Last week a LinkedIn connection asked me for advice. They weren’t getting the information they needed out of new clients and wanted to know what to do. It’s a common problem. You start working with a new client, but then you hit a blocker as you don’t have all the information you need. However, there is a solution: effective onboarding.
Why is client onboarding so important for law firms?
If you have a robust and effective client onboarding process you capture all key information at the start of your working relationships. This removes those problems around information gaps later on.
Good onboarding also helps to establish a positive relationship with your new client. It shows them that they can trust you and can help increase the chance they’ll make a favourable recommendation or referral based on their experiences.
What does a good onboarding process look like?
Good onboarding…
- Collects all the information you need.
- Is streamlined – keep it short and simple!
- Reduces client overwhelm, making the process easy on them.
- Is aligned to your practice area (e.g. a conveyancing client will probably need to give more information than a commercial client).
Improving your onboarding process in three easy steps
If your onboarding process needs a refresh, here are three areas to focus on for the best results.
- Ask for onboarding information the right way
A lot of onboarding processes involve sending the client a long email with lots of attachments and hoping you get the right information back. As a process, it just about does what it needs to, but it’s not a great experience for clients or firms.
Instead of asking clients to complete a Word document, why not use a more tailored tool such as:
- Typeform
- Microsoft Forms
- Clio Grow
A quick note on using the forms function in Clio Grow for law firm onboarding
Clio is a CRM tool specifically designed for law firms and it has a great online form function. As well as being able to send your onboarding forms out electronically, you can make links to custom fields so that the information is pulled through to the contact and matter. If you have an Engagement Letter template saved with merge fields, this data will even populate the letter, further saving time.
2. Reduce your touchpoints
I’ve worked a lot with different law forms to streamline their onboarding processes and I think there are only four steps that must be followed.
i. Send onboarding email with form(s) and notification to complete KYC / AML checks.
ii. The KYC / AML tool will then send an email request to upload ID.
iii. Send Client Engagement Letter for electronic signature (this will include scope of work, fees, and TOB’s).
iv. Send the welcome email advising of next steps and an introduction to the lawyer doing the work.
Anything beyond these four steps is adding additional touchpoints to your process and should be avoided unless necessary.
3. Automate your onboarding process
Once you’ve streamlined your onboarding process you can improve it further with automation. Here are three different approaches you can try.
Option 1: Make better use of Microsoft’s functionalities
A big pro to Microsoft is that 99% of law firms already use it, so why not onboard with Microsoft? Here’s how:
- The lawyer completes a Microsoft Form to create a new client / matter.
- An automatic email is sent advising the team to commence onboarding.
- Automatic folders are created & the Client Engagement Letter template is added with merge fields completed using data from the form.
- Information is added to the online onboarding tracker – accessible by the team to check on status of onboarding. Status updates trigger an automated series of emails.
- Initial email is sent to client with a link for form completion / AML instructions etc.
- Welcome email is sent.
The only points where you’ll need to work outside Microsoft are when completing AML/KYC checks and sending your Client Engagement Letter via Docusign or Legl (using a mini workflow).
A quick note on Microsoft APIs
There are some great APIs that can further help. For example, an API can be used to send new client information to Xero Projects. It will set up a new contact and project and add the time recording tasks with the default hourly rate.
Option 2: Use Zapier
Zapier helps you to connect all your tools, and provides integrations for web applications for use in automated workflows. I use it myself when a prospective client fills out my online website form, I have a zap that automatically creates a new task on my 2024 clients and leads project in Asana.
Option 3: Use your CRM system’s inbuilt processes
There are so many different legal CRM systems out there, each with its own functions. However, I have such good experiences working with Clio, it’s the tool I always recommend.
Clio Grow is great for building an onboarding process as you can build a workflow which incorporates forms, documents, email templates, appointments, and tasks.
If you want to find out more, check out this blog post: HOW I HELPED MY CLIENT STREAMLINE THEIR ONBOARDING PROCESS USING CLIO GROW
Whichever option you choose to explore, automation can help you streamline your process and make it more customer-friendly.
Get help with your law firm’s onboarding processes
We’ve helped many law firms improve their onboarding process, no matter their practice area or what their current process is.
We have the legal experience to know what matters when onboarding and will make sure your processes get you the information you need. We also work alongside a great IT company who can help with the technical set-up whilst we project manage.
If you feel your process needs a refresh and you want help to review it, then please book a call.
