During the recent Access All Areas virtual conference, Darren Gower (Access Legal Sales Director) was joined by a panel of industry experts to discuss the latest trends, challenges and opportunities we’re seeing in the legal sector. The expert panel consisted of Charlie Jones, Head of Finance – Wolferstans, Clint Milnes, Chief Information Officer – Winn Group, Stewart Mathews, Managing Partner – Neves Solicitors and David Sparkes, Owner – Milbourn Ross.
Below is a summary of the three key talking points and themes covered during the session:
Accessibility
All panelists agreed that their strategies, generally, haven’t changed since before the Covid pandemic but they have accelerated some of the activities. In particular, the implementation of technology and systems to allow staff to work remotely without any disruption to client services was a big challenge. Firms couldn’t afford a long drawn out change management process, firms quickly needed to provide the necessary equipment to staff, ensure secure access to systems remotely and give clients flexible options when engaging with the business.
This brought up the first key theme of the session around accessibility. For years, law firms have been looking at ways of using technology to improve efficiency and processes internally, however now they needed to look at their external facing tech stack and invest further to give clients the experience and service they expect via the channel which is most suitable to them and their needs. An omnichannel strategy has become key.
Interestingly, some panelists found that the demographic of their customers wanting certain communications or services to be delivered digitally has expanded. Historically, it was the younger generations, Millennials and Generation Z’s, who wanted to engage via online channels however older customer segments are now engaging more online and expecting a slicker customer journey. Client portals have become an important part of this online experience, providing 24/7 support and access for clients where they can view all their latest case files, documentation and progress updates.
Key takeaway – All firms must be able to offer all mediums for clients to engage with the business. No two customers are the same and each will have different preferences, wants and needs. Achieving a streamlined customer journey, on all channels, will improve client experience and, in turn, future profitability.
Key question – If serving customers completely digitally, will this mean they could be priced differently due to the reduced costs to serve? Can a firm develop a pricing strategy model based on different client preferences? Listen to the on-demand session to hear the panels thoughts.
To view the full blog article, click here.