The Third Motion: Building Out High-Touch Service in an Automated Environment

Lots of attorneys I talk to want to avoid automation – not because they lack understanding about its effectiveness; rather, it’s because they want ‘high-touch’ customer service. 

 

In other words, they want to be able to communicate with their leads and clients directly. 

 

What if I told you you could have both? 

 

A great law firm process, is like a symphony, with individual movements.  The way to have high-touch and automation, is to save the high-touch work for your third movement, in each phase. 

 

Here’s how it works. 

 

Your first movement is to make a request from a lead or client.  Your next movement is to apply a set of automations.  Your final (third) movement, is to followup personally, if the automation fails to drive action. 

 


Let’s take a couple of examples, to see what this looks like.  In an intake context, you ask a lead to sign an engagement agreement, if they don’t; they get automated reminders, via email or text.  If that fails, you (or, the right staffperson) personally get involved, to make a request.  On the client side, you may be asking for case-related documents.  Repeat the process.  High-touch is the failsafe – because, in many cases, your leads or clients don’t actually want to talk to you, as much as you think they do.  Your advice & counsel as an attorney should be reserved for high impact situations. 

 

But, not every lead or client interaction is an outgoing request from a law firm.  So, when a lead or client reaches out to you personally, respond via that medium.  Then, set up an automation off of that, if the need arises. 

 

The notion of ‘high-touch’ is misunderstood and overrated by many law firms – though, it has its place . . . even if I don’t need to talk to my lawyer about booking an appointment. 

 

. . . 

 

If you want to address your process management, reach out to us today!

Through a unique partnership between the bar association and Jared Correia's Red Cave Law Firm Consulting, National Creditors' Bar Association members have access to experienced law practice management consultants at a special discount rate.

To get started, visit Red Cave's NCBA landing page, and start running your law practice like a business.

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