Client Relationship Management (CRM) must be a priority for any law firm leader that desires growth and greater profitability. Through CRM tools and strategies, firms can easily cultivate valuable relationships with leads very early in the sales funnel process, which can ultimately increase the rate of conversions. There are many benefits of law firm CRM, but this post will highlight the top five ways that law firms benefit from using a comprehensive CRM system during the legal client intake process.

Benefit #1: Capturing Leads

Prospects can initiate communication with a law firm from a variety of entry points, such as websites, email campaigns, social media posts, and podcasts. Each has the potential for generating numerous leads and law firms need the tools to consistently capture them all.

With legal CRM, firms can create processes to ensure that automated responses are quickly sent to all prospects and leads. In addition, the system can collect and import lead data into an organized contact management system. With these capabilities, firm members can easily access captured leads to initiate follow up communications.

CRM also helps law firms track lead sources. Whether potential clients initiate contact through a website or in response to a social media post, firms can determine which marketing tools have proven most effective.

Benefit #2: Comprehensive Lead Analysis

The billable hour lies at the core of every legal practice, which makes billable tasks far more profitable. Hours spent on tasks in the early stages of the sales funnel are typically unbilled, so firms need to create the most productive and efficient processes for handling these duties. They must provide their members with the tools they need to complete them quickly and accurately so members can concentrate on more profitable tasks.

The analysis of leads is an important part of the process, as firms determine whether potential clients are a good fit for the firm. With the information gathered through legal CRM, firms can easily analyze the case merits and potential conversion for each prospect to quickly identify which are most likely to convert into paying clients.

Benefit #3: Enhanced Organization

The busy nature of a law firm environment requires a high level of systemization. Without it, firms may misplace valuable information or lose track of important deadline dates. CRM helps firms keep lead and client data organized and easily accessible in a number of ways, including:

• Creation of a centralized contact database with the capability for various cataloging options. Firms can group contacts by matter type, status, or placement in the sales funnel, which creates better organization.
• Firms can use CRM tools to create customized online forms that are mobile-friendly for easier access and intuitively easy for leads to complete.
• Electronic signing capabilities eliminate the time-consuming need for multiple client meetings and communications. Securing signatures and acknowledgements becomes as simple as clicking a button.

Benefit #4: Time-Saving Automation

The level of multitasking that takes place within a law firm means that firm members must constantly manage countless duties for many matters, so important client intake tasks can easily get missed. Law firm CRM can automate these processes for enhanced efficiency. Here are a few ways:

• Helping firms maintain communications for lead nurturing while also improving interactions with existing clients.
• With automated drip campaign capabilities, firms can better manage lead nurturing by automatically sending emails customized to address the legal needs of each recipient.
• Text message capabilities provide for the quick and easy exchange of texts, emails, and videos.
• Voice calling features that automate follow-ups using pre-recorded voice messages.

With law firm CRM’s automation of client intake workflows, attorneys can infuse important processes with improved productivity and fewer mistakes.

Benefit #5: Timely Lead Nurturing

In addition to responsiveness, effective lead nurturing also requires a level of persistence. Typically, law firms should make at least three attempts to contact viable leads because one unanswered call or message does not necessarily mean that the lead has found representation elsewhere. They may still be in the contemplation stage or simply too busy at the moment to respond.

With legal CRM, law firms can have a variety of communications ready for lead nurturing, so if one communication attempt falls short, there is another automatically sent within a reasonable amount of time. This level of consistency keeps firms in the forefront of a lead’s mind as they consider their legal options and ultimately make a decision.

Capture the Benefits of Law Firm CRM with the Right Legal Technology

The benefits of legal CRM for the legal client intake process are numerous, and firms can best leverage them by choosing a top quality CRM technology. Law Ruler offers a variety of innovative and proven CRM capabilities. To learn more, click this link for a free demo offer.