The ROI of Case Management Software

Until recently, law firms were forced to manage every case by hand. Tracking every detail and deadline had to be done manually because there simply wasn’t another option. Today, though, there’s another option: legal management software.

If your firm is still trying to manage every case by hand, you now have the golden opportunity to significantly increase your efficiency by implementing case management software. Below, you’ll learn the ROI of case management software, how case management software works, and what firms benefit most from using case management software.

What Is Case Management Software for Law Firms?

Case management software, sometimes called legal management software, is a type of program that helps law firms control the business elements of the practice. The purpose of these programs is to put all of the critical business information for your firm in one place to help save time and effort.

There are many services provided by case management systems, such as:

• Calendars and deadline tracking
• Client and expert contact lists
• Timesheets
• Call recording
• Case notes
• Tickler systems
• Online payment processing and accounting
• Customer relationship management tools
• Cloud-based document sharing and collaboration

However, excellent case management solutions do much more than simply track data. The best software will cross-reference data and automate specific tasks, helping law firms like yours reduce time spent on administration.

Why Do Law Firms Need Legal Management Software?

Modern law firms need legal management software for several reasons. The current legal world moves fast, and there’s no time to waste on unnecessary administrative tasks. Case management software addresses a few common problems your practice may experience, including:

• Poor communication causing mistakes. Internal communication is the heart of a successful law firm. If a practice consists of more than a single lawyer, it’s essential for the team to clearly communicate about cases. Without a case management system, miscommunication is more likely, and mistakes are more common, which can hurt your reputation.
• Clients expecting immediate responses. With the rise of texting and instant messaging, many clients expect to be able to talk with their attorney whenever they want. If you’re trying to track client communication manually, it’s likely that some messages will fall through the cracks and you’ll fail to meet client expectations.
• Disorganization losing leads. If you’re not well-organized, you’ll be slower in responding to potential leads. Without case management software, you’re likely to lose clients to competitors who have the tools to respond to inquiries faster.

Firms need case management software to address these problems and remain competitive in the modern legal environment. 

Who Benefits Most from Legal Management Software?

Firms of all sizes can benefit from legal management software. In general, the more cases a practice handles on a regular basis, the more that firm will benefit from legal management software. However, most larger firms have either already implemented these solutions or have the resources to hire paralegals and administrators to handle the work of manual case management.

In practice, this means that the firms most likely to benefit from case management software are solo practitioners and small partnerships. Small practices like these have all the administration needs of larger firms, but the responsibility for handling them falls to the practitioners themselves, rather than to staff.

Implementing case management software can lighten the load for small firms. Software prevents wasted time by streamlining most administrative tasks. By reducing the stress of administration, legal management software grants these practices the time and freedom to accept more cases and increase the level of service they offer.

The 6 Biggest ROIs of Case Management Software for Law Firms

Now that you understand the purpose of legal management software, you may wonder how it affects the bottom line. Case management software is an investment, after all, and one that offers significant returns.

There are six major kinds of ROI that law firms experience once they have implemented quality legal management software in their practices.

Higher Efficiency

The most fundamental benefit of case management software is efficiency. These programs are designed to streamline the business processes involved in keeping a firm running.

Trying to manually manage your accounting and communication across different cases wastes time and resources. You need to switch between systems, copy data from one system into another, and try to hold the big picture in your head. That inevitably leads to human error, which requires even more time to fix.

Software can take that burden off of your shoulders. Working with case management software gives you the freedom to stop wasting time juggling data entry. This way, you can achieve greater efficiency, both on a case-by-case basis and across your practice as a whole.

Better Centralization

Part of the reason legal management software increases efficiency is that it centralizes all of your firm’s information. Without a single solution, your firm’s data is siloed off into multiple systems. Your accounting programs can’t communicate with your case notes, and your contact list has no way to connect to your calendar. 

That makes it much harder to see the big picture for a given case or client. It makes it almost impossible to understand your firm’s overall standing. Working with a case management solution changes that.

Case management software centralizes data, keeping all of your information in one place. You can easily access everything you need within a single program. As a result, you always know the next steps you need to take to keep cases moving and your business running.

More Accountability

Furthermore, centralization helps improve accountability. The software stores all the information about cases, accounting, and administrative work in one place. It’s easy for practitioners to check the program and learn what tasks are on schedule and which are overdue. If someone is falling behind, they can be held accountable for their role in keeping the firm running.

This is a valuable feature for firms of all sizes. Small partnerships and solo practitioners can use the additional accountability of case management software to stay on top of deadlines. Meanwhile, larger practices can use the extra visibility to ensure that administrative assistants perform their duties properly. 

Either way, problems can be spotted and resolved before they grow. You’ll be able to focus more resources on expanding your practice instead of trying to react to administrative errors after the fact.

Streamlined Communication

Case management software simplifies communication both inside and outside of your practice. Within a firm, these programs streamline the process of sharing and collaborating on case notes, contracts, and other documents. The system acts as a single source of truth for these documents, so there’s never any doubt about the status of a client or deal.

These programs also make it easier for your clients to get in touch with you. Many legal management solutions provide services such as phone answering and real-time chat boxes. 

With these tools, your clients can get in touch with you or your administrators whenever they need help. Furthermore, these conversations are tracked within the system, so it’s easy to refer back to your communication history later. You’ll automatically collect better records and store them chronologically.

Improved Client Satisfaction

Utilizing management software effectively will inevitably lead to greater client satisfaction. Once you’ve implemented the program, the improved efficiency and communication will make it easy for your firm to provide better service to your clients. It will be simple to respond to every message promptly and stay on top of client requests and deadlines. 

That will reflect in your clients’ opinion of your firm. Better service leads to better reviews and more referrals. With the assistance of case management software, you can provide the kind of service that helps firms build their reputation and win more clients.

Increased Flexibility

The combination of better efficiency, accountability and communication naturally leads to more flexibility for your firm. With the right software solution, you can customize the program to run your firm your way. For example, you can work with the software to tailor everything from how you accept consultation appointments to how you bill clients.

Truly excellent software will even let you integrate programs you already use into the overall case management solution. You won’t have to waste time trying to adjust your practices to the program. You can simply begin working as usual, but with extra resources and a more efficient workflow. That means you’ll be able to better manage your firm as a whole.

Discover the Impact of Case Management Software at Your Firm

Keeping a law firm running is no simple task. You can make it easier by choosing a high-quality, comprehensive legal management software solution to streamline some of your administrative work. Great software will help you centralize your case records, improve accountability and communication, and increase client satisfaction over time.

If you’re ready to implement case management software at your firm, Captorra can help. Captorra’s case management software offers a unique all-in-one solution that will help you improve your ROI and retain complete control over every case. You can learn more about Captorra’s software by requesting your demo today.