Legal Technology: What You Need to Improve Lead Intake

Tamar Chalker
Thu, 02 Apr 2020 05:00:28 +0000
Client intake, Legal Technology, lead intake, legal technology

As attorneys’ careers progress, they can find themselves stuck in their old ways. Processes, tools, and rules of thumb that have served them well mask inefficiencies and lost opportunities.

These attorneys may swear by strategies that are outdated and refuse to consider new approaches. It can be difficult adjusting to new technologies, or trying untested tactics, especially when current methods have proven successful in the past.

Outdated methods can be costly, particularly for lead intake. This task can be easily overlooked, but putting together an effective intake process can be immensely helpful for any law firm.

Law Firms Respond to an Intake Scenario

Captorra conducted a research exercise prior to a seminar involving 25 well-know plaintiff firms from around the United States. Before the conference, leads were submitted on each firm’s website using the following details:

The client was in an auto accident.

The accident occurred yesterday.

The client was not at fault.

They have an MRI scheduled, but no results yet.

The law firms responded as follows:

10 firms placed phone calls; only two called within 15 minutes.

Three called the leads between 15 minutes and two hours after the inquiry and never tried a second time.

Five firms placed phone calls by the end of the day and never placed another call.

Four firms sent emails asking the client to contact them.

11 firms never attempted to make any contact with the client.

At the conference, attendees approached Captorra and inquired about their specific results. After finding out how they responded, they usually responded with excuses like “it must have been a busy day” or denied the results outright.

Different firms prioritize different types of cases, but the overall response was still alarming. This goes to show how disconnected many partners and administrators can be when it comes to knowing how their firms’ intake departments operate.

Intake departments are the first line in the acquisition of worthwhile cases, and getting stuck in the old ways can lead to firms downplaying their importance and failing to update their strategies. Lead intake and conversion software automate your follow-up and sign-up procedures. Web leads, chat submissions, after-hours calls, and third-party leads are all posted automatically, allowing your staff to focus more on the intake process instead of entering data into the system.