The legal industry is more competitive than ever. The Internet gave potential clients more choice when it comes to getting their legal needs met. To be successful, lawyers must ensure that they offer the best service and experience for the money. Can law office automation help you get ahead of your competition? Yes! Here are 3 simple tips for using law office automation to help you be more competitive in your practice area.

Automate Client Intake

Client intake takes a lot of time for you and for your clients. Our first law office automation tip for you involves making the client intake process easier for both you and your clients. An easier intake process can be very attractive to those who need legal services. It’s less confusing and shows that you value their time.

If you currently use a practice management suite, look at the options it may have to make the intake process easier. You may be able to configure it to allow potential clients to complete the intake process before they come in for their consultation. The documents and information would be sent straight to you so that you could review the information and prepare for the consultation in advance.

Another consideration to automate the client intake process is a chatbot. A simple one can be designed to guide potential clients toward the intake process. Then, it can take the information provided by the site visitor and complete the intake forms and send it directly to you.

Both solutions are easy for you and the potential client. It also saves you valuable time during the consultation process. Your time can be spent visiting with the person about their legal needs instead of helping them through the intake process and reviewing their information on the spot.

Automation of Commonly Used Legal Documents

Our next time for law office automation to get ahead of your competition is to automate commonly used legal documents. Instead of thinking about this from how much time it could save you (although that is extremely important), think about it from the client’s perspective. If you were in there shoes and had little to no legal experience, how would it make you feel if you received the documents you needed faster than you expected? Automating documents is also more cost effective. Since it can be done faster, you may be open to charging less (or creating unbundled forms for purchase and use without representation). This could give more people access to the legal documents they need for a more reasonable price. It’s a great way to possibly grow your client base because you’re providing faster service at a better rate with the option for users to engage in a “DIY” option.

Social Media Automation

Our third and final tip for law office automation is to help you build your online presence: social media automation. When we say “automation” in relation to social media, it’s important to remember that even if you use a program like Buffer, HootSuite, or CrowdFire, you must not ignore responses, questions, or comments. You must engage with people who respond to you in some way. Social media automation is meant to help you by staying visible online. It is not a substitution for interaction.

Make it a point to share out news stories, industry news, blog posts, and even FAQs that your target audience may find helpful. Don’t skip evenings or weekends. That’s the usual time that most people are online. Using a program like we mentioned in the last paragraph allows you to schedule posts that will automatically be delivered to your social media accounts at the best time.

Law Office Automation Helps You Get More Done

Law office automation helps you get more done. It also helps you get ahead of your competition. You can focus more of your time on your current clients and growing your practice because you’ve chosen key areas that are easily automated.

Robin Bull

Official Social Media Wizard, LawDroid.com.