One of the greatest advantages of managing a solo practice or small law firm? The ability to work closely with your clients.  

You get the opportunity to truly know each client who walks through your door, and as a result, you can better serve them. Additionally, building close relationships with clients increases the chance that they’ll be satisfied with your legal services. 

Managing the client experience doesn’t come without challenges, though. Having a small firm means that you have limited human resources with which to manage those relationships—and being spread too thin could make it harder to deliver promised services or keep clients adequately informed.  

But when it comes to ensuring a great client experience, you don’t have to do all the heavy lifting on your own.  

Five ways to create a positive client experience at your law firm 

Improvements in legal software solutions have made it easier than ever before to keep parties engaged without spending more billable hours on client care. Here are some strategies and tools you can use to enhance the client experience.   

1. Create a better intake form with your legal CRM 

A good client experience starts by making your first interaction with prospects as straightforward as possible.  

Using the same generic intake form for every client may seem efficient, but it could lead your prospects to spend time answering questions that aren’t relevant, which will only increase the time you spend reviewing forms and meeting with prospective clients.  

Instead of relying on a lengthy manual intake process, expedite it with a customized online form as part of a legal client relationship management (CRM) software. When you create a separate, intuitive intake form for each practice area or case type, clients will only have to answer the questions that are applicable to them—and you won’t have to worry about meeting with unqualified leads.  

2. Communicate consistently with marketing automation 

Whether you are maintaining a relationship or moving a prospective client along your sales pipeline, consistent communication is crucial.  

In fact, your clients should come to expect automated reminders about upcoming appointments, payment deadlines, and more. Additionally, all of your messages, regardless of the medium, should be consistent with your law firm’s culture and branding. 

“Automated” doesn’t have to mean impersonal, though. Legal CRM software allows law firms to personalize all automated messages with information collected during the intake process, so that you can treat every client like a person. You can even send messages in accordance with your clients’ personal preferences, whether that means sending texts, emails, or even voicemails.  

You can also automate these personalized messages as part of a larger email drip campaign designed to engage, support, or retain clients.   

3. Collect eSignatures with ease  

How much time do you spend chasing down missing signatures, or requesting corrections to forms that were signed incorrectly? When you do things the traditional way, this seemingly simple task can take days or even weeks. 

Get documents signed quickly and accurately when you use a legal practice management software with eSignature options. With one-click signature tools, you can send an electronic copy of a contract directly to a client to request a signature via email or text. Leads and clients don’t need to download additional software or sign up for unnecessary accounts to complete the documents—all they need to do is open the link and sign designated fields. 

eSignature tools also save clients the frustration of signature errors. With modern eSignature technology, recipients will not be able to submit a form until every line is signed.   

(And yes—just in case you were unsure—eSignatures are legally binding!) 

4. Make sharing documents convenient 

When you work in the legal industry, there is no shortage of documents to deal with. Between contracts, case information, evidence, and additional paperwork, there are endless pages to send and share (and share and send again).  

Wrangling all the different documents that their matter generates can add to your client’s stress. To improve their experience with your firm, consider how you share those documents with them.  

While paper documents still have their place in law firms, consider prioritizing a paperless practice. You can facilitate this strategy with resources like client portals and secure file-sharing solutions.  

For clients with complicated, document-heavy matters or for those with whom you conduct regular business, consider implementing a client portal. A client portal can act as a repository for all your client’s essential legal documents. Instead of keeping track of files and folders full of contracts and agreements, your clients can access everything in one convenient digital location.  

For clients who may have more straightforward legal needs, or for those that prefer not to add an extra password to remember, secure file-sharing can be another route to client satisfaction. With secure file-sharing, you can send and receive documents from clients with a few quick clicks. Clients can access documents easily and store them locally on their devices or in their preferred cloud storage system.  

5. Maintain client relationships after case closed 

Your relationship with a client doesn’t end when their case is closed (or even if they decide to hold off on pursuing your services for the time being). It’s important to stay top of mind so that if and when your contacts need legal services, you’ll be the first law firm they think of.  

But most firms don’t have time to dedicate to following up or checking in with every contact.  

You don’t have to worry about falling to the wayside with your clients, though. When you use automated text and email campaigns, it’s easy to stay in touch with all of your existing and prospective clients. A legal CRM’s automated marketing tools allow you to: 

• Share firm updates and news 
• Send quarterly or annual client check-ins 
• Solicit positive reviews 

Upgrade your client’s experience with CosmoLex 

Every client and contact plays an important role in your firm, and their value can’t be overlooked. With tools like your legal CRM and other modern law firm software tools, you can ensure that your clients stay informed, engaged, and satisfied from intake to case closed.  

CosmoLex can even provide other practice management tools for billing, accounting, and more. To see for yourself the benefits of this legal CRM tool, schedule a demo or sign up for a free trial!