Law Technology Today From the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center
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Law practice management software is more accessible and affordable than ever before, and firms are realizing how much time they can save and how much more efficiently they can operate.
However, there’s a step that impacts your ROI on client acquisition that comes before these solutions. It’s being missed by most firms, and the cost of not having it in place is high.
As much overhead as you can save by streamlining operations after a client is acquired, there’s much more ground to be gained during the intake process.
Law firms invest so much time and energy generating leads through multiple sources. They use legal lead providers and invest in their own online and local advertising, and all the while they find themselves haunted by this thought:
- “I know my ROI with leads could be better, but I don’t know how to improve it.”
Leads Thrive When Paired with Client Intake Software
Most law firms are still missing a great client intake software solution that tracks the journey of a lead before they sign on as a client.
A lot of these solutions are just now coming into maturity and full power as the potential of the cloud has taken hold, so it’s understandable that awareness is low.
The right solution can be invaluable for increasing ROI. For example, leads from a legal lead provider are a powerful tool in finding new clients online. However, they bring the best results in law firms where a solid process has been established for client intake. When leads feel welcomed immediately and are nurtured with consistent follow-up, they’re far more likely to sign as a client.
There’s so much time, energy, and money that goes into sourcing a lead for a law firm, and it’s always a shame when one falls through the cracks. Both the hard and soft costs are irrecoverable, and too many law firms have ended up settling for conversion rates that could greatly improve.
For firms of all sizes, Client Intake Software (or in some circles “Lead Intake Software”) is a game changer, and here are some reasons why.
Client Intake Software Ensures a Rapid Response to a Lead
There’s one Golden Rule in working with leads. For the statistics, for the trust, and for the sheer race to be beat the competition, there’s just nothing more important for success and getting the best possible ROI from leads than a rapid response.
Intake Software can automate responses immediately once a lead is received, and most products can do far more than just send an email. They can text, call, and work harder and faster than any one person to connect you with the lead as fast as possible.
Automations Empower Consistent Follow-Up from Your Law Firm
There’s just no need any longer to do routine follow up with leads individually or even to rely on templates unless it’s a special circumstance. All of that messaging can be automated, and once in place, automations can perform many functions.
- Automated responses can make sure you never forget the little things that add up like saying “Thank You” or remembering to check in and show concern for a lead’s situation.
- Automated responses can help move the potential client forward in the process and understand their next steps.
- Automated responses can build your relationship with the potential client. A good lead nurture sequence can offer them emails full of helpful advice that earns trust. Relationships take time to nurture, and the initial phone call is not always enough. An automated sequence of emails can do the impossible and create “copies of you” to reach out to people individually, and the computer always has time to send out that next message.
To augment all of this functionality, a client intake software solution will have endless abilities to program reminders and to monitor progress with leads so that no one falls through the cracks.
You’ll also gain the ability to see how and when leads respond to your messaging which lets you know how to keep them moving forward.
Appointment Schedulers Rescue Critical Attorney-Client Consultations
If you actually tracked how many leads you’ve lost from back and forth emails trying to schedule an appointment, it wouldn’t feel great. There’s so much risk in letting that process fall into a third, fourth, or fifth email, no matter how interested the lead seems.
Most client intake solutions have built-in automated scheduling capabilities. They can sync your calendar with the program and offer leads the chance to schedule their own appointments in one easy step.
The amount of leads you can keep from falling off the map with this one feature alone can be worth the investment.
Automations in Client Intake Software Save Overhead
You’ve already seen above how many hours of labor you can save just from sending less emails about scheduling. In addition to that:
- Your intake forms can live online and send data directly to your software solution. There’s no need for staff to cover that.
- Your paperwork can be automated with reminders sent to you and the lead when it’s time to take the next step.
The sheer amount of automation that can be put in place saves endless hours of busywork and unnecessary labor.
Process Paperwork and Payments for New Clients Faster
Client intake software can now establish secure cloud connections and allow potential clients to sign critical documents online.
Payments can be automated, and the whole process of onboarding clients into your client management software can be much faster.
Improvements like this bring a lot of intangible value with them as well. Issues of efficiency aren’t just about saving time and money on your end, they’re about earning confidence and trust from potential and current clients. Ease and organization help them feel safer and more confident in the otherwise unsettling process of taking part in a legal case.
Client Intake Software Gives You the Ability to Track Your ROI!
We see so many attorneys get discouraged prematurely with leads because they don’t have a good system in place for measuring ROI.
With a centralized system, you can truly understand your conversion rate and the cost of acquisition for a lead.
Better yet, you can understand the true value of a lead, and that’s when the picture truly comes into focus.
It might take you 20 leads to win a case in your region and area of practice. Out of context, that stat might seem discouraging, but it might be more than worth it to acquire 20 leads for a case that generates the right amount of revenue.
With the right system in place, you can see the real story of what’s going on, and you can do it quickly without a time-consuming search through your records.
But it gets even better…
Attribution Gives You a Granular, Strategic Understanding of Your ROI
There are client intake solutions on the market that allow you to see how each of your marketing channels is performing and then compare. For example:
- You can finally see if your billboards or print ads are still effective.
- You can compare legal lead providers and weed out the ones who aren’t performing well.
You can truly optimize your marketing platform at a granular level and understand where people are responding and what message is reaching them.
Knowing All of This, It’s Hard to Believe Everyone Isn’t Using Client Intake Software
The fact that Client Intake Software is still taking hold in the industry can give you a competitive advantage. You’ll simply run leaner and more effectively.
- You’ll be able to sign more clients due to improved, more consistent follow-up.
- You’ll save operational costs with the help of automations
- And you’ll be able to truly understand and track your ROI and reduce waste on marketing campaigns.
There is so much growth to be found and money to be saved on the front end of your journey with leads. You simply need the right tool and the right process in place.
Legal Leads Can Optimize Your Online Marketing Channel
At 4LegalLeads.com, we serve as a critical part of your overall lead generation strategy and contribute to the growth of your firm.
Here’s how leads can help. We have the online advertising expertise to make sure that potential clients in your region can connect with your law firm. As they search for an attorney, we route them to you as a lead. 4LegalLeads.com is one of the most experienced, expert lead providers in the industry.
In most cases, we can also deliver leads directly to your client intake software so that you can respond to them quickly with the full power of your software solution behind you. We’re also happy to help by recommending trusted partners for client intake solutions.
It only takes a few moments to visit 4LegalLeads.com/lawyers and create your account, or you can speak to our team directly at (866) 473-0005. After you create your account, our support team (support@4legalleads.com) will customize and optimize it for you.
We look forward to enhancing your marketing strategy and relieving the stress of advertising your law firm online.
