Using Tech to Bolster Client Communications and Relationships

Jim Calloway’s tips for using client portals, automated scheduling tools and video to enhance your law firm’s client communications.
The post Using Tech to Bolster Client Communications and Relationships appeared first on Articles, Tips and Tech for Law Firms and Lawyers.

In his new Attorney at Work column, legal tech and practice management expert Jim Calloway helps us navigate today’s practice issues and opportunities with practical tips and big-picture thinking for small law firms. This month: Jim’s latest tips on using technology for effective law firm client communications.

Perhaps the most critical component of a law firm’s success is having paying clients. If there is no work to do and no one to pay, you do not have a viable business. So it is important to provide a great client experience to ensure your clients will return when they have future legal issues — and, hopefully, refer more clients to you.

Effective communication is the primary factor influencing a client’s opinion of a law firm’s services. Of course, it is almost unavoidable today that lawyer-client communications are largely done via technology. Consequently, how well a law firm handles communications technology — from document sharing and scheduling to email, text and video — plays a sizeable role in a successful lawyer-client relationship.

Understand the Client’s Communications Style

For many decades, it was a given that clients would receive communications in the way that the law firm deemed appropriate. There was little wrong with that, as there were few communications options available, and the U.S. Postal Service was universally considered the best unless time constraints required a delivery by courier.

Now there are dozens of communication options, and your potential clients have already determined their preferred digital communication methods.

So now, once you have been retained by the client, you need to discuss their preferences.

Some people prefer texting to phone conversations. Some may only infrequently check their email inbox. Others may have different digital communication practices. Hopefully, the firm can demonstrate how its client portal addresses its clients’ needs. (More on portals below.) But you should have a fill-in-the-blank item at intake, not a series of checkboxes, to allow for customized solutions. For example, the client who “forgets” to check their email regularly might receive a text message notifying them when they have received an email from their lawyer. Practice management solutions may have features to automate this process.

Sometimes you may have a client who does not own a computer and seems unlikely to read a 10-page document over the phone. In that situation, the firm may use snail-mail for communication and schedule someone to personally reach out every few weeks just to ensure the client is up to speed. Other clients, in contrast, will appreciate a FaceTime or Skype video call from the lawyer or legal assistant.

Note that email newsletters to clients are often deleted unread, so make sure your subject line for your direct communications to clients includes the law firm name and perhaps the word “free.” (Although spam filters seem to hate the word “free.”)

Embrace the Client Portal

While many larger law firms have specialized IT solutions constructed in-house, most midsize and smaller law firms use a practice management system supplied by a third party. Most of these solutions contain a client portal function. One thing these tools do is provide a secure client portal that the client can log in to and review documents and messages shared by the firm. Clients of all types can benefit from these portals.

For example, an assistant general counsel on a road trip might appreciate logging into the law firm’s client portal to review documents far more easily than she could log into her own company’s records. Or, an individual client who has trouble dealing with encrypted email would like the alternative of easily logging into a website via a username and password to get the information there instead.

Did someone say email? Most people now understand the many reasons why email is not secure. If a client insists on using email, however, it is their confidential information, and the firm will respect their decision. Once the risk has been adequately explained and documented, it is ultimately the client’s choice. Perhaps, though, you could convince the clients that a password-protected attachment to an email would be simple and safer.

What about texts? I was recently involved in a business transaction with some younger people who texted everything — large multipage attachments, photos of documents and instructions to the lawyer. Since I do not currently use practice management software because I don’t represent clients, I transferred all attachments to a folder on my computer. I’ve invested too much time scrolling back through text message threads trying to locate an attachment. But most modern PMS tools should be able to handle and organize text messages in the same way that they do emails.

To Encrypt or Not to Encrypt?

Encryption used to be challenging. Now, almost all business email is encrypted in transit using TLS (Transport Layer Security), which replaced an older technology called SSL. Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and most major providers automatically encrypt the connection between the mail servers when both sides support it. Users don’t really notice this or have to do anything.

In addition, instead of trying to encrypt or password-protect attachments individually, secure file-sharing links are simple and easy to use, linking to content on OneDrive, SharePoint, Box, Dropbox or similar services. A benefit is this type of access can be limited to particular people and can also be revoked later.

(Tip: Always revoke access for people who are no longer involved in matters — especially in ongoing litigation. Forgetting is common and can be a big security risk. Read “Protecting the Record in Complex Cases” for background.)

Determining what your PMS offers is certainly the first place to start planning this.

Aim to Make Scheduling Meetings Painless

If you want to avoid unnecessary frustrations, never send an email trying to schedule a meeting with three or more people. Someone will fail to reply. Someone will respond to another topic. Soon, you have invested half an hour just trying to schedule a meeting or conference call.

When you are scheduling an appointment with busy people, whether they are lawyers or client representatives, you want to use a scheduling app. Microsoft Outlook has an Outlook Scheduling Poll built in. You create the poll right in Outlook, and people outside of your organization vote through a web link. Scheduling may also be a function of your practice management solution. Some third-party options are Doodle, When2Meet and Calendly. Hopefully, your law firm is already using scheduling apps.

Consider Ways to Use Videos for Client Services

Some lawyers still create white papers for clients, but even using the term “white paper” is dated in some ways. While there are certain topics that absolutely must be covered in a lengthy written narrative, many topics can be covered with a quickly created video.

Shareable video messages to clients. The next time you are tempted to type out a 12-paragraph explanation to someone, take a few notes, turn on your webcam and record a quick video instead. You may find it takes far less time and is more appreciated. Video or audio communications can be particularly useful if the client has vision issues. Note: If this communication includes advice to clients, then that video will need to be retained for some time, just like all other records in the client’s file.

(Ernie Svenson covered the Loom video message recording app here on Attorney at Work, but there are dozens of video capture apps. You can also use the free screen capture tools that come with Windows and OS operating systems.)

A firm video library. Dozens of general interest law firm videos for clients on your firm website or behind the client portal firewall makes an impressive free resource for clients. These videos should cover the basics of every type of matter the firm handles for cross-selling purposes. You will want to have an administrative review process to make certain that outdated videos are removed or updated.

Advise Clients on Communicating Securely

You might also consider giving your client some tutoring on maintaining the security of documents on their home computer system. Clients using their work computers for personal matters endangers confidentiality, as the employer usually has the right to review all documents and emails on its system.

So the first time you share an important document, you may want to give some basic security advice, particularly if they are sharing a home computer with family members. (Not a great plan!) For example, let them know that if they wanted to download documents to their home computer system, they could password-protect them all with the same password. While that would not be acceptable in many situations, it could be great for a client who isn’t used to using passwords. Hopefully, you can use this discussion to convince the client to use the client portal in your practice management software to review documents.

This goes for social media interactions as well. Even though a law firm may advertise for clients on Facebook, it is important to explain to those clients that Facebook Messenger is not an appropriate way to confidentially communicate with their lawyer. The same does for direct messages on LinkedIn.

In All Types of Relationships, Communication Is Key

Of necessity, many law firm client communications will be delivered digitally. We’ve all learned how digital communication can be emotionless and carry unintended connotations. That’s why we have emoticons. Unless your client has advised you they hate lengthy telephone conversations, it is probably important to make sure you still have personal, in-person or telephonic contact with clients on a regular basis.

Remember that when representation ceases, the closing message the firm wants to deliver is “we are waiting for the next opportunity to help you” — not “we have been paid and are done with you.”

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Law Firm Client Communication FAQs

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