Speed Matters: Improving Client Intake With Technology
In an upcoming 2019 Martindale-Avvo research report, consumers ranked nearly a dozen reasons why they bypassed one attorney for another. Response speed topped the list of hiring red flags. Research by Captorra, the industry leader in case-intake software for consumer-focused firms, reinforces this fact: If you contact a prospect within the first five minutes of their inquiry, you stand a 78% chance of connecting with the potential client; after 15 minutes that rate drops to 22%.
Many small firms find the pivot point from prospect to client challenging. Just Google “law firm intake” and you will find a plethora of blog posts, podcasts, and studies on the key steps to take to successfully -- and regularly -- convert prospects into clients.
Following best practices, ranging from prioritizing critical data to avoiding an interrogation of your prospect, certainly increases your success rate. (For more detail, see 10 steps to improve your law firm’s intake.) Technology can help, too. Tools that give you maximum flexibility in responding to leads quickly and tracking their status may increase the number of cases you bring in.
Technology’s Role
As much as we’d like to be available 24/7/365 to respond to prospect inquiries, we know it’s not realistic. The appropriate technology, however, can respond to prospects round-the-clock in such a way the consumer won’t know it’s not you getting back to him at midnight.
When assessing intake technology, look for the sweet spot of automation combined with customization. For example, if you cannot respond to a lead, the intake technology should instantly respond for you in your words, using the same communication method chosen by the prospect -- text or email. You should be able to visualize lead status so you know what steps to take next, and the solution should integrate with all of your lead sources so you can manage everything in one place.
For seven years, Captorra has been helping law firms improve their lead intake and tracking process with its cloud-based solution. On average, firms increase their new cases by 27% after its implementation. Captorra Ready, released today, includes these critical tools to help firms win clients:
- Best practice intake scripts
- Integration of Leads directly into the system
- Automated text messaging and email drip campaigns
- Scheduling text and email confirmation to potential clients
- Streamlined lead turn-down process
- ESign with text message delivery to complete the one call close
- Robust Marketing, Conversion & Management Reports
By combining proper staff training and best practices with the right technology to respond to leads quickly and effectively, firms can grow their practice by converting more of the right clients every day.
