction and boost your firm’s revenue, a solid intake process is essential. So, what exactly happens in an effective “client intake process?”

What an optimized client intake process looks like

1 A lead gets acquired

The client intake process begins the moment a lead expresses interest in your firm. In some scenarios, a potential new client will come to your website as a result of a client referral, website traffic, or via an advertising campaign. They’ll often fill out a contact form on your law firm’s website asking for information. If they fill out a client intake form, they’ll be asked to provide their contact details and a summary of the services they’re inquiring about. In other cases, a client may call your firm directly, hoping to gather the information they need. If they’re lucky, someone will answer, they’ll take their information down and answer any questions about whether the firm is the right fit. The less than lucky ones will reach voicemail.This is the moment a lot of law firms get it wrong. Studies show that one of the most common complaints about law firms is poor client communication. A receptionist may write down a potential client’s information on a Post-it for someone to follow up with “later.” Maybe it even gets entered into a spreadsheet that gets looked at once in a while. Or worse, maybe whoever answered the phone gets distracted on another call, and the lead is forgotten altogether. The result is a poor reputation for your law firm and lost revenue. To eliminate the risk of leads getting lost, it’s essential to optimize your lead management process with a legal CRM. A proper customer relationship management tool will ensure that your lead’s information is recorded correctly with an effective questionnaire experience. Rather than losing your potential client’s interest with unnecessary questions that may cause them to click away, you can customize a beautiful and complex questionnaire with only the questions you need to ask.A law firm software like Lawmatics makes it easy to control when certain fields are visible to whoever is filling it out by building custom forms.Easily ask the questions you need to ask with the style you want to ensure you get the information you need, all with the power of a robust client intake software.

2 The lead is nurtured

Once you’ve captured your potential client’s information, a legal CRM inputs the information into a centralized database where the client journey is meticulously tracked. Since it’s critical to strike while it’s hot to avoid them slipping through the cracks, they’ll need to be followed up with as soon as possible. But let’s be frank about it, getting back to a lead right away isn’t always convenient when you’ve got a law firm to run. Following up with potential clients when you’ve got paying clients to do work for can seem like less of a priority. Results from a recent study show that a startling majority of law firms deliver disappointing follow-ups. Leads in the study reported that only 40% of law firms responded to emails, and a whopping 70% of them were considered unsatisfactory. When it came to phone calls, just over half were answered, and the rest were answered by voicemail. Over half of the law firms took over 72 hours to respond to voicemails.First impressions are critical for client conversion, so it goes without saying that unsatisfactory follow-ups are a missed opportunity. With a legal CRM, you never have to worry about losing time on billable work to get back to a lead. An effective legal software like Lawmatics will send an automated email to the client immediately to keep them engaged. Custom fields make it possible to tailor automated emails to the client’s specific needs and contact information for a more personalized greeting. A lead is then given an invitation to take the next steps in becoming a client with your law firm.[oxygen-template id="6131"]

3 A consultation gets scheduled

When a lead gains your trust, the next step to turning them into a paying client is scheduling a consultation. It’s an opportunity to learn what your client needs, pitch why you’re the best choice, and ultimately win their business. Converting leads into customers is a tricky process in any industry. When running a law practice, you must have a good strategy in place for setting these consultation appointments. If handled poorly, people show up late or don’t show at all, costing your law firm time and money lost. An example of an ineffective scheduling process is going back and forth in emails, trying to find the best time that works for everyone. As a busy lawyer, you have more important matters to focus on than email-tag. CRM software takes the hassle out of appointment setting so you can focus your energy on revenue-producing work rather than menial administrative tasks.The right legal calendaring software sends an email to your client linking to a calendar with your availability. By syncing your Outlook or Google calendar to your CRM calendar, leads will see only the time slots you want them to see. They can choose an appointment time that works for them all with a few clicks. You’re one step closer to converting them into a client.

4 Everyone receives reminders

Recent studies show that the rate of client no-shows has risen 5% since early August 2020. Because of this higher missed appointment rate, it’s more important than ever to stay on top of reminding clients about their appointments.This reminder should come in two stages.

Stage one

As soon as the appointment is booked, a client receives an email confirming the appointment. It should include all of the necessary information- from your contact information to your law firm’s address and any important details like access codes.Think about including relevant information about your law firm in the email to warm clients up. Plugging in client testimonials and educational resources builds a sense of trust with your lead and boost your chances of gaining their business.

Stage two

The day before or several hours leading up to the consultation with your potential client, they should receive an email reminder. While some firms leave this step to an office administrator, a CRM can automate the reminder for you, saving your firm money on tasks you’d be paying staff to do.

5 Secure the client

Assuming the consultation goes as planned, you’ll verbally secure the client’s business. In order to finalize the attorney-client relationship, you’ll need them to sign the paperwork and agreements. As any lawyer knows, drafting up contracts is a lengthy process that takes time to ensure there are no errors. To streamline the process and eliminate the risk of errors, you can use automation software like Lawmatics. Lawmatics does the tedious work for you, so you can sweep through creating the documents with ease. Document templates can easily be filled with data imported from fields in your legal CRM coupled with easy e-signatures. You can seamlessly input information using a template, eliminating unnecessary fields, saving you and your client time. No more risks of missing critical steps or time lost on tedious tasks. Technology makes it simple to onboard your client by making it easy for them to send you whatever you need from the palm of their hand. By clicking a link from their mobile phones or laptop, they can effortlessly download and email documents back without having to bother with printers or scanners. In short, what could have taken hours or even days happens in a matter of seconds, all thanks to an effective client intake process.

Optimize your firm’s client intake process with a complete CRM like Lawmatics

Specifically designed for law firms, Lawmatics streamlines each step of the client intake process all the way to the legal onboarding process. Built on a cloud-based platform, it’s easy to access whatever you need from anywhere at any time.No more worrying about leads slipping through the cracks or losing clients’ trust due to lack of follow-ups. Easily view each stage of your client’s journeys, so you know who needs to be contacted when. Your law firm can customize each stage as you see fit for your practice, delivering optimal customer satisfaction and ultimately boosting your revenue by optimizing your intake and client onboarding process.