ReviewSolicitors has seen an upsurge in demand from law firms joining the review site. It now boasts over 1800 law firms collecting reviews through the platform and over 4 million users annually. The site is reinventing the way solicitors are instructed, with clients moving away from traditional word-of-mouth referrals and turning to the internet to make their decision, especially as people reduce their face-to-face interactions following the pandemic.
With the CMA announcing in September 2020 that they are conducting a new assessment of transparency in the legal market, major law firms, including over 20 of the top 200 firms, have signed up, actively collecting reviews with the UK’s largest legal review site. Recent firms to get involved include:
- Stephen Rimmer
- VWV Solicitors
- Harper Macleod
- Ashtons Legal
- Thompson Smith & Puxon
- OGR Stock Denton
- Lockings Solicitors
- JMW Solicitors
- Biscoes Solicitors
- FBC Manby Bowdler
- IBB Solicitors
- RIAA Barker Gillette
- Rowberry Morris
- Verisona Law
- Ward Gethin Archer
- Debenhams Ottaway
- Sills and Betteridge
- Wollen Michelmore
- Coffin Mew
- Taylor Rose
- WBW Solicitors
- Bond Turner
- Cartwright King Solicitors
The platform is rapidly capturing the market with their reinvention of legal feedback and at a time when clients are looking for a bit of reassurance, they are doing so in an unprecedented way. Where word of mouth referrals once prevailed, the restrictions on face-to-face interaction brought about by Covid-19 means more and more people are using internet searches in order to decipher which is the right firm for them. When it comes to choosing a solicitor, over 70% of clients in the legal sector are influenced by online reviews so it is no surprise that ReviewSolicitors really is ‘one to watch’ as an increasing number of clients turn to the internet to make such a high-value decision.
Collecting online client reviews is the easiest and most cost-effective form of marketing that has a direct impact on client instructions. The way that purchasing legal services happens is continually evolving and at the early part of the client’s journey, online reviews remain top of the list for how clients start to narrow down their search. It’s unlikely that we’ll make any kind of decision, whether it be something small and inconsequential or something as emotionally-driven as a legal instruction, without consulting a Google search result first. When a specific firm appears at the top of the list with an abundance of positive testimonials, potential clients will get clicking straightaway.
Dave Richardson, ClIent Relationship Manager at Ashtons Legal, has seen the benefits directly. Most firms will make claims about being there and providing impeccable service for their clients, but it becomes a whole lot more meaningful when steps are actively taken to do this even before a client has met their solicitor face-to-face. “We want to give exceptional client service and we needed a way to measure that”, he says. By collecting online reviews, the firm is making sure that their clients are always being put first, and they know exactly how to make the client experience even better. ReviewSolicitors has taken the legal world by storm, and with so many big names rushing to sign themselves up, there’s no better indicator that the collection of reviews equals rapid surges in client instructions.
With the website attracting over 4 million users per year, it is no surprise that these firms are directly seeing this traffic translated into new client instructions. Aside from the obvious however, the benefits of review collection stretch right across the firm as a whole. Having personalised solicitor profiles for example generates healthy competition within the firm, as individuals seek to gain the most reviews and the highest ratings in their feedback.
Integrating Facebook and Google reviews alongside automatic posts to a firm’s Twitter page, the platform also makes sure that the firm is present in all of the right places. And by understanding a client’s need for reassurance, firms collecting reviews become the go-to for those who are otherwise overwhelmed by the abundance of services on offer. Through integration with the SRA, ReviewSolicitors has created a directory listing of every regulated firm in England and Wales.
As client habits continue to change and with legal representation being such a high-value purchase, more and more firms are turning to the platform to increase their online presence and build a community of mutual support and engagement between solicitors and their clients. In a time where we’re all seeking a little more certainty, the online review has never been more reassuring.
ReviewSolicitors is transforming the way that solicitors operate both in and out of the office, and there’s no better way for your firm to show its compassion for, and understanding of, the client journey. Promising innovation and the vision to transform client engagement in the legal market, collecting reviews with ReviewSolicitors really is the best option for any firm seeking to increase their presence, improve the client journey, and increase the number of clients that they represent. As your law firm overcomes and adapts to new circumstances, make sure you do so with ReviewSolicitors on side.
Start collecting reviews today: https://www.reviewsolicitors.co.uk/joinup
