The COVID-19 pandemic and the three rounds of national lockdowns have, as we are familiar from news reports, affected every single business not only in the UK but throughout the world. The question is, how can firms not only adapt to the inevitable new working practices but continue to offer the same level of service whilst still remaining profitable?
For the legal profession, traditionally accustomed to conducting business with clients on a face-to- face basis, this does present certain challenges. In prime position, is processing documents that enable either the efficient handling of the business or affairs of existing clients, or the onboarding of new clients.
So, having your people work from home and unable to interact as normal with your clients is one aspect of the current situation, but consideration must also be given to the fact that your firm must offer the same level of service in order to retain clients. It is, therefore, vitally important to stay up-to-date with trends and utilise the innovative legal technology that can help you and your people to achieve optimum efficiency, whilst also maintaining cost-effectiveness.
So, what benefits can be achieved from leveraging legal technology?
- Increased productivity of your people, allowing them to continue to undertake important work and service the same amount of cases even whilst working from home;
- An improvement in the ability to service clients by enabling the remote processing of documents in more efficient ways;
- A reduction in stress for your people and frustration from your clients by offering a simple and easy method of progressing cases despite the enforced remote contact;
- Immediate access to relevant documents that have either been signed or require a signature;
- Reliable identification of new clients and therefore a smooth onboarding process;
- A more attractive offering than that of your competitors.
inCase is your solution to unlocking operational efficiencies
The general benefits listed above are all very welcome, so what are the inCase mobile app features that can help your firm unlock them?
The app is the most innovative way to communicate with legal clients efficiently and securely right now. With 71% of adults say they never turn off their mobile phone, whilst 78% say they could not live without it, transacting with clients on the go and remotely, via mobile, has never been as important to the success of your firm.
Firms can leverage the mobile app and platform, under your own brand, to achieve specific and tangible efficiencies, which include:
Speeding up document signing
Before COVID-19 and its impact on the legal arena, it was a fact that the main benefit of using electronic signatures was the reduction in the time taken to obtain signatures; with signed documents being received back within minutes whereas, with the traditional route, this process could have taken up to five days or more.
However, with the widespread adoption of working from home for both your people and your clients, access to an electronic signature facility is now not only beneficial but essential.
With built-in secure electronic signature functionality, inCase allows you to digitally sign 99% of all documents used by law firms, including your onboarding documentation. Each electronic signature has exactly the same legality as a wet signature; so, wherever your people and clients are, you know the required documents will be able to be appropriately and legally processed.
Furthermore, whether working from the office or from home, it is easy to keep track of and follow-up the signature process and send automated reminders to the signatories if necessary.
The same benefits apply to documents that do not require a signature, but nevertheless require prompt processing such as forms and questionnaires. These can be produced using your Case Management System for your clients to simply complete on their phone and then return for processing and storing.
Automating ID checks
While verifying a client’s identity is time-consuming and adds significant cost, it is an absolute necessity to protect both the firm and clients from identity theft and related scams.
This is where technology can help to bridge the gap and give you peace of mind that the identification you receive does indeed relate to the client who is instructing you.
The inCase built-in ID features include the ability to automatically notify a client that they need to complete an ID check on the opening of a file. This not only saves lawyers time when setting up new clients, it also offers them the confidence that, although working away from others who might normally process this data, the identity check can be easily and reliably undertaken from one action in your existing CMS.
The client can then use their phone to undertake the identification process at their convenience – all in one place – through a combination of document scanning and facial recognition technology.
Furthermore, for added confidence in our technology, inCase is the only provider to use the NFC chip reader for document scanning on both Android and Apple phones to enable the cryptographically signed data on a passport chip to be read.
In terms of the latest facial recognition software, the inCase app is able to confirm a match between the ID photo and a live recording of the client. This makes the identification process reliable but uncomplicated to use; with the added benefit of all your people being able to access the advantages, wherever they are. This is not only relevant now, but may continue to be much more so in the future as working practices inevitably change.
Instant & secure digital messaging
Your clients no longer need to wait for the post, and you no longer need to worry about the security of email. Messages are instantaneously sent and received through the inCase app with TLS encryption (same as the banking industry) – to provide security of all communications.
Your message can carry the same attachments you would place in an email or send through the post, such as Medical Reports, Pieces of Evidence, Property Guarantees or Identification; all now sent within seconds of the request.
Reduce client requests for updates
Clients know exactly what the legal process is for their case and where they are in that process, with all the stages visible to them within inCase.
When a lawyer takes an action in the CMS that moves the case to the next stage, the client automatically receives a push notification to alert them of the case progress. Allowing you to be one of the most proactive lawyers in your sector, without any additional effort and reducing the volume of inbound calls and emails that disrupt productivity.
Patrick O’Hare from Paschal O’Hare Solicitors, has told us that “internally, the inCase app has freed up the solicitors’ time without reducing the standards of work.”
Continuous improvement
Clients are encouraged, with inCase, to provide feedback on the service they receive throughout their dealings with you. This provides a unique way for your firm to manage client expectations and identify any other areas for operational improvement. By being proactive with client experience, no longer are you finding out at the end of a transaction how the client judges your service. With the added benefit of improving your client reviews!
Using automation solutions, such as integrating inCase into your case management system, will help to reduce the amount of time being spent per case; improve the lives of staff and clients; and make transactions more profitable.
To learn more about how your firm can benefit from the inCase app, get in touch today.