During intake, first impressions are important, and so is efficiency. With strong intake management practices in place, you can achieve both.
A client’s first impression of your firm begins with the first call and can be the determining factor between retaining or losing the client. So how can you create an optimal experience for leads and newly retained clients while maximizing firm productivity and efficiency?
These tips will help get you started on the right track.
During the initial consult…
Listen and be empathetic
For personal injury attorneys, the clients or potential clients you’re speaking to have often experienced traumatic, life-altering events. The best thing you can do during that first call with the client is to listen as much as possible and express empathy for what they’re going through. These individuals want to be assured they’ll be treated and respected as human beings, not as a business transaction.
Immediately capture contact information
While it’s important to gather as much key information as possible during the first call, obtaining contact information is essential. Asking the client their preferred method of communication provides clear direction to follow up with the client in a timely manner and improves the chances of receiving a faster response.
Be transparent and clear about fees and payment expectations
Many clients are likely pursuing a claim for the first time, and may not be familiar with how the payment process works in personal injury law. Best practice is to clearly communicate your firm’s fee arrangements early on, how often they can expect to receive an invoice, and the average duration of the case type they are pursuing. Specifying these expectations during the initial consultation is likely to speed up the intake process and get your client signed faster.
Keep full records of communications and relevant notes
Improving the client experience and firm productivity are key focal points for all successful law firms. The last thing you want is for a client to have to continuously repeat themself, or for case workers to spend hours tracking down communication history and case data. Tracking all records of client communication in one place is essential for streamlining the intake process and keeping everyone up to speed on the status of the client’s case.
Legal practice management software, like CASEpeer, allows you to record and categorize notes by client communication in seconds on every case. Simply click ‘N’ on your keyboard, type out your note, and you’re good to go.
Consider a virtual receptionist (during or especially after hours so you never miss a call)
The harsh reality is that simply missing one call from a lead can mean losing a potential client. Those pursuing a personal injury claim are often eager to get legal support as soon as possible, so if they get sent to voicemail, they’re going to call the next attorney that can speak to them. We know the endless to-do lists and deadlines personal injury attorneys face on a daily basis, and that it’s not always easy to be there to pick up the phone.
That’s why considering hiring a virtual receptionist during or after hours can provide significant value for your firm and remove some of the stress from the intake process. Answering Legal, Alert Communications, or Smith.ai are great options that offer customized support, bilingual reps, 25/7/365 call answering, message taking, call forwarding, and more. Not to mention, you can integrate your account with CASEpeer to send leads directly to your practice management software.
Have an intake attorney, or dedicated intake person answer the phone
Without an organized intake process, calls are likely to go unanswered and things are inevitably going to slip through the cracks. If hiring an answering service or virtual receptionist isn’t your cup of tea, be sure to have a designated intake worker responsible for answering the phone. This will hold team members accountable, ensure there’s no confusion over who is managing what, and avoid missing out on valuable new leads.
Provide an FAQ guide
Another great way to establish your professionalism and credibility as an esteemed law firm is to have an FAQ document prepared and easily accessible to your intake team. You can include details like the expected duration for different types of cases, fee arrangements, how case updates will be communicated, and even why they should entrust their case with your law firm.
This makes training new intake staff easier, ensures consistent messaging, and can help set the right expectations for your prospective clients.
Legal technology
Harnessing the power of practice management software is without a doubt one of the best things you can do for your personal injury law firm, especially when it comes to intake management.
For example, these are some of the powerful tools you’ll find already built into CASEpeer, designed to make your life, and your clients’ lives easier.
Texting integrated with your legal software
90% of texts are read within the first three minutes of being sent. If you struggle to reach MIA clients throughout the intake process and are primarily relying on email or phone calls, it’s probably time to consider texting.
CASEpeer’s texting feature actually allows you to text clients from within their case and receive texts back, automatically saving all text history in CASEpeer. But wait, there’s more! Any photos or videos texted by the client will also automatically save to their case under the Photos and Recordings tabs, respectively, saving you half the work.
Don’t want to share your personal number? No problem. CASEpeer provides your firm with a personal number specifically for texting clients, so you can keep your team’s personal numbers private and maintain a work-life balance.
Automated tasks to remind you of follow-ups
Whether it’s checking in on a client after a doctor’s appointment or remembering to wish them a happy birthday, CASEpeer automated task workflows keep you one step ahead. You can set your tasks to be triggered automatically by the change of a case status, and set reminders, due dates, and priority levels to keep everyone on track and your clients happy.
Templates
Automated template documents are a must for quick document generation and streamlining the intake process. Instead of manually inputting every client’s individual information into each letter, CASEpeer pulls that data into all of your most frequently used documents automatically. When you retain a client, you can send them their welcome letter right off the bat with zero tedious work involved.
Use e-signature platforms to send contracts for signature digitally
Finally, having an e-signature tool that integrates with your practice management software is the key to making you and your client’s life easier. In an age of increasing digitization, more and more processes are being taken online, including sending and signing documents.
With CASEpeer’s e-signature feature powered by HelloSign, attorneys can generate documents for e-signature with data pulled right from CASEpeer. The document can then be emailed or texted to the client with the click of a button, saving automatically to the case when completed.
The intake process doesn’t have to be as complicated as it might seem and is a great way to make a memorable first impression on your clients. Use these tips to keep your firm ahead of the game while optimizing productivity and the client experience.
Ready to see CASEpeer for yourself? Speak with an expert to learn more.