So much has changed in the past few years, but one thing remains constant: legal clients expect exceptional experiences, and companies that fail to meet this expectation stand to lose. A blog post from 2020 brought to light three things clients expect from their law firm: knowledge sharing, timely and relevant advice and effective and efficient service – and little has changed in this respect.
The challenge is that as the world becomes increasingly connected and digital, delivering a service that meets expectations can be difficult unless you have the right technology. And the reality is that today’s savvy customers actively care about the technology you use because it’s that technology that determines the quality of their experience. Here are four aspects of the legal client experience that can be affected by the technology tools you use.
1. Transparency
As you work tirelessly on your client’s case, they want access to the latest updates. But calling or texting repeatedly to try to get an update is ineffective. Create a space for your customer access information about their case and other related documents themselves will save you valuable time and enable richer conversations between you and your customer, now that they no longer need to call you for an answer that is easily accessible to them.
A customer portal can give legal clients 24/7 access to the information they need quickly and easily, removing a point of friction for both parties and making your client feel valued.
2. Productivity
Working behind the scenes for greater efficiency can improve the legal client experience without the client even knowing it. This includes things like automate and simplify your workflowsthat transforms time-consuming and repetitive tasks into automated and intelligent processes.
Finding ways to simplify your processes not only makes your job easier and increases your productivity, but it can also have a significant positive impact on your customers. Having technology that helps get non-billable tasks done faster gives you more time to work on things that really matter to your client.
Looking for more information on increasing productivity through process automation? This guide simplifies the conversation and helps you understand, evaluate and implement document automation in your business.
3. Security
With the highly sensitive nature of much of the data that law firms have access to and the growing global concern for the protection of personal information, security is one of the most important elements of an exceptional client experience. Law firms need to be able to reassure their clients about the security of their information, because a data breach can destroy the trust that is the cornerstone of an attorney-client relationship.
Technology is an essential element in maintaining this trust. For example, securing file sharing tools not only simplify the document sharing process, but also maintain control over sensitive documents at all times, while virtual data rooms can be used for fast and secure exchange of files and other sensitive information.
4. Communications
Communication is the foundation of any relationship, and attorney-client relationships are no different. A successful law firm relies on satisfied clients, which in turn depend on effective collaboration. A lack of communication can become extremely frustrating, especially when it comes to a critical legal matter.
In an always-on digital world, boundaries have blurred and customers expect to be able to communicate and interact outside of what are considered traditional business hours. Finding the balance between effective communication while protect lawyers’ personal time is critical to customer satisfaction, and this is where the right technology solution is invaluable.
A unified social collaboration tool can help your firm share documents, communicate and collaborate with clients in the right place at the right time. Future headaches can easily be avoided by having a place each party can go to find answers.
Trust is everything for legal clients
Clients are the foundation of a law firm, and the key to retaining clients, growing clientele, and ultimately becoming more successful is ensuring that clients are satisfied. Today’s legal clients are more connected and digitally-focused than ever before, so the technology tools you use have never been more important. If you can empower your customers with technology solutions that create an exceptional experience, you will take a giant step towards success.
