Everyone is at home -- still. By the looks of it, shelter-in-place ordinances will last longer than first anticipated. This doesn’t have to mean the end of productivity and quality service. In fact, this can mean an even better experience for your clients and prospective clients. In a time of great need, law firms hold a special place in alleviating devastating circumstances. Here’s how staying at home can actually make you serve your clients better than before:
1. Give your website a makeover
Client and prospective client experience starts with your website. Now is the time to ensure that your website represents you the way you want to be represented, make sure that it’s responsive, and that it continues to be updated with content that fully answers your prospective clients’ search queries. First impressions are lasting impressions, and people will make decisions based on them. Consider spending this time to focus on your online service, and make it as approachable and helpful as possible.
2. Strive for internal changes that foster collaboration, compassion, and agility
The crisis asks everyone to reconsider what we value. Positive changes can occur in your law firm’s operations during this shelter-in-place, because your core human values are placed to the fore every day. Bring values like compassion and collaboration into the way you communicate with your team, and you’ll inevitably see the need to bring that energy to clients on the phone, Zoom, email, and even in your homepage messaging. These values will drive how you choose to use technology to help you remain agile enough to continue serving your clients with higher quality after the crisis ends.
3. Zoom is a humanizing device
With everyone working from home, Zoom calls have become a humanizing device that reveals a basic truth -- we’re all going through the same frustrations and experiencing the same quirks of home life. Just as your clients see your children in the background or hear the smoothie blender going off in the middle of your call, they see and hear yours too. This creates a more equalizing interaction between lawyer and client. Interactions might become more relaxed, and perhaps that’s a good thing. Lean into the humanizing nature of your video calls, and this might strengthen your client’s experience with you.
4. Now is the time for altruism
Are there any ways you can offer free or reduced priced services for at-risk or struggling clients? Giving back could mean not just helping someone in need, but it could mean more referrals or an opportunity to be seen as a leader in your community.
At Custom Legal Marketing, we are working from home and have been well prepared for this workflow for years. Now, we’re working around the clock to help law firms across the country thrive while they stay at home too.
Cristina Fríes is a MA in English/Creative Writing from UC Davis (2019), and is a legal marketing strategist and content developer for CLM. Her interests include creating compelling marketing content, writing books, and traveling the world.