Is it worth it to automate your legal firm? As a lawyer, I can say with certainty, especially if you work in high volume, it is necessary. Salesforce for law firms has changed everything at our firm. Automation in law firms could make a big difference in how much time lawyers spend on work that can’t be billed.
According to McKinsey Global, current technology can automate up to 23% of a lawyer’s work. Also, since most of a law firm’s income comes from billable hours, cutting down on non-billable hours makes a huge difference in productivity.
Thanks to our cloud-based software and other integrations, it is possible to automate clerical tasks efficiently.
Why Should You Automate Law Firm Process Even from The Start – Salesforce For Law Firms Of All Sizes
With today’s technology, a large percentage of what lawyers do can be automated. Because of this, your law office will be able to better serve customers and attract new ones.
The human aspect of the profession is not diminished by the use of technology in the legal office. So, you spend less time on boring tasks and more time on tasks that require your experience and skills.
Why is automation important and how might it assist your legal firm? These are just a few of the reasons:
- It removes the possibility of human error when it comes to re-entering data.
- Customers have a better time with automated or self-service tasks, like filling out forms, because they can do them on their own time.
- Because they may spend more time on billable work and other revenue-generating activities, attorneys are better satisfied.
- It enhances the flow of information between your firm’s employees and the people you serve.
- reduces the expense of labor and other fees often associated with a traditional legal practice. It reduces overhead.
- As a small business owner, automation helps level the playing field by allowing you to compete on a tighter budget.
How Matterly Helps You Automate Yor Law Firm Tasks
Some procedures in law firms may not need the attention and time of lawyers, nor even personnel. Repetitive tasks like intake and billing may be completed utilizing technology in a law firm’s automation process. Salesforce for law firms takes away this monotony.
Here are the ways Matterly can help you with automation:
#1 Client Onboarding
Developing a strong connection with your customer begins with the client intake process, which lays the groundwork for future interactions.
Make a good first impression with your customers with Salesforce for law firms. Like any business, client intake is an important part of the legal process because this is where your firm first talks to a client. So it’s no surprise that a CRM is useful.
A uniform set of data must be gathered for every practice area and case type. For a divorce lawsuit, for example, a law firm could ask for the following:
- The customer’s name
- Spouse Name
- Total number of children
- Information on a customer’s payment, such as a credit card
- The prosecutor in charge of the case
- Other members of the team involved in the case:
- The billing procedure
Information about a client’s intake can be collected online and synced with your software for client intake and/or case management. This lets your firm automate some partsștiinștiiștii.știiștii.
Benefits of Automating Client Onboarding
Automating the customer intake process has several advantages. Salesforce for law firms makes it easy.
By automating the process, you may create custom forms that include just the information you need and remove those that aren’t relevant to the case.
Ultimately, this will save your customer time and limit the number of mistakes made by your firm’s staff.
As a result of enabling public intake forms, clients and prospective customers may fill out applications immediately on your firm’s website.
Matterly Features for Client Onboarding
There are a variety of solutions available to help you streamline the client intake process, from configurable intake forms to software that allows customers to sign virtual documents with an e-signature.
You can instantly create new contacts and cases with software that works directly with your practice management system as soon as a new customer fills out an intake form with software that works directly with your practice management system.
The Matterly Entry Wizard is an example of a customer relationship management and client intake tool for law firms.
Using the dashboard, you’ll be able to keep tabs on the progress of each potential customer in real time.
One of the many benefits is that you can keep track of new leads and learn how to make your marketing efforts more efficient while also growing your customer base.
#2 Document Automation
Automating the generation of documents is exactly what it sounds like: quicker and simpler.
It’s similar to how tax preparation software works in that customers fill out questionnaires that the software then uses to generate documents.
Automated collection and recording of responses takes place. After that, the data can be used to make a template for a document, which can then be sent for review.
In order to get the most out of this technology, attorneys should be able to use Microsoft Word to automate their work.
Lawyers who automate their papers will be able to best manage their document templates for the long term without the need for IT professionals.
Benefits of Automating Document Creation and Conversion
Document automation helps law firms lessen their dependence on billable hours by allowing them to automate the process of creating complicated legal papers. Your customers will benefit from the savings, and your firm’s profits will rise as a result.
It is possible to write papers in minutes rather than days and avoid the mistakes, expenses, and inefficiencies that beset the conventional drafting process.
The ability to share and retain information throughout your firm is another significant advantage of document automation.
Automated document templates may assist in filling in knowledge gaps that may arise when a lawyer moves on to work for a different firm.
Matterly Features For Salesforce For Law Firms Such As Automating Document Creation and Conversion
There are various programs that make the process of automating documents much simpler than utilizing Word’s merge fields.
With Matterly’s DocuGen integration, you can automatically turn your matters into documents by pulling information from different matter fields into merge fields.
In order to produce PDF or Word documents using data from your Matterly DocuGen integration account, you may use.
Document Automation from Matterly. So, you can make forms and standard documents like engagement letters and retainer agreements quickly and easily, all in one place.
Matterly’s DocuGen Integration works with a lot of different document automation technologies for law firms.
Many of these offer pre-formatted papers to make the process of making documents faster.
#3 Communication and Follow Ups
Individual customer intake, document preparation, and invoicing may all be automated to save time and money.
However, this should not be an obstacle to providing clients with high-quality, personalized service.
Lawyers had to spend a significant amount of time on the phone or travelling to meet with clients before the emergence of contemporary communication technologies such as email, texting, and virtual meetings.
There are still a lot of legal firms that operate in this manner.
These emerging means of contact allow attorneys to keep a personal touch without having to invest as much time or money.
In this case, too, automation can help. It will help you spend less time on tasks and conversations that you do over and over again.
This will give you more time and energy to spend on relationships that are more important to you.
A concerned new customer, for example, will not be pacified by an automated answer to their inquiry about the status of their case.
A customer who only wants to know when their personal injury settlement payment arrives might easily use automatic communication. Salesforce for law firms would still benefit an attorney in this position.
When it comes to customer service, there is no substitute for empathic and responsive human assistance. However, faster responses facilitated by automation may be compassionate in certain circumstances, since this is what the customer wants.
Benefits of Automating Client Communication With Salesforce For Law Firms
An AI-powered chatbot is one example of automated technology. These may be designed to deliver legal advice and to respond to customer enquiries. Firms save a lot of time and money when they can automate tasks that they do often.
It is possible to remain in touch with customers and sustain a long-term connection using automation solutions.
Another option is to employ systems that automatically follow up customers of the progress of their cases, which reduces both the number of questions and the quality of service they get from the legal firm.
Salesforce For Law Firms Features On Matterly For Automating Client Communication
Cloud-based legal client relationship management software from Matterly may help your law firm acquire and keep customers more effectively.
Getting clients to trust your law firm means automating tasks like emails and workflows that aren’t necessary but still important.
Click2Mail and Proof are just two of Matterly’s integrations that make it easier for you to communicate with your customers.
You’re able to arrange and streamline difficult client communications. For example, after a meeting with a customer, for example, you may automate routine chores like email follow-up and data input. You don’t have to worry about remembering to follow up since everything is automated. Salesforce for law firms takes care of this workflow.
#4 Automated Collection
It is estimated that 14% of all hours billed to customers go unpaid.When a client cannot pay their legal fees or when a law firm does not follow up on its invoices, these unpaid hours occur.
In any case, these hours of work that aren’t paid add up over time, leaving the businesses that hire them with huge income gaps.
While many firms are looking to speed up the collection process, they can’t compromise accuracy or compliance for the sake of speeding things up.
Some clients may ask for changes to an invoice over and over again, which could slow down the collection process by weeks.
Electronic payment options are a tried and reliable means of making fee payments easier for both businesses and their clientele.
The Benefits of Automating Collection
The most apparent advantage of electronic payments is that invoices are paid more quickly. As a result, it saves time and effort on follow-ups when a bill is past due.
Even if you don’t get paid, there are a lot of additional advantages.
The audit trail provided by today’s billing technology makes it possible to hold people accountable.
Several weeks or months after the fact, a customer may decide to contest a charge.
Using manual or paper-based billing methods puts law firms at a disadvantage in this situation. Using collection automation technologies, you can check for changes and keep track of them when a pre-bill turns into an invoice.
Matterly Features For Automating The Collection Process
Matterly is a flexible and easy-to-use platform when it comes to automating invoicing and collection processes.
Both law firms and clients benefit from this legal CRM software, which streamlines the process for both parties.
Through the app, you can create and approve invoices on the go, add interest to late payments, and send bills electronically.
Third-party accounting systems may be synced with Matterly Payments.
Rather than paying each legal fee one at a time, customers may pay all of their legal bills at once using a credit card online rather than one at a time. A payment plan or an evergreen retainer may also be used by clients.
Automated follow-up is possible using a number of additional law firm collection automation systems that work with Matterly.
#5 Time Tracking Automation
Value for money and billing accuracy are becoming increasingly important to customers. Customers who want to save money often request additional work in the process, although it has been known to chew up attorneys’ valuable time.
The Benefits of Automating Time Tracking
There are two advantages to using automated time tracking here. Firstly, it naturally records time spent on items as they occur so that the file operator may approve or modify them afterwards.
For the second time, accurate billing data is encouraged.
Billing in detail is important.
You can show your customer how much time and effort you have used to finish the work.
Also, it has been shown that being open and honest with customers leads to more business from them in the future.
Matterly Features For Automating Time Tracking
Using Matterly’s Lightning Component, you may easily explore the time tracker feature. CRMs across salesforce for law firms have time trackers, but none like Matterly.
Adding more users with the exception that if they attempt to save from another screen, they will be informed that they are tracking time for a certain matter.
The user’s hourly rate is calculated based on their matter personal record. It is recommended that their time record be examined by an administrator if they aren’t on the Personnel on that Matter.
Final Thoughts
You can save A LOT of time and money by using automation technologies in your legal firm’s day-to-day operations. This includes customer intake, paperwork, client correspondence, money collection, and time tracking. Salesforce for law firms is essential.
You’ll be able to spend less time on non-billable chores if you optimize these areas. Your time will be better spent generating new business for your legal firm.
To get the most out of new automation technologies, start your Matterly 30-Day FREE Trial (no credit card required). Then you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goals.
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