So many things have changed over the past few years, but one thing remains constant – legal clients expect exceptional experiences, and firms that fail to deliver on this expectation may lose out. In past years, clients have reported wanting three things from their legal firm: knowledge sharing, timely and relevant advice, and efficient and effective service – and not much has changed in that regard.
The challenge is that as the world has become more connected and digital, delivering service that meets expectations can prove difficult – unless you have the right technology in place. And the reality is, today’s digitally savvy clients actively care what technology you are using, because this technology is what drives the quality of their experience. Here are four aspects of the legal client experience that can be affected by the technology tools you’re using.
1. Transparency
While you are working tirelessly on your client’s case, they want to be able to access the latest updates. But calling or sending messages repeatedly to try and get an update is inefficient. Creating a space for your client to access their case information and other related materials themselves will save valuable time and allow for richer conversations between you and your client, now that they don’t need to call you for an answer that is readily available to them.
A client 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 allows your client to feel valued.
2. Productivity
Working behind the scenes on greater efficiencies can improve the legal client experience without the client even knowing it. This includes things like automating and simplifying your workflows, which turns time-consuming and repetitive tasks into automated, intelligent processes.
Finding ways to simplify your processes not only makes your job easier and boosts your productivity, but it can also have a significant positive impact on your clients. Having technology that helps get unbillable tasks done faster leaves you more time to work on things that truly matter to your client.
Looking for more information on increasing productivity with automation processes? This guide simplifies the conversation and helps you understand, evaluate, and implement document automation at your firm.
3. Security
With the highly sensitive nature of much of the data law firms have access to, and growing global concern around 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 that their information is safe and secure, because a data breach can ruin the trust that is the cornerstone of an attorney-client relationship.
Technology is a critical element in maintaining this trust. For example, secure file sharing tools not only simplify the process of document sharing, they 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. Communication
Communication is the foundation of any relationship, and attorney-client relationships are no different. A successful law firm relies on happy clients, which in turn relies 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, the lines have blurred, and clients expect to be able to communicate and interact outside of what is considered traditional working hours. Finding the balance of effective communication while protecting lawyers’ personal time is essential to client satisfaction, and that’s where the right tech solution is invaluable.
A unified social collaboration tool can help your firm share documents, communicate and work together with clients in the right place at the right time. Future headaches can easily be avoided by having one place where every party can go to find answers.
Trust is everything to legal clients
Clients are the foundation of a law firm, and the key to retaining clients, growing the client base and ultimately becoming more successful is making sure clients are happy. Today’s legal clients are more connected and digitally driven than ever before, so the technology tools you use have never been more important. If you can empower your clients with technology solutions that create an exceptional experience, you will take a giant leap toward ensuring success.
