Integrity Marketing

Automated Client Intake: Creating a Great Customer Experience

I thought last week might turn out badly.

Recovering from pneumonia, Thursday was my first day out of the house in more than a week. I went to Denver (about a 90-minute drive from the Ranch) to serve as a guest lecturer at Colorado Christian University. Little did I realize that the campus would be nearly deserted by the time I arrived. I was slated to teach a 300-level marketing class at 1:40 p.m. on the last day before Thanksgiving break!

Trudging across the vacant campus, I thought about all of the other things I might have enjoyed doing on this beautiful fall day, instead of driving to speak to an empty classroom. I was surprised to find a full classroom! Every single student showed up! We had lively interaction and several students stayed long afterward to ask questions in a discussion that ranged from the ethics of marketing to their fears about the job market. You can read more about their insights on Digital Marketing for Professionals here.

I won’t lie, though. Pneumonia will kick your butt and by the time I was ready to drive home, I was completely and thoroughly exhausted. Knowing I had to catch a 6 a.m. flight the next morning out to Newport Beach, CA to speak at the NAELA Summit … well … I thought it might all go badly.

NAELA Summit 2017

I arrived at the conference hotel around 10 a.m., feeling surprisingly well. It was great fun meeting up with old friends like Lisa Briley (InterActive Legal), John Shickich (ElderCounsel), and Tom Caffrey (Premium Software).

I was scheduled to speak at 4:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon – the last session before the weekend! As the day wore on and the crowd thinned out, that same feeling of dread I’d experienced the day before at CCU started to take over. I thought about all of the things I might have been doing instead of flying to California to speak to my own sales staff and a few of my closest friends!

And then a funny thing happened.

As I approached the podium, the room started to fill up. At first, just the front seats. And oh boy, was I relieved to see those early-arrivals! Before I knew it, the room was full. Then it was standing-room-only, and then people were filling up the doorway and spilling out into the hall.

Where did all these people come from, and why were they crowding in to hear me?

After a brief introduction, I asked two questions that would solve the mystery.

1. “How many of you have a client intake process?”
   Every hand in the audience went up.
   
   
2. “How many of you love your process and think it delivers a great customer experience?”
   Not a single hand in the air.

For the next hour, I shared what we have learned are the essential elements of success when implementing an automated, online client intake process. Then, from 5:30 until almost 8 p.m., we visited with attendees anxious to learn more.

Sure, I was exhausted. But what a great day!

Key Takeaways About Client Intake for Estate Planning and Elder Law

My takeaways from the experience?

• Client intake is a vital, but challenging issue for estate and elder law attorneys
• Most intake processes are broken and woefully outdated
• Improving the intake process for both the client and the law firm is a high priority

For those who were not able to attend the NAELA Summit, I have agreed to host a webinar on the same topic.  I  hope you will join us!

Automated Client Intake: Creating a Great Client Experience
12 noon (Central Time), Nov 28, 2017 

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/969357325705561858

In the digital age, client intake is key to new client engagement as well as practice efficiency. Sadly, most intake processes are broken, and automating a broken process just means you can fail faster than ever! In this session, Jennifer will show a process that works, define some of the key characteristics of an ideal client intake process, and address issues of concern for elder law attorneys, such as data security issues, intake automation, process efficiency and case management integrations. 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Related articles

Elder Law Client Intake in the Digital Age: Special Presentation at the NAELA Summit 2017

The One Thing to Know About Client Intake in the Digital Age

Should you bring a team member to The Summit?

The short answer is yes! If you’ve already signed up for The Summit, we know you’re ready to build your break out practice! (If you haven’t registered yet, what are you waiting for?!) But how do you expect to break out without help from your team? Here are the top reasons to bring at least one member of your team to The Summit:

Education – The Summit was created to help your firm understand what challenges stand in the way of success and the best practices for moving forward. Change will be inspired, but your entire team may not be on board right away. If you’re serious about change, consider bringing a key team member to The Summit. The more team members that understand why changes are being made, the smoother your transition will be.

Execute – Great plans and ideas are destined to develop at The Summit, but oftentimes we see these plans fall flat upon attorneys returning to their office. Distractions are bound to steal your attention and chaos ensues before any change can take place. It’s best to bring a team member you trust to help implement strategies in the firm after attending The Summit.

Experience – We’ve got a lot of great activities, discussions and speakers lined up for The Summit. Share the wealth with a team member and allow space for a better understanding of your firm’s needs. Of course, there is plenty of opportunities to network and meet new people, but nothing can beat an adventure alongside those you work with everyday.

The Summit 2017
October 18-20 | Colorado Springs
Cheyenne Mountain Resort & Legacy Ranch

Download the full agenda

The Top Three Reasons You Need to Attend The Summit

Written by Kelly Myers, Marketing Director

If you attend any legal conference, you’ll understand where your practice is and what you need to do to move it forward. You’ll learn the tools, systems and best practices that you can put into place when you return. But The Summit is no run-of-the-mill legal conference. When you attend The Summit, you’ll get more.

So what makes The Summit different?

Experienced leaders – Company President Kyle Krull brings over 30 years of legal experience to the IMS team. CEO Jennifer Goddard started her career with almost 10 years of Journalism experience before moving to the marketing industry. Together they’ve been at the head of IMS for the entirety of its 22 year history, building a national marketing agency that focuses solely on Elder Law and Estate Planning firms. Needless to say, Kyle and Jennifer’s credentials go far beyond what is listed and they are excited to share their wealth of knowledge with the attendees of The Summit.

Close-knit team – Integrity Marketing Solutions prides itself in being a family business. With this tight group, everyone wants to see each other do their best and grow. We extend this feeling to our clients, forming personal ties. During The Summit, you’ll get up close and personal with your IMS marketing team. The better we know our clients, the better we can help you.

Experiential learning – You are coming here to learn after all! At The Summit, you’ll participate in experiential learning (the process of learning through experience, of course!). Learning is more powerful when you’re being taught through authentic, real-world experiences. Here’s what it looks like:

1. Experience – DO IT! A hands-on learning exercise.
2. Reflections – Make sense of what happened and compare the experience to previous perceptions.
3. Conceptualize – Reflection leads to the development of new ideas.
4. Test – No, you won’t be graded; you’ll apply these skills to the real world.

Are you ready to get more out of attending a legal conference? Register today and save $200.

The Summit 2017
October 18-20^th | Cheyenne Mountain Resort | Colorado Springs

Are You Losing Clients at the Front Desk?

A great receptionist is worth their weight in gold. Just ask any estate planning law firm that has lived through a string of bad receptionists. From welcoming new clients to the office with a reassuring smile to serving as the first contact prospects have with the office: we can’t emphasize enough how important this person’s position is. We hear about office managers who get bogged down in managing receptionist issues, because the managing partner doesn’t want to deal with a clerical issue. If there’s a problem, it does need to be resolved at the highest level. It is that important.

The receptionist is the face of the firm. When clients walk in the front door, the receptionist is usually the very first person they see. New clients will expect a warm welcome and an offer of coffee, or paper work to complete (if your office is still on paper intake). If the receptionist does not stop doing other tasks to welcome clients, the message is clear: this office doesn’t care about clients. You’ll have to overcome that first impression every step of the way to convince clients otherwise.

How the phone is answered can lose clients in a matter of minutes. An elderly woman calls the office. She knows she needs to speak with an attorney, but she’s not sure what questions to ask. The receptionist speaks louder into the phone, as if that would help the woman understand better. The woman feels uncomfortable and decides not to make an appointment. If it happens more than once, it’s a recipe for disaster for your practice.

Does the receptionist know what the ultimate goal is and how to achieve it? The receptionist needs to know that converting a caller into an appointment who then becomes a client is a big part of her responsibilities. Lacking a clear discussion of this process, the job may be considered “answering the phones and doing paperwork.” She or he is really a brand ambassador, your firm’s face to prospects and clients and their first personal interaction. This needs to be made clear from the start.

Have you listened in on calls? Some people find this a little uncomfortable, but like any other process at the firm, it needs to be monitored. Think of a phone call as you do any other client work product. How long does it take for the phone to be answered? How clearly does the receptionist articulate the name of the firm, introduce herself or himself by name, and offer to help the caller? Are callers getting placed on hold, and then hanging up?

The receptionist is an important member of your team. Your clients know it—so should you!

Outbound Marketing Basics for Estate Planning Law Firms

Considered the poor cousin of marketing in the digital age, we believe that outbound marketing still has a role to play for estate planning law firms. Outbound marketing, for clarity, refers to any marketing activity where the company or law firm actively sends out a message, as opposed to inbound, where prospects find a website or chose to engage with a social media platform.

Here’s what we consider productive outbound marketing: eNews, blog digests delivered by email, well-designed direct mail and traditional print or broadcast ads.

Here’s the difference between what most people consider outbound marketing and what we consider outbound marketing: If the information takes an educational and targeted approach, positioning the law firm as an authoritative and credible source of information, that’s outbound marketing worth doing.

If the outbound marketing is purely sales, then it’s not appropriate for estate planning or Elder Law firms. Our entire platform is based around providing our clients with effective strategic marketing tools and the insights into how the business of an estate planning law firm works. Any marketing tool that does not complement this overall approach is simply not worth doing.

Should your firm consider traditional outbound marketing, like a direct mail campaign? It depends.

There are markets where a personalized letter to a targeted group can be effective, but remember that no single “silver bullet” does the entire job of reaching prospects. If the same person who receives a direct mail letter has also visited your website or found you on social media, they are more apt to pick up the phone or fill out a form. They have greater familiarity with your name, or feel that they have a connection (especially if they’ve watched a few lawyer videos on your website).

Asking people to trust you with their estate planning documents requires creating a high degree of comfort and trust. The unspoken question from prospects is this: “Will this firm do the right thing by me, or will they make things more complicated than they need to be?” Building trust often takes more than one set of tools.

No matter how sophisticated your marketing gets, keep in mind that marketing is ultimately about reaching out to potential clients with a message that connects. Whether that is an outbound message, delivered via an eNews, a hard copy letter or a personal connection that occurs when a client is reading an attorney’s biography, the personal message of caring, competence and concern is at the heart of marketing success.

Is Your Call To Action Being Heard by Estate Planning Clients?

The Call to Action (CTA) for an estate planning law firm is a carefully designed element of your website that can have a big impact on how visitors respond. Too glaring and unprofessional, and you’ll lose them. Too subtle, and they won’t take action. There is an art and a science to incorporating the CTAs, and IMS designers are very good at making this part of your websites a powerhouse.

What works best for an estate planning law firm website? Visitors to your website are already searching for a solution to a problem. In marketing parlance, they have expressed a need. The website’s job is to move them to take the next step: pick up the phone or fill out a form. The CTA keeps them focused and moving through the process.

How often is too often? Users need it to be easy, but not overwhelming. We’ve seen websites where pop-up CTAs show up after being on the website for all of 30 seconds. Not only is that annoying, but it gets in the way of the visitor’s experience of getting more comfortable with the law firm. You’ll want a few on each page—one at the top and one at the bottom are expected—but where they are located in the body of the website will depend on the layout. Some will be graphics—click to call buttons—while others will be content-driven, and a message delivered with kindness: “If you have questions, please call our office to learn how we can help.”

What you say matters, so chose your words carefully. Your IMS team will help with crafting the language that we know works for your target market. Alarmist messages, from “call today or you may permanently lose your rights” are not in our wheelhouse. The focus is on educating your prospect and making them comfortable enough to pick up the phone or fill out a form.

Automatic intake system using CLIP^SM moves the conversation from CTA to an engaged “pre-client.” We use that phrase to describe the person who has engaged with your automated intake system and shared personal information. They are not clients, but have moved past the prospect stage.

Remember that the CTA is not limited to your website. It should be a thoughtful part of your social media, any printed materials and your personal conversations. If having a person become a client is the goal, no matter where the initial contact comes from, you’ll need to ask. Remember the saying: “If you don’t ask, you don’t get!"

Educated Estate Planning Clients: Why They’re Your Best Clients

Client education is one of several key performance metrics of estate planning law firm websites. Tasked with giving prospective clients an opportunity to learn about you and estate planning and/or Elder Law, IMS websites are designed to do a lot of the heavy lifting of successful law firm marketing. Client education is one task, so is generating high visibility for Search Engine Optimization, providing a great User Experience and presenting a visual identity for the firm. How does the education part work?

How much is enough, how much is too much? Striking the right balance of educating a client without giving actual legal advice for a specific question, whether the dialogue takes place on the phone, in person, on a website or through social media, is important to protect both the client and the attorney. Without knowing all of the facts, which occurs only after attorneys really dig into the substance of the client’s situation (i.e., are retained and start gathering information and documents), you can’t give appropriate advice. That’s why all information used in marketing is of a general nature and we incorporate qualifying language on your website that advises clients of that fact.

Steer clear of the legalese, please. Lawyers aren’t the only ones guilty of using jargon, but we sure do have a reputation. Legal services clients today are not interested in wherefore’s and party of the first parts. There was a time when that was considered impressive to non-lawyers, but those days are long gone. Website language needs plain English. There are exceptions; if you have published an article in a legal journal, or share a presentation that you have done for other attorneys. Otherwise, plain English is best.

Educating on options and outcomes. You can call this “managing expectations,” but we prefer to consider it an educational process. As an experienced estate planning attorney, you likely have handled enough matters where you are able to accurately assess the process and outcome for most of your clients. Your prospective clients may have never met an estate planning attorney before. They may not know how the process works, what the critical documents are or what to expect. Part of your responsibility as a professional is to make sure that they gain a reasonable understanding—for the layperson—of what will happen next and what the final outcome may be. You need to qualify these expectations, as there are always surprises, but draw on your experiences to share this information.

What we hear from law firm clients that you need to know. The biggest complaints concerns communication, and more specifically, phone calls and emails that are not responded to in a timely manner and fees. While it’s not always easy, making responses to client inquiries a priority can forestall complaints and negative interactions. The impact that this has on client satisfaction makes it worth the time. Even if the attorney cannot get to a phone call, a paralegal or a receptionist can call the client so they know that the attorney is aware of the call or email and will be responding within a certain amount of time.

The elephant in the room: fees. Have this discussion as early in the process as possible, once you know the scope of work for the client. Share specific information with regard to the amount of work involved; don’t hide it behind a cloak of mystery. Educate your clients about the complexities and considerations, so they understand you are not simply pulling out a template and putting their names into a form. The more they know about what you are doing, the more they will understand the value of your work. And understand that they are going to have questions, likely based on going to online legal services and reviewing sample documents. Don’t be defensive or annoyed, even if their information is wrong; this is an opportunity for education.

Sales Funnels and Website Silos: Are They Working for Your Law Firm?

Having a family member or friend who is not known to your firm make a phone call or contact the firm through the website is one way to figure out how well—or poorly—your firm’s sales funnel works. But unless your family member or friend is an experienced law firm marketing professional, it may be hard for them to identify what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s really not working.

A more productive, albeit challenging, method, is to do this yourself. It takes some imagination, but the potential is worth it. Put yourself into your target client’s mind-set. If you can, either call into the office or listen in on a call when someone else calls in. How difficult is it to get an appointment, and how helpful and welcoming is your receptionist?

Next, put yourself in your target client’s mind when you visit your own website.

Is it easy to navigate? Does it contain information that is relevant to your target market’s needs? Does it look up to date? Your blog posts should be current, and if you have news about speaking or hosting events, that’s even better. Does the website feature the ability to be seen with larger typeface for vision-challenged individuals? And does it work just as well on a smart phone as on a desk top?

 Does your website use silos? A silo is an image, usually a photo, with a phrase or a question that directs the user to a specific page. For instance, a website home page may have three or four silos featuring topics like “Why Everyone Needs a Will,” “Can a Trust Help” or “Who is the best executor for my estate plan?"

The use of silos serves several purposes.

• They are good for search engine optimization (SEO), as algorithms seek common language questions.
• Silos give your users information they need, reassurance that the problem they face is not so unique, and the sense that you already understand their problem.
• Finally, silos feed right into your E2-CRM. If a visitor contacts you from that page, you'll know that it is a significant issue for them that you can move to address early in the process, rather than finding out about it in the middle or at the very end of the estate planning process.

Another great thing about silos is that you are helping your clients even before they become clients. And the early identification of the client issue overcomes the obstacle of the unknown—they may not know you personally, but somehow, you already knew exactly what they needed.

How Integrity and Ethics Fit into Your Estate Planning Law Practice

As a leader in your office and community, lawyers are required to serve with the highest ethics. But integrity and ethics should also play a lead role in how your practice serves clients and treats team members every day. And let’s not leave out how clients and team members should be held to certain standards themselves.

Placing dual values of integrity and ethics at the center of your practice extends these values way past the work you and your colleagues perform. Here are some examples of how certain offices go above and beyond to exceed what is expected.

Client confidentiality. We all know the rules. But does that include conversations between attorneys that may take place while waiting in line at a coffee shop? What about a cell phone conversation when a paralegal is on a train? Make sure the entire team understands that they have a moral duty to protect their client’s information. And that includes family members.

Document protection. As an attorney you are required to maintain the standards of technology and secure all client information. If vendors and visitors to your office are able to see a computer monitor in the office, they may see confidential information. Be mindful of documents left on desks, monitors that are not in screen saver mode and any materials that might be easily seen.

Conflicts of interest. If multiple members of a family gearing up for an estate battle contact you, do you have an ethical responsibility to disclose conversations with other family members, even if you have not been retained and no formal client-attorney privilege has been established? Check with your state’s bar association if you are not sure.

What if an associate has done something that you know is wrong? Here’s where integrity distinguishes practices. It’s not uncommon for humans to make mistakes. But how you handle the mistake demonstrates the firm’s commitment to integrity as a core value. Do you fire the associate? Unless it’s egregious error, probably not. First, you solve the problem. And you don’t bill your client for it. Then you need to have a conversation with the client. No, it won’t be a pleasant conversation but it will be necessary. If the client finds out after the fact that you did not disclose the problem and the correction, you will have a far bigger problem: the loss of trust and respect.

Seek Visibility And You Will Find… More Estate Planning Connections

Doctors and lawyers know that small talk at a networking event or social occasion will invariably bring with it at least one “I know you’re not working but I have a question” conversation. Often a doctor can beg off, saying the question is not her specialty, but an estate planning attorney is open season. Who doesn’t have a family member who refuses to have a will, or a grandparent who left everything to a distant relative after decades of squabbling?

Instead of thinking of these questions as annoying, consider them opportunities for developing new clients. For estate planning and Elder Law practitioners, any group of people contains at least one and often more potential clients.

Yes, we’re in a digital age, and much of your marketing takes place on digital platforms, but you still need to make a conscious effort to get in front of potential and current clients. How can you make this happen, and make the most of it?

Networking never sleeps. Bringing new clients into the practice or developing referral sources is a mind-set, not a job that you do nine-to-five and then turn off. Picking up supplies at the big box store for a family barbecue? If you’re on a long line, or hurtling down the aisles, you’re in a crowd of prospects. It’s your community—embrace each outing as a potential source of new business.

You’re always on stage. As a community leader, source of authority and professional, you really do have to consider how you present yourself every time you leave the house. You don’t need to wear a suit every time you step out the door, save the grubby gear for gardening or working on your vintage sports car at home.

Move a conversation to an appointment. The doctor can’t make a diagnosis at a cocktail party and you can’t provide legal advice at a fishing tournament. But you can give your card and tell them to call your office if they want to explore some solutions to their problem. Don’t end the conversation when you provide the business card and an invitation to call. Instead, pivot to something that you can bond over—kids, hobbies, shared interests.

Make the connection even better. Give the person’s name to your receptionist so that if they do call, they are treated like a new friend and not a stranger. “Oh, Sue said you might be calling,” is a far more welcoming messaging than “How can we help you?” Let this person know that they are special and that you remembered the conversation. It’s a great way to start a client relationship—even when you have known the person casually for some time, the sense that they are getting special treatment will be remembered.