Why Improve Your Legal Intake Process?

Putting your firm’s lead intake at the bottom of the list can damage your ROI. You might employ big-name personal injury attorneys. But those rock stars do not matter as much if you lack a streamlined process to attract and retain new legal clients.   If your process is inconsistent or lacking, you will lose legal prospects. After all, 87% of people looking for a lawyer go with the first one they contact. You want to be that attorney!

Make A Fantastic First Impression

There are so many law firms in your city, you need to stand out. Try to make your firm look like you are easy to work with, friendly, and knowledgeable in the law. Also, your firm should use cutting-edge technology.   Prospective clients will remember that contacting your law firm does not involve endless hold times on the phone. Instead, they will love your fast website and excellent customer service. Also, make a strong impression by getting back to the prospect within minutes of them contacting your firm.  

Do Not Enter Contact Information Manually

The days of writing down or typing client contact information are over! Ideally, your administrative assistants should only enter something manually for clients and prospects. Instead, use a CRM that enters client details automatically.   You should use your time wisely and refrain from entering data manually. Automation is the key to higher ROI; you will never have a client fall through the cracks again.  

Allow Self-Scheduling

It is a waste of time to call clients to find a time they can come in and see you. Instead, it is better for you and your clients to have direct schedule access. Then, they can set up the appointment conveniently with automated appointment scheduling.   An efficient law firm intake process reduces information bottlenecks and offers prospects the smoothest onboarding process possible. In addition, allowing clients to self-schedule is one of the best ways to improve ROI and customer service simultaneously.  

Uniform Your Legal Staff

When clients and prospects call your office, there should be a uniform protocol that all employees follow. Using this protocol ensures nothing falls through the cracks. Also, your firm looks orderly and professional:

● Answer telephone calls with your firm’s full legal name.

● If you cannot answer the phone, call back within minutes.

● Ask for the person’s name, phone number, and email if the connection is lost.

● Have prescreening questions ready to determine if they are a good fit.

● Finally, spell out your website’s URL.

●Give the prospect a time frame for when you will follow up with them and how. 

Do Not Use Paper

Whether your firm handles car accidents, divorce, or bankruptcy, they are going through a difficult time when someone contacts you. What they want most is reassurance from you and a straightforward way to solve their problem.   Prospects can become overwhelmed with a lot of paperwork, and we all know that legal documents can be confusing. Of course, paperwork is required to sign a client, but automating and digitizing the process makes it easier for them and you.   When your office does not use paper, you can spend less time on cases and administrative work. This is a crucial way to increase your firm’s ROI.  

Use Active Listening

When you talk to a prospect, they will probably discuss their legal issue. So, it is essential to practice active listening techniques so you remember everything. It also shows you are concerned about their problem. An effective active listening method is to repeat things they tell you every minute.  

Educate Your Intake Team

Your team is the one who often decides which case to accept and turn down. It is critical to educate your intake team regularly for the best ROI:  

●Talk to the team about what it takes to win a legal case. Many of your competitors probably need to do this, but it can make a big difference. When the staff understands the work that goes into getting a big settlement or verdict, they feel more is at stake.

● Meet with your intake team quarterly: Tell your staff what you want from the legal intake process. Talk to them about what is going well and what needs to be improved. Even the best law firm intake process can be improved.

●Follow up with prospects you turned away. You could discover they won their case with a competitor. Many attorneys never consider calling prospects they turned down. You can gain helpful insights if you do.

●Track staff performance: Check how many appointments each staff member makes. Verify how many legal prospects they talked to become clients. Pay bonuses to staff with the most successful conversions and profitable cases.

Regularly Review Your Law Firm Intake Process

Getting new legal leads is step one. Next, your firm needs to constantly monitor your legal intake process to look for ways to improve. You should compile and analyze your legal lead data at least monthly in these ways:  

● How many new cases were opened?

● How long did it take your staff to respond from the first contact?

● What is the call-to-case ratio?

● What is the cost per case?

Need Leads For Law Firms? Contact Us Today

Following these tips to optimize your law firm’s intake process will boost your ROI. It is essential to keep at it and never give up. It takes time and effort to optimize a law firm’s intake process. If you need assistance, Legal Lead Locator is ready to provide qualified leads to increase your law firm’s ROI.