UK law firms have historically been a slower adopter of technology, however they are catching up other professional services sectors, such as banking with technology and client data management, which we explore here in more detail.
With lockdown and social distancing measures being introduced, offices were closed, face to face meetings were banned and the majority of the public were resigned to their homes. Forward-thinking law firms who had previously embraced cloud-based technology pre-covid, were able to quickly adapt and not only continue to offer services to their own clients, but they were also finding new ones as the geographical stronghold was no longer a barrier to business – being ‘local’ became less of a driving factor.
Ease of online coordination and automation
Although remote working may have arisen out of necessity for many law firms, they have since found that it delivers real efficiency benefits. Employees are better able to manage their work/life balance and as a consequence tend to be more productive.
Through using technology such as cloud-based solutions and hosted desktops, ease of online coordination and automation meant far fewer human hours were spent managing the smaller details, thus freeing up more time for client engagement. This, in turn, increased satisfaction levels, resulting in higher client retention.
With streamlined services in place, the room to serve new clients has become an opportunity, ensuring faster growth to businesses than ever before.
What are some of the tools that have been adopted and what benefits can they give law firms?
Hosted Desktop
The latest developments in Hosted Desktop technology have been a real game changer when it comes to remote working. Employees are able to quickly access all the files, applications, emails and documents wherever they are. This not only makes remote working possible; it also creates a seamless and integrated environment enabling people to move quickly from office based to remote settings without any interruptions.
It also brings with it security benefits as backups of data and documents are made on an off-site server. For legal firms, hosted desktop services mean increased resilience and flexibility.
Hosted Telephony
As with hosted desktop services, hosted telephony facilitates remote and blended working while protecting the company from the damaging commercial consequences of sudden downtime.
There’s no need for expensive hardware. Instead, calls are made through the cloud, using mobile handsets and other devices. Calls run through a secure data centre enhancing security. This secure flexibility has been vital in enabling law firms to adapt to new ways of working.
Digital Dictations
Dictation technology is playing a key role in helping law firms develop and adapt. Dictation voice technology, Microsoft 365 Dictate and other third party digital dictation apps can be used with smartphones and tablets and are completely intuitive. They provide for faster document turnaround, more efficient record keeping and easy job sharing. As with other cloud based services, security is built in.
CRM/CMS Systems
Cloud based CRM/CMS systems enable legal firms to better manage their relationships with clients and potential clients. Customer and potential customer data can be organised, stored and shared with colleagues whether office based or remotely.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing has become central to how we do business. Whether being used for client onboarding, one-to-one collaborative working or group meetings, it has become an increasingly intuitive part of contemporary working life.
Earlier security fears have largely been addressed by developers. Previously, video conferencing was not possible in traditional hosted desktop solutions, but that has now changed. To aid security, 2-step authentication is built in to hosted video conferencing.
Customer-centric and flexible
The Covid-19 pandemic forced changes on working life with many of these changes looking increasingly long-term. Intuitive new technologies are transforming both customer and employee expectations and in the process are helping to make law firms more customer-centric and flexible. Crucially, tech enables law firms to build in resilience, reduce overheads and increase security.
Get in touch
At One Tech UK, we’re passionate about the benefits that technology can bring to law firms. We work with a range of clients across the sector, enabling them to put the correct IT infrastructure in place so that they can use technology to maximise their productivity and grow their business.
Get in touch if you would like us to do the same for you.
