When a law firm hires a lawyer from another law firm, there are some challenges to overcome. It is advisable to address these issues before day one, before the side counsel becomes an established member of the firm. It is equally important to realize that each lawyer is unique and may have unique needs, so each integration situation must be tailored to the lawyer. Providing a fantastic onboarding experience to your customers builds trust, increases customer satisfaction, and increases customer retention rates. From application to contract to payment, there are certain automations and touchpoints you should consider to expand your customer onboarding process. Whether your relationship with that client has been a positive or negative experience, it`s always helpful to ask for feedback on the onboarding process (and beyond). Each client who is transferred to the new company must have a completed “application for employment”. This process must be completed before the lawyer joins the firm, and everything must be immediately entered into the new firm`s system. The acquiring company must work with the previous company to ensure that client escrow accounts that change with the side counsel are properly transferred. Customers should have absolutely no transition problems. Here`s how your new employee will feel when you skip onboarding: awkward, confused, and a little scared of doing the wrong thing. Business administration professionals, including IT, human resources, facilities, marketing, and finance professionals, should hold a meeting with the side.

Each discipline will have different concerns and issues to ensure that the lawyer is properly on board and willing to provide legal services from day one. By running your business virtually and harnessing the power of technology and automation, you can free up time for other important life priorities such as family, friends, travel, hobbies, and self-care. New tools and software solutions come out all the time, so try to strike a balance between resisting the urge to try everything and not getting stuck in a system that doesn`t meet your needs. Be mindful when creating a customer onboarding system that relieves you of time-saving tasks and provides a thoughtful customer experience that could generate referrals before the deal is even closed. You need to carefully research which technology provider you want to buy from. Before you move to a digital integration system, you need to understand how much your business can afford and budget accordingly. These steps will ensure that your business receives the best possible service. Onboarding is an ongoing process that helps your employee understand their work and your law firm. I like to say that integration is how you present your business, including its culture and community. A mentor should also be assigned to the new lawyer.

Make sure the mentor has sufficient experience with the firm and is considered a peer of the new lawyer. This mentor will help the lawyer understand the firm`s unique culture. The mentor should expect to actively interact with the new lawyer for at least six months, but the mentor and mentee will recognize when the formal relationship can end. Also, as an individual practitioner, you need to use your time wisely. By developing a customer onboarding process that uses technology to perform as many tasks as possible, you`ll have time for work and customer calls, tasks that only you can do. No matter how much you choose to automate your recording process, don`t forget the human touch. While it`s important to make your reception easy and simplified for guests, they should always feel that you care about their needs. The first step in a solid onboarding process is to gather the right information from the customer. In order to optimize communication with customers, it is important that your company has a process in place. This helps your team support customers throughout the customer lifecycle.

To support marketing efforts, all social media should be updated. The lawyer would be wise to publish articles, blogs and podcasts so that his name appears in an internet search with his current law firm. The lawyer must work with the company`s marketing department to optimize these searches (SEO). Here are some tips and tricks you can use when implementing new technologies to attract new customers and employees to your business. Signing up for cloud applications like CloudLex can help you with a variety of tasks, such as updating customers through their email system and sharing important integration documents. Correspondence is essential and helps keep the lines of communication within your business open. You can set up a document in Google Sheets or have a graphic design savvy employee create an engaging PDF to show your customer the progress of their onboarding journey. It`s important to provide your customers with an effortless onboarding process. This will put them at ease and increase customer loyalty.

Successful law firms are client-centric. This means that you always like to go the extra mile to provide a fantastic experience for your old and new customers. Learn more about a potential client`s situation, background, and unique needs. Once you`ve answered these questions, take some time to think about what you want your potential customers to go through while taking them. How do they find you? Will the registration process be different when a customer fills out a web form or makes a call? What happens next? How should your customer feel every step of the way? There is a learning curve for each new system integrated into your processes. Whether it`s a new cloud infrastructure or maintaining digital records of legal documents, your organization needs to be patient during these transformation phases. Set reasonable expectations for your customers so they understand that onboarding is a process that takes some time. “I didn`t even know there was such a thing as integration. What is it? It`s also another opportunity to make sure the potential customer is a good fit for your business. Alex Hess, an insider and lawyer, likes to give clients “homework” during his initial consultations – just a short list of documents and information he needs to move forward. In this way, it can eliminate customers who may not be so serious. Whether you want to use Amazon Web Services or Google Workspaces for your operations, cloud platforms provide your business with the best security measures to protect your data from potential attackers.

When you use a private cloud, people in your organization can access all the information, giving you more freedom and flexibility. An example of a new development in HR technology is the Link app, which integrates with artificial intelligence (AI) and electronic signatures via DocuSign. Finding competitive technology companies that offer state-of-the-art systems keeps your business ahead of the curve. There are several options specific to law firms such as MyCase, AbacusNext, HoudiniEsq. or Clio. You can also consider client management systems that aren`t just for law firms like Dubsado and Honeybook. Above all, a great attorney-client relationship is necessary for your business to grow, attract new clients who need services, and retain existing ones. Technology for HR can be the missing piece your business needs to succeed. Integration is both a process and a philosophy.

The head of the law firm (i.e. you) must firmly believe that the time, money and energy invested in the onboarding process is a valuable investment in the future of the law firm. In particular, you need to believe this: provide your customers with consistent updates on their integration progress. Set and write down important milestones that they can see visually. This ensures that customers know that you value their time and gives them the same satisfaction as checking items off a to-do list. Adults need context. Have you ever been asked to do something that didn`t make sense to you? I bet you were distracted wondering why. Your employee needs to understand how their contribution to work fits into your company`s big picture. Customer onboarding is one of the most important processes for your customer`s journey. By taking it, you make the first impression. This is often your first contact with a prospect, the first opportunity to look for potential conflicts, the first opportunity to build trust, and provide a great customer experience. It`s also if you can educate your client on the best way to work with you and your team.

This time prepares you for successful cooperation. Kailey Jacomet is a mother of two, an intellectual property attorney and founder of Lawstyle, a like-minded community of lawyers who create law firms tailored to their lifestyle. When her daughter was born, Kailey quit her job as a litigator and embarked on a journey to create a new kind of practice model, one that prioritizes her life and family. Today, Kailey supports other lawyers in the creation and growth of a flexible virtual law firm through the Lifestyle Law Firm Accelerator program. Connect with Kailey on Instagram on @kaileyjacomet or kailey@lawstyle.co.