Lawyers are one of those professionals who have to deal with a lot of paperwork and a whole lot more clients. Despite manual management of all clients and paperwork, they have always hesitantly opposed using CRM solutions because of the set perspective that inputting data into a CRM system will fetch no good results and thus is a waste of time. Lawyers are also made to believe that CRM for lawyers leads to data theft and is unsafe in many ways.
However, many analysts have repeatedly questioned the lawyer’s opinions. Data researchers who conduct surveys and detailed reports have advised lawyers to reevaluate their relationship with CRM systems.
Effective legal CRM software will help lawyers streamline the whole process in more ways than they might expect. It also helps in reducing the number of redundant operations performed by lawyers.
Why lawyers need Client Relationship Management (CRM) Software
Marketing, both traditional and modern, has been an essential part of any business and profession, including lawyers. However, in growing times like these, traditional marketing is not enough to drive potential clients. With a rapidly changing industry and the world, clients are becoming more and more center stage. Clients now do not hesitate to judge a company based on their effective communication and relationship with them.
Law firm CRMs are designed to improve and strengthen the client and lawyer’s relationship. Through CRM software, law firms can apply a systematic and standardized approach in maintaining and enhancing their clients’ relationships with themselves. CRM will also help lawyers to manage an excellent client experience.
CRM for lawyers is not only about managing relationships. It can be many things. Primarily, it stores the client’s necessary information, their contact details, interactions with them, biographical information, and legal needs. It also helps lawyers to automate the workflow, follow-up with their clients, set reminders, book appointments, and manage confidential information, and so on.
Benefits of CRM for law firms
CRM systems help lawyers interact with their clients and give them the tools to attract potential clients. With the help of CRM, lawyers will be able to strengthen their bond with existing clients.
Below are some benefits of law firm CRMs:
Easy Relationship Management
Lawyers will be able to build robust relationships with their clients through excellent customer relationship management software. CRM’s available in the market are designed in such a way that they meet the distinctive demands of the lawyers and their clients.
Improved Client Relationship
Client relationship management software helps lawyers improve their relationships with their clients. With the help of CRM, everything is available at the fingertips of lawyers. CRM helps lawyers efficiently address the client’s queries. This will bring them endless appreciation from the client’s end.
Analytics for Business Metrics
Good CRM software comes with built-in analytics and reporting capabilities that help lawyers start innovating and experimenting with the critical business metrics they have used so far. Good CRM software will assist lawyers in looking into significant aspects like client acquisition, client conversion rates, client retention rate, return on investment on outside investments, to name a few.
Structured workflow for efficient operations and higher conversions
CRM will also help lawyers to bring in more business and improve their operations. This will keep them ahead of the curve and help them survive in a highly competitive market.
CRM will help lawyers nurture and strengthen their relationships with existing and potential clients. CRM will also focus on ensuring that lawyers are doing everything possible to convert leads into clients.
Improved Efficiency
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software helps lawyers feed the data into the software. Once the data is stored in the software, it is there forever unless purposely deleted. It also reduces unnecessary methods performed by lawyers for client acquisition and retention. Legal CRM software streamlines the process within less time.
What should lawyers look for in features for an effective CRM?
From client management to task management, these robust features will help lawyers to become reliable and proactive in the eyes of their clients.
Client Management
Client management features will allow lawyers to segment their contacts into groups. With this CRM capability, lawyers will be able to gather crucial client data.
Automated Workflows
With the help of CRM, tools lawyers can automate their workflow like scheduling and sending follow-up emails, client inquiry, pre-consult applications, new client onboarding, and much more.
Builder Intake
This feature will help lawyers to collect the information they need from their clients. This is an important feature to look for, as it will allow clients to fill out their information online using their mobile phones or computers.
Case Management
This software feature will help the lawyer maintain a transparent relationship with the clients. With this feature, lawyers will be able to manage individual client cases. This feature will allow them to access all the details of the case anytime they want to.
Manage confidential information
The core function of customer relationship management software is to hold the client’s confidential information and keep it in a secure environment. Before investing in any CRM, lawyers must ensure that their client’s sensitive data is away from hackers.
Appointment Scheduling
With appointment scheduling features, lawyers can check the available date on their calendars. This feature helps potential clients pick consultation slots right from a lawyer’s website without visiting them.
Calendar Synchronization
The Calendar Synchronize feature will help lawyers view appointments with their clients.
Email Templates
There is nothing more demanding than an inbuilt email template for lawyers. This will help them send emails and relevant information quickly and easily.
Email Synchronization
Everyone in the law firm can synchronize their email accounts to check the emails sent or received to maintain an up-to-date existing or potential client’s record.
Text Messaging
While email is a standard part of most software, most rural clients may not have their email id and prefer getting a text to an email. This feature will allow lawyers to keep track of such clients in the software.
Document Templates
A lawyer can look at this optional yet important feature while customizing CRM software. When it comes down to intake applications or engagement reports, a customized template will help lawyers move with CRM software more efficiently.
E- Signatures
CRM for lawyers allows them to save their electronic signatures and also that of their most trusted clients to get to processing documents quickly through either their computer or phone.
Analytics
This feature will help lawyers see and analyze various reports like the client acquisition rate, client retention rate, and the return on investment from marketing investments.
Matter tracking
This feature will allow lawyers to track the legal matter of the client separately from all the other contacts.
Notes
The Add Notes feature will give lawyers a screen to keep their matters updated and keep everyone informed about the same. This will also help lawyers gather more information from the clients quickly during the client retention process.
Tasks Scheduling
This is an important feature to look at while deciding on CRM software as it will help lawyers schedule tasks. This feature will enable lawyers to keep track of important deadlines and help prevent things from falling through the cracks.
How to Build Better Relationships With Clients
The primary concern for any lawyer in practice will be establishing, building, and retaining relationships with existing and potential clients. For this, lawyers must take help of numerous client relationship building and managing strategies to improve their skills in client relationship management. They must also incorporate client relationship management (CRM) software for a smooth transition.
After introducing secure, reliable CRM software in the business, lawyers must actively start using the software. Moreover, lawyers must be open-minded and ready to shift their attitude towards CRM to get more clarity about the working process.
There are various training programs available for lawyers who have incorporated CRM software into their system. Lawyers can attend those learning programs and training sessions to maintain a smooth workflow with law firm CRMs. Once lawyers learn to use CRM, they will be able to reap all the monetary and non-monetary benefits from it.
Final Thoughts
CRM for lawyers aims at identifying, targeting, acquiring, and retaining clients. It also helps in knowing the expectations of the clients, understanding their needs, and building strong relationships with them. A good CRM software provides suitable services to the clients, which in return offers a higher client retention rate.
CRM integrates with the database of clients, like their contact details, query raised, case details, information requested, and more. This helps lawyers to deal transparently with their clients.
Changes are needed for lawyers who are not using a CRM or using it without fetching any benefits. A robust CRM solution will make lawyers more efficient and raise their demand in the market. CRMs do more than what is all mentioned above, but this article will pave the way for lawyers to make the right decision. Before investing in any CRM software, lawyers must do proper research on their part and choose the tool that best fits their needs.
