I was fortunate enough to deliver a few thoughts to tech focused SME legal group recently and I thought I would share a few thoughts, ideas, and perspectives with you.
Firstly, I must confess I love technology and how it benefits us as consumers, clients and as businesses.
Secondly, I like to have a real pragmatic view of technology to see what might work and what doesn’t (I hope this article reflects that balanced view).
At the start of our discussions, it was encouraging to hear what professional services are doing in the tech space and what is on their radar. I have heard recent examples of legal firms looking at AI for document management, digital document storage, technology to support agile working and one particular firm who have invested the majority of their IT teams time in looking at technology futures.
On the flip side, I read a report that mentioned 78% of legal firms have a CRM system (Client Relationship Management tool, effectively a database that tracks client interaction, data and insight). That’s a positive, and yet, when I speak to legal (and other professional service) firms the overwhelming response is, yes, we have a CRM but no one uses it to its full capacity, or in any significant way. A key piece of learning is technology will only help your team if:
They understand why it helps clients, why it helps both them and the firm they work for.
They have some influence on what the tool does, how it works and how easy it is to use (this is a stage that is so often missed out).
Are supported, coached, and managed to use the system individually and collectively.
Without these three simple things in place (and they all need to be in place) technology becomes “another task we don’t have time for” rather than an enabler that helps us serve and support our clients more efficiently. There is nothing complex in the three things above, but many firms try and skip any of these to “save time and resources”. Far better to take a view that each of these three stages is a key investment in the project.
I write, speak and have a team that delivers workshops on the “real client journey” around creating the best client experience possible. I have been working hard researching best practice and looking at tools that might help bring this to life. Here is how to use technology in your client journey.
Firstly, understand what great looks like from a client perspective (with or without technology).
Then understand where the gaps are in your current journey and see how technology might support you with your gaps.
Lastly have a backup plan. What happens if Sam or Alex doesn’t like a digital document signing process, but wants to sign the original paperwork and drop it off at your office?
My main worry (and I have seen this) is when technology is applied to the client journey without this thought. In essence what some firms have is a terrible client journey and experience, then they add technology that makes this terrible experience much more efficient. You end up with a faster, poorer experience.
Surely now is the time to really step back, understand what your clients really want from you. Ask your team where the pain points are, look at best practice, interview your clients and take a real-world, client centric view of your client journey. Only then are you in a great position to look at technology to enhance your clients experience with you as a firm.
One last thought (and I shared this in the discussion I mentioned), when we launched BlackBerry, everyone told us that “no one wants email on a phone”. You sometimes need to test people’s (yours, your teams, your suppliers and your clients) understanding and insights and help them see the benefit of technology in your client journey.
To find out how you and your firm can develop your client journey and experience, speak to Nevil: nevil@newresults.co.uk, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit our website www.newresults.co.uk