In this blog, we focus on the five key areas of focus for building an optimal intake team for your law firm.

Intake: Creating First Impressions for Your Law Firm

The intake process of contingency fee law firms can often be lengthy and harrowing for prospective clients. Most likely, your potential clients have been through a traumatic event which has changed the circumstances of their life dramatically. Intake is not only about assessing whether a case is fit for your firm, but it is also a lasting impression that will determine whether the client places their trust in you.

Intake specialists are not just data crunchers collecting information to assess if a case is right for your firm. They are usually the first human point-of-contact for a potential client. As such, they need to build the rapport and trust that will lead a client to confidently sign their case to you.

Five Key Areas to Focus on When Building an Optimal Intake Team

1. Hire and train intake specialists who are empathetic and detail-oriented to effectively collect key information while reassuring potential clients during a stressful ordeal.
2. Develop a streamlined intake process to ensure consistent, high-quality interactions.
3. Utilize technology and automation to increase efficiency and minimize human error.
4. Provide personalized, empathetic service to build trust and confidence.
5. Implement a robust follow-up process to maintain engagement with hesitant potential clients.

Additional Considerations

Setting up a streamlined intake process which minimizes human error will ensure that your intake team is productive, efficient, and effective. While it’s common practice for many law firms to answer a client inquiry within 48 hours, firms who use client communications tools often respond within 11 minutes. This is the difference between winning a client and losing them to a competitor.

Not only do communications tools make it easy to keep in touch with clients through their preferred channels (phone call, text, or email), they also ensure that every touch is tracked. This helps your intake team surface qualified leads for special attention or move a potential client quickly through to signing. The advantage of a client communication tool can catapult your firm ahead of competitors in a client’s mind, ensuring you retain the case. Additionally, communications tools can improve client satisfaction and help collect reviews when clients are happiest.

Acquiring leads is one of the most onerous tasks of any business, but capturing and converting those leads into actual signed cases can be even more difficult. Without the appropriate tools and on-going training, you are short-changing your intake team. Giving your intake team the tools with which to efficiently collect the data they need allows them the space to be empathetic and compassionate with your clients.

To learn more about how to create an optimal intake team or intake department, read our blog about best practices for intake.

Meet with Esquire Bank

Interested in building a world-class intake operation for your law firm? Learn how your contingency fee law firm can finance its case costs and free up capital to invest in talent, marketing, technology, operations, case acquisition, and growth. Schedule a no-obligation consultation with an Esquire Bank Business Development Officer today at a time convenient to your schedule.

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* The information provided on (or accessed through) this blog is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, and should not be relied on for, law firm operations, tax, legal or accounting advice. Some of the information may not be applicable or appropriate for all law firms. Please consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors as appropriate. Results may vary by law firm.