Why You Should Be Using Legal Intake Software

Even if you’re already using software to handle case management. 

There’s a lot to love about case management software. These systems streamline a variety of client interactions while also making it easier to maintain efficient workflows. Unfortunately, it’s not suited for all law firm functions.

Effective legal intake calls for specialized programs that are designed to produce prompt conversions. Without a targeted approach, lawyers risk wasting valuable time and settling for low conversion rates. Meanwhile, qualified leads head straight for the competition — without giving the original law firm of interest the opportunity to win their business or even provide a referral. 

This is a serious problem, but thankfully it has a solution; dedicated intake software allows both intake and case management solutions to operate at peak levels, thereby producing the best possible results in both areas. Intake software allows law firms to improve intake numbers and avoid the excessive use of overburdened case management systems.

The Need For Specialized Legal Intake: How Case Management Software Falls Short

Case management software produces amazing results when used for its true purpose: delivering efficient workflows after your firm has landed critical clients. Such systems do not, however, provide adequate features for securing those clients in the first place. As two markedly different law firm priorities, these processes warrant separate approaches that address their unique challenges.

Dedicated legal intake solutions include a variety of key features that systems designed for case management lack. These include:

• Automated lead management. What happens after a qualified lead completes the first steps of the intake process? Your firm’s follow-up efforts determine whether that lead becomes a client or falls through the cracks. Automated systems provide nurturing where it’s needed most, thereby increasing the chances of future interactions and swift conversions. 
• Referral management. Referrals provide both a key source of leads and an opportunity to establish an outside revenue stream. Intake-oriented solutions offer inbound and outbound systems to make the most of referrals in as efficient a manner as possible.
• eSign. Today’s busy clients appreciate streamlined intake processes that avoid excessive paperwork and unnecessary law firm visits. eSign eases the process by allowing leads to complete the sign-up process from remote locations. 
• Intake-oriented metrics. Analytics tied to the intake process makes it easier to determine where existing systems succeed — and where room for improvement remains. If promptly acted upon, detailed metrics can ensure the swift optimization of critical intake processes. Case management solutions may provide analytics, but these reflect the status of existing cases rather than the potential for capturing leads. 

If you’ve yet to implement dedicated legal intake software, you can expect to miss out on valuable leads. Meanwhile, you may also discover that your overutilized case management solution is falling short of its true potential. 

Don’t force your case management system to handle tasks it wasn’t designed for. By shifting your strategy and equipping your intake team with specialized software, you will produce dramatic improvements in conversions. This could make all the difference as you navigate the unique complications of legal marketing, intake, and case management.