Up to 94% people with Low Effort experience return to repurchase services. Reducing the effort it takes for a client to go through service interactions might as well be the key to getting more clients in family law, and in this article you’ll learn why.
You create loyal clients by helping them solve their problems with few, easy interactions. And hey! Family law clients often have one very difficult problem, right?
According to Gartner Research (who acquired CEB researchers and conducted follow up research), “your strategy should be to focus live-service interactions to high-value, urgent and complex contacts”.
That is: save your live interactions for the real legal representation such as understanding their needs & wants; clearly showing them their options and likely outcomes; and giving your legal advice.
Other tasks, such as gathering financial and other information should be a low-effort self-service function. While “we provide our clients better service by having a paralegal sit down with them and completing the financial disclosures together” sounds adequate, it may be far from it.
Individuals choose, return to, and refer family law attorneys who provide an effortless experience
You can win more clients by making it easy for them to do business with you. Offer self-service options and make it easy for them to get the information they need without having to repeat themselves. Focus your live interactions on high-value contacts that are urgent and complex.
So, with that being said, how can you as a family law professional offer a low effort experience? Here’s a few key ideas:
- Provide how-to resources
- Let clients self-service
- Limit contact with clients
- Keep interactions low-effort
- Avoid information repetition
How does a low-effort family law experience looks like?
There are many ways to offer a low-effort experience to your clients.
- Use technology to automate repetitive tasks: Consider using a document assembly tool like HotDocs or A2J Author to automate the creation of documents like financial disclosures.
- Make it easy for clients to find answers to their questions: Provide self-service options on your website, such as FAQs, how-to guides, and online chat.
- Reduce contact with clients: Where possible, use email or other digital channels instead of face-to-face meetings or phone calls.
Self-service
One way to reduce contact with clients is to let them self-service. You don’t want to hound them to get their attention. And they don’t want you hounding them for their attention. So don’t!
Instead, provide information and tools that allow clients to find answers to their questions and complete tasks without needing to contact you.
Self-service options might include:
- FAQs: A list of frequently asked questions, with answers.
- How-to guides: Step-by-step instructions for completing common tasks, such as filing a motion or drafting a will.
- Automated data gathering: A smart digital form where clients can input their financial and other data.
Limit contact with clients
Another way to promote effortless experiences is to limit the amount of time you spend on each interaction. This means being efficient and focused when you do have contact, and using digital channels where possible.
Some tips for limiting contact with clients:
- Be efficient: When you do have contact with clients, make sure the interaction has a clear reason and goal. This might mean preparing in advance for meetings and outlining tasks.
- Use digital channels: Where possible, use email, apps, or other digital channels instead of face-to-face meetings or phone calls. This can be especially helpful for tasks that are repetitive, require back-and-forth communication, or can be automated.
Provide low-effort experiences at every stage of the client journey
It’s important to provide a low-effort experience at every stage of the client journey, from initial contact to post-engagement follow-up. This involves you having a streamlined intake process, using technology to automate tasks, and making it easy for clients to find answers to their questions.
This bit is key if you want to nurture client loyalty and make sure your clients refer and return to your firm!
Avoid information repetition
One way to reduce the effort required by clients is to avoid information repetition.
This means only asking for information that is absolutely necessary, and using data from previous interactions where possible.
For example, if a client has already provided their financial information, and you need to update it, there is no need to ask for it all over again. Instead, you can use that information to automatically populate forms or documents while only asking for the key bits of data that need to be updated.
Digital tools included in DivorceHelp123’s package allow for the collection and updating of client data without the need to go back and forth to double-check!
