Every January, 45% of people resolve to get in shape during the new year. Most people are referring to diet and exercise, but you should also be thinking about getting your law firm in shape for 2019.
This time of year, it’s important to critically review your business’s performance. Use this guide to get your law firm into shape for 2019.
Evaluate Your Marketing Strategy
If your law firm is spending money on marketing, you need to track the results. If you know more of your clients come from internet searches than print advertising, for example, you’ll want to invest more of your 2019 marketing budget into your internet presence.
If you have this data, take some time to evaluate it and see where your leads are coming from. If you don’t, now is the time to establish a process for easily collecting this critical information. Legal case management software like CASEpeer can make tracking marketing campaigns and conversions easy. Knowing what works will help you make profitable marketing decisions in 2019.
Sharpen Intake and Follow-Up Procedures
Getting leads is difficult and expensive, but so is keeping track of them. Does your firm have a process in place to ensure no lead slips through the cracks? If not, speak with your intake staff and see what can be done better. It could be as simple as ensuring they collect every lead’s phone number, or you might consider investing in a CRM for your law firm.
Invest in Legal Practice Management Software
Investing in a powerful case management solution can help you reach many of these goals in one fell swoop. Although technology on its own won’t solve all of your problems, the right software can make your practice more efficient, secure, and proactive. Use this guide to help you identify which solution may be best for your firm.
The best case management software will be tailored to your practice areas, helping you track the key performance indicators relevant to your firm.
Examine Your Firm’s Online Reputation
In 2019, you can no longer afford to ignore your online presence. Even if referred by a friend or family member, clients will look you up online before calling your law firm.
If your online presence is already good, great! If it’s less than ideal, don’t worry. You can manage your online reputation using tips from this guide.
Improve Customer Support
Improving customer support will help many aspects of your business. It will translate to happier clients, who will be glad to refer their friends and family, or leave you great reviews. This will generate more business for your law firm.
Make sure your clients are kept informed throughout the duration of their case. Train your staff to be courteous, patient, and proactive. It’s important to communicate your expectations to every member of your team, from reception to attorneys. This way your clients will have a seamless and consistent experience.
Eliminate Redundant Processes
Without established expectations and workflows, it’s easy for employees’ duties to overlap. When each staff role is defined, tasks are done only as many times as they need to be. Ask employees if they feel any of their tasks is redundant, and why. You may be surprised to find they are doing double work.
Eliminating redundancies from your firm’s workflows allows your employees to complete more tasks than before. It also prevents important tasks from being overlooked.
Secure Your Firm
Law firm data breaches are becoming increasingly common, and 2019 will be no different. Cybersecurity experts agree your employees are your biggest security threat. Because of this, one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your law firm’s security is to educate your employees on how to avoid threats. Set aside a few hours to hold a firm-wide meeting and teach your employees about cybersecurity topics.
Back Up Your Data
Chances are, at least some of your law firm’s case information is digital. If this data hasn’t been backed up, you won’t be able to retrieve it in the case of an emergency.
Make it a rule to regularly back up your data. However much you’re comfortable losing, whether that’s a day’s worth or five minute’s worth, is how often you should be backing up. Don’t just take someone’s word for it. Review your expectations with your IT professional.
Improve Data Quality
If you are using a legal practice management solution or another software to run your law firm, are your employees doing a good job of entering information? Without proper data entry, your law firm won’t be able to make the most of its software. Use this guide to improve your law firm’s data quality, and talk to your attorneys and staff about your expectations.
You don’t need to tackle all of these challenges at once. Go through them one at a time, delegating each section to the person best equipped to answer the question, if necessary. Some may take more time than others, so start as soon as you can. You and your staff are busy, but implementing these tips will save you time and headache in the long run.
Wishing you and your law firm a successful 2019!
CASEpeer is a comprehensive case management software for personal injury attorneys. From intake to settlement, our robust features help law firms become more proactive and powerful. Our goal is to help law firms grow. For more legal technology information and practice management tips, visit our blog.
