We’re all familiar with the adage: “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” And while lunch, dinner, and dessert fans may argue otherwise, it doesn’t undermine the fact that what happens at the beginning of something (in this case, the day) often informs what happens during the rest of something. Think about it—a bad first date can turn you off to an otherwise compatible partner, and a terrible meal at a new restaurant can all but guarantee you never go back. Likewise, what happens during the client intake process often informs what happens over the course of personal injury litigation—for both prospective clients and your firm.
That’s why—assuming our opening paragraph didn’t turn you off already—we’re here to help. Below are 7 ways your personal injury firm can improve the client intake process for your prospects, your team, and your bank account:
1) Make better first impressions:
As we’ve said, the entire intake process acts as your prospects’ “first impression” of your firm, but your very initial contact is perhaps the most important. Within minutes of greeting potential clients, it’s vital your firm appears professional, organized, modern, knowledgeable, caring, efficient, and more. The latest intake management solutions can give you the right intake tools to ensure your team knows what to say beyond “hello” and help your prospects stay comfortable beyond the chair they’re sitting in.
2) Get the info you need:
If you’ve ever gotten off a phone call with someone, only to have them call back and ask you a question that you’ve already answered, then you know how annoying that can be. Now imagine you’re a prospect that has just recounted all the personal (and potentially sensitive) details of their case to their potential lawyer; calling them back (even once) is not only annoying, but it doesn’t exactly instill confidence. A good client intake system guides your team through intelligent client intake forms so your attorneys capture all the info they need to succeed from the jump and your prospects don’t have to upgrade their cell phone plans.
Also Read: 6 Reasons Your PI Law Firm Should Go Paperless with Cloud Based Software.
3) Do it once:
We don’t need to tell you twice, no one likes to do duplicative work—once you collect the information you need from prospects, you don’t want to waste time entering it over and over again in a million different places; you want to get to work advocating on their behalf. With the right intake tool, you should be able to enter prospect information once and have it automatically populate in all the necessary places—with easy access for all vital team members.
4) Follow up when necessary:
Like the dating process, intake isn’t all about the first interaction—prospects want to feel comfortable—they want to know that they can trust you—before they reveal (possibly sensitive) case details. As a result, it’s important that you “court” them, by following up in a timely (but not overwhelming) manner. Good intake software should help keep your leads organized and prompt you to follow up at appropriate times, so you never miss out on a quality lead.
Also Read: What Clients Want and How Your Case Management System Can Help Serve Them?
5) Keep everyone on the same Page:
Personal injury litigation is fast-paced and complex—that’s why most matters are a team effort. You won’t be able to handle every single intake interaction, so it’s important that your team can take the reins in a pinch. With cloud-based intake software, your colleagues will always know the real-time status of your intakes (from anywhere) and your leads can always feel confident that they’re in competent hands.
6) Weigh your options:
Just like you don’t have to marry everyone you go on a date with, you don’t have to represent every lead that walks into your office (especially given the significant upfront costs that come with taking on a PI case). But in order to make an informed decision, you have to be, well, informed. Employ an intake solution that guides you through the entire process and ensures you get all the information you need to not waste your time or your leads’.
7) Reevaluate your methods:
Let’s end at the beginning. You should always be evaluating and reevaluating which of your marketing efforts are leading to leads and, more importantly, good leads. Proper intake management solutions can give you detailed reports on which of your marketing campaigns are working (and which are not)—because, just like a meal, better ingredients lead to better intake.
Speaking of better intake, CloudLex’s Intake Manager app can help you upgrade all 7 potential problem areas above. Intake Manager gives you an effective process to attain and manage leads. Our intelligent forms guide you through intake so you don’t miss anything—and our marketing reports help you operate informed and boost your profits. Check out our app page so you can take in all the ways CloudLex can improve your intake…then sign up for a free demo so we can make a first—and lasting—impression on your personal injury law firm.
