Washington Lawyer - May/June 2024 - 33

SPONSORED CONTENT
Four Strategies to Create a
Referral-Worthy Client Experience
By Mary Elizabeth Hammond
E
very law firm needs clients - without them, the
well of revenue will inevitably run dry. However,
generating new business is easier said than done.
Many lawyers say that acquiring new clients is their biggest challenge, but
retaining them can also be difficult in today's fast-paced legal landscape.
Fortunately, there are simple ways to provide an exceptional client experience,
appeal to more prospects, and increase referrals. Here, learn what
recent research reveals about client expectations and four strategies your
firm can pursue to exceed those expectations for greater success.
1. Provide online payment options.
People love convenience. In a world of retail tap-to-pay and one-click
e-commerce checkouts, cash and checks are becoming outdated.
The Legal Industry Report from LawPay and MyCase (LawPay's sister company
specializing in legal practice management software) found that 84
percent of surveyed legal professionals now accept credit cards and ACH
payments from clients via online payment tools. Even if you still have some
clients who want to pay the old-fashioned way, simply offering the option
to pay online can improve client relations. In Fiserv's Eighth Annual Billing
Household Survey, 71 percent of respondents said that being offered multiple
ways to pay increases satisfaction.
The benefits of accepting online payments go beyond meeting client
expectations. Online payments often lead to significantly faster payment
cycles and higher collection rates.
* The Legal Industry Report found that collection rates for firms that accepted
online payments were nearly 10 percent higher than for those
that didn't.
* Additionally, 61 percent of legal professionals surveyed for the report
claimed their firms collect more money because of online payment
processing software.
* Finally, the 2023 Benchmark Report found that LawPay and MyCase
customers collected 33 percent more from clients who paid using
LawPay for online payments versus checks and cash.
2. Build a strong web presence.
Consumers today can retrieve information on just about any subject imaginable
nearly as fast as they can type. As such, when the need arises for
legal advice or representation, most will turn to the internet. It should go
without saying that as a legal professional, you must have a website or, at
the very least, a web presence of some kind to represent your practice.
Failing to do so is essentially telling would-be clients that your practice is
not technology savvy.
Your website and online presence need to sell your practice. Below are a
few tips to help you make a positive impression that can prompt potential
clients to contact you.
* Make sure that your website is easy to navigate.
* Discuss your legal process in addition to your expertise.
* Showcase your accomplishments, wins, and reasons why people
should pick your practice.
* Remember that a personal touch goes a long way. Your website
should include a professional picture of you or your team - or, even
better, a video.
3. Ensure timely and consistent communication.
Your potential clients are shopping around. If they don't like what they see
initially, they have plenty of other options at their fingertips. So, what can
you do to truly impress would-be clients? Respond. Communicate. Show
them you are reliable.
Rule 1.3 of the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct
states, " A lawyer shall act with reasonable diligence and promptness
in representing a client. " This may sound like a no-brainer, but lack of a
timely response is one of the most common complaints among clients.
Failing to respond within a certain window (typically within 24 hours) may
lose you a client. Bear in mind that most clients are reaching out to you at a
critical or stressful time. They need legal help as soon as they can get it -
if you don't respond to them, another firm will.
4. Set clear expectations.
How you interact with clients will significantly shape their experience with
your firm, and a positive experience can lead to client loyalty, word-ofmouth
referrals, and, ultimately, revenue growth.
From the very first meeting with clients, set clear expectations about the
entire process of representation, including the steps following the initial
consultation; the estimated timeline for their case; and billing expectations
from rate information to due dates and payment options.
That last point is particularly important. The fastest way to create resentment
and confusion among clients is through billing and payment misunderstandings.
Utilizing a reliable payment platform, such as LawPay, enables
you to automate invoice sends and reminders - helping to ensure
that payment doesn't cause a conflict between your firm and the client.
Meeting the expectations of clients doesn't mean reinventing the wheel.
More often than not, it simply means adjusting some existing processes -
such as lead management, client intake, and billing and payments - to be
more streamlined and client-friendly.
Mary Elizabeth Hammond, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a senior content
writer at LawPay.
MAY/JUNE 2024 * WASHINGTON LAWYER 33
Washington Lawyer - May/June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - May/June 2024
