By Legal Futures Associate CTS
Following the COVID-19 health crisis and with it, the transition to hybrid working, the legal sector has been forced to re-evaluate how they conduct business. Law firms and barristers’ chambers alike must adapt to changing client demands, enabled by technology, to ensure longevity and success.
Clients are expecting a lot more. They want to be able to collaborate easily and to be able to communicate with their lawyer or barristers 24/7. They want to have the ability to complete simple tasks on their own, in order to speed up the process. They want their lawyer or barrister to not only understand, but be proactive to their needs and concerns, as well as be provided information that is specific to them and their requirements.
So, when it comes to meeting and exceeding clients’ growing demands, you must leverage technology to improve the speed, efficiency, and ease of which you can deliver high quality service to clients.
Automating your workflow
Implementing automated workflows into your processes can offer your fee earners the tools required to complete tasks more quickly and efficiently, eliminating the pressures of high workloads and reducing time spent on repetitive and time-consuming administration tasks.
According to McKinsey, automation can free up as much as 23% of fee earners’ billable hours by 2025, enabling smooth collaboration and the quick completion of deals, thus providing clients with efficiency at a lower cost.
Real-time communications
Since communication has become digitised, clients are demanding immediate information and expect their partner to meet these expectations. By optimising your case management system (CMS), you can improve communication with clients, keeping them better informed, whilst making the most of limited fee earning time.
Case management systems have the functionality to automatically send updates – such as progress reports, when a new document is available to view and if there is an action that your client needs to complete. Working proactively to keep your clients fully informed increases satisfaction and loyalty, as well as building yourself a reputation for being committed to transparent and effective communication.
Introducing artificial intelligence
The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation for both law firms and barristers’ chambers alike, including the increasing adopting of artificial intelligence. AI offers the potential to augment lawyers’ capacity and efficiency, as well as to enhance relationships and engagement with clients.
With the laborious process of paper-bundling becoming obsolete, the AI aspect of e-bundling can save fee earners a lot of time enables lawyers and barristers to work more efficiently by reducing time spent on repetitive administrative tasks. As a result, your fee earners have more time to focus on delivering value-added actions for the clients they serve.
Setting work-life boundaries
Work and life are more intertwined than ever, and so having control over work-life boundaries is vital for boosting the wellbeing of employees, teams and businesses, as well as reducing stress and preventing burnout.
In a survey of Teams users, Microsoft discovered that 54% of employees feel overworked and 39% feel exhausted, due to difficulty in maintaining a work-life balance since the shift to remote working. In response, Microsoft has introduced several time management and wellbeing features to Outlook at Teams, including:
- A virtual commute feature that will help you wrap up your tasks at the end of the workday, prepare for tomorrow, and transition into your personal time.
- A reflection feature that will help you become more aware of how you’re feeling and identify patterns over time. These insights are personal and private to the individual.
In today’s fast-paced world, it is vital that the legal sector leverages technology to alleviate the pressures and demands of clients. Introducing artificial intelligence, automation and collaboration tools into your IT strategy can support your end-users to work more efficiently and profitably, whilst delivering high quality service to their clients.
