By Anneliese Krull
Summer tends to be a time when road work is rampant. In fact, it seems like every summer that I attended school, there were construction crews tearing up and replacing sections of the road throughout the summer months.
When school starts, you can judge the effectiveness of each project. Is the road completed? Are the traffic patterns better? If not, it is painfully obvious.
The same principle holds true for estate planning or elder law attorneys.
Summer tends to be a slower time for these areas of law; however, with the beginning of fall, people tend to be more prepared to think about finances, taxes and end-of-life issues.
If you are unprepared for the upsurge in interest and business, your prospects will be able to tell. How can you prepare?
Organize your space. As the saying goes, there should be a place for everything and everything should be in its place. Go through your file cabinets and your computer files to ensure that you and your team can find what you need quickly and easily. If you have miscellaneous documents on your desk or your computer desktop, put them away.
Review your intake processes. If you have had staff turnover, be sure everyone understands your firm’s mission, the work you do and how you serve your clients. Your process should be client-centered, making it simple for them while also effective for you. Throw out any unnecessary steps.
Update your website and social media. Has it been a while since you have reviewed your bios, welcome message or workshops? Maybe you moved, have new staff or adjusted your office hours. These details need to be kept up-to-date to provide the best experience for the client. Submit a support ticket so we can help you. Do you have a responsive website? If no, then you really need consider making this a priority. Why? Because mobile devices are becoming far more prominent for web searches … and you may be losing prospective clients to other firms that have responsive websites. Call James at 877-352-2021 ext. 80 to talk about getting this necessary upgrade.
By taking care of these tasks, you will make a good first impression, giving you an advantage over those who have failed to do so.