Technology has become an integral part of doing business, and the legal industry poses no exception. Law firms have historically advertised and marketed themselves to potential clients successfully. However, new data shows that money invested in traditional methods does not necessarily improve their bottom line.
It’s important to pursue modern solutions in the digital age. By leveraging technology and incorporating a variety of digital solutions, law firms are better able to capture leads and convert them into valuable clients.
The Importance of Technology in Law Firms
Lawyers only have so much time to devote to their existing clients and cases and this can lead to negative experiences for prospective clients.
A study conducted by the American Bar Association’s Law Practice Division’s Social Media, Legal Blogs, and Websites Committee found that one out of every three people calling a law firm doesn’t get to speak to a person.
Callers are often being sent to voicemail or simply giving up before the phone is answered. This is likely out of frustration about their inability to get a live response. The study also found that 42% of the time law firms take three or more days to reply to a voicemail or web-generated firm filled by prospective clients.
These statistics demonstrate a noticeable gap in communication giving a negative first impression and inhibits converting law firm leads.
How to Leverage Technology
Law firms can supplement their efforts to interact with prospective clients by incorporating a variety of technological solutions to respond to personal injury leads or other inquiries from interested individuals.
It’s important to first have an exemplary website that is easy to use across multiple devices and allows people to get the information they need. Your website is often how they begin researching law firms to handle their case. You should include calls to action and web forms but have a process in place for responding to these inquiries promptly.
Another way to leverage technology is to team up with a legal call center staffed by knowledgeable and qualified professionals. Legal call centers provide online lead responses and 24/7 intake services so you know every potential client who calls will be connected with an actual person to answer their questions.
Not only does this provide prospective clients with a positive first impression of your law firm, but the legal specialists at the call center can filter out unqualified leads before passing them along to your attorneys.
Finally, you can use data management software and a client management system to track leads which is another challenge faced by law firms. According to research by Martindale, about 26% of law firms do not track their leads at all which leads to missed opportunities.
Martindale’s recommended best practices include tracking follow-up efforts to help you identify and resurrect dormant leads. If you don’t receive a response after three to five attempts you should set a deadline for checking back with leads in the future.
Since only one out of every four law firms is tracking leads, adopting these simple solutions can give you a leg-up over the competition.
Mastering Technology for Your Law Firm
You can improve your law firm’s ability to more effectively capture and convert qualified leads by leveraging technology. Now is the time for law firms to take advantage of technological solutions such as call services to get ahead of the competition and to access new opportunities for converting law firm leads.
