Gideon Legal

Automated Intake for Law Firms

branding

Marketing, Messaging

Brand New: Should Your Law Firm Consider a Brand Name?

Lots of things changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it wasn’t all bad.

Some of the more antiquated parts of the rules of professional conduct (ethics rules for attorneys) were updated, largely due to pressures related to massive logistical changes brought about by the mainstreaming of remote work.  So, some states dropped bona fide office rules (lawyers need a physical office in the state of licensure), and others got rid of restrictions banning the use of brand names.

In terms of marketing for law firms, the killing of the prohibition against law firms using brand names, in many states where that rule had attained for quite some time, opens up lots of doors for lawyers who want to break from the mold of traditional law firm marketing.

Branding becomes an entirely different endeavor when law firms can use whimsical names, instead of being forced to use only their last names.  I mean, what if your last name is hard to spell?  What if you get remarried?

Better to choose a static brand name, and draft off the attributes associated with that name.

Grey Wolf Law.  (Sounds super tough.)

Paragon Legal.  (You must be the best.)

Hole in the Ground Law.  (Okay, that’s just weird.  I don’t get it – but, you do you!)

In any event, law firms largely being forced into one type of naming convention has foreclosed really interesting branding possibilities for far too long.

So, if you’re just another Johnson & Flynn PLLC, and your state allows for law firm brand names, do something different, and maybe access a competitive advantage you never knew you had.

Messaging, Marketing, Technology

Who’s Zoomin’ Who? Your Zoom Background Says A Lot About You

In a world continuously restricted by an ongoing pandemic and regulations surrounding it, you’re probably spending a lot of time on Zoom.  (Maybe more than you want . . .)

And, with the ubiquitous nature of the Zoom video conference, comes the unending analysis of Zoom backgrounds.  This has become a meaningful line of investigation, because it’s become probably the best modern opportunity to build a brand.

And, your Zoom background says a lot about you, as a businessperson.

If you don’t use a background, you may not know how to use Zoom.  Or, you just don’t care that you’re going au natural, and that everyone can see your kitchen backsplash.  (Hey, maybe you have a really nice kitchen backsplash.)

If you maybe do know how to use Zoom, you could be blurring your background, or using one of their built-in static backgrounds, liked a modern-day Walt Whitman, among the leaves of grass.

Maybe you’re one of them Cat Lawyers.  (Filters can be pretty sweet.)

But, if you’re not using a branded Zoom background — one that features your logo in some way, which could appear on the wall of a faux conference room — you may be missing a pretty obvious branding opportunity.

Zoom is your portal to the world; make it reflect well on your business.

Analytics, Marketing, Messaging, Technology

What Everybody’s Chatting About — How Chatbots Are Revolutionizing Law Firm Intake | Part 2: Chatbot Features

In this 6-part series, we’ll address how chatbots are changing the game for law firm intake.  This is part 2, where we’ll discuss chatbot features to look for.  In part 1, we defined what a chatbot is.

First off, a warning: chatbots are only just now starting to be developed in the legal vertical.  This is very much a new segment of the industry.  That means that you won’t find the equivalent of a Westlaw in the legal research field, or a Clio in the law firm management space.  These are growing companies, that are adding features; and so, you may not be able to find, at present, a company that offers all of these tools we’re about to discuss in one package.  This is aspirational, then, for the time being; but, it is likely be actual, in the near term.  So, when you explore your chatbot options, ask about existing features, but also inquire about the product development timeline, when new features will be added.

Now, then: What should you be looking for in a chatbot?

You should be able to access a ‘no code’ botbuilding environment.  There should be an interface through which you can build, manage and edit your bots.  It should be simple, straightforward and easy to use.  You don’t want to have to hire a development shop to build bots for you, and then continue to pay to get them updated.  Neither do you want to code bots yourself.  The chatbot tool you select should represent the happy medium between those two options.

Your chatbot should engage leads.  Modern consumers prefer messaging, and you’re going to utilize a chatbot to give your leads that option.  So, their user experience should be your primary consideration.  Is the chatbot visually appealing when it launches at your website?  Is it easy to navigate?  Does the conversation flow?  Can users upload documents?  Remember, the idea is to provide a seamless engagement for legal consumers, not to make them wish for the old days of website contact forms.

You’ll also want to be able to brand your chatbot, so consumers can immediately orient themselves to the fact that they’re engaged with a platform that you operate.  There is limited utility for you in making the chat service’s branding primary.

Your chatbot should qualify clients.  Aside from providing a better consumer experience, one of the reasons you get a chatbot is so that you can save time triaging potential clients.  A chatbot is a great way to avoid the excesses of ‘tire kickers’.  Your chatbot should have classification tools available that can determine whether a potential client is worth your time.  If you can use a chatbot to ferret out low value cases, that means you’ll only deliver yourself opportunities to engage the high value ones.

On a related note, you should be able to route those potential clients to the right attorney or staff person, via notification and scheduling tools.  A functioning chatbot will notify lawyers and/or law firm staff when a lead has hit a qualification.  At the next legal, your chatbot should be able to automatically schedule appointments for leads with the right contact at the law firm, setting calendar appointments for both parties.  Your chatbot software, to that end, should include an internal calendaring system.

A modern law firm chatbot tool should include a lead inbox, with basic information about each intake.  But, that’s where the data analytics should start, not end.  Your chatbot software should track conversations, conversions and scheduled appointments.  Beyond those metrics, your chatbot software should track the effectiveness of the bots you create: Are leads dropping out of conversations before completing them?  Are leads dropping off at a particular question?  Is it taking your leads too long to get through one particular question you’re asking them?  Modern software should track data and analyze trends before delivering consumable metrics to law firms — and so should your chatbot.

Chatbots represent scripted conversations, guidance for law firm leads.  But, what about when a lead asks the bot a question that isn’t in the script?  Your chatbot should react, not implode.  So, can leads skip questions?  Can leads ‘go back’, or otherwise navigate the chatbot without having to answer every question in order?  Does your chatbot provider use natural language processing to credit answers that don’t appear in the exact format expected?

Of course, no software exists in a vacuum any longer.  Every law firm wants each new software tool it acquires to integrate with the other software tools it employs.  While that’s always possible, it makes sense for a chatbot software to integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) software software – for additional lead management capabilities – and with law practice management (LPM) software – to convert leads to clients.  Beyond that, opportunities exist for chatbot software to integrate with signature, epayment and document automation tools.  As with any modern law firm software, there’s almost no limit on how extensible a chatbot platform can be.

. . .

Now that you know what features to look for in a chatbot for your law firm.  We’ll focus next time on why chatbots are essential for modern law firm intake.  Stay tuned, right here.

Analytics, Marketing, Messaging, Technology

Gateway: How You Can Build a More Diversified Marketing Program

Trying something new is not easy.  Ever since cave people started becoming cave people by moving into caves, humans and pre-humans have sought comfort.  And, it’s the same thing with running a business.  Once you get into a groove (which an outsider might call a ‘rut’), it’s difficult to pull yourself out of it, and experiment.  Experimentation is the province of the bold; and boldness is certainly informed by desperation, in many cases.

But, you can also start going down a new path by taking the first step.  You’ve heard the term ‘gateway drug’ — well, in business, there’s a gateway drug for any business improvement tactic.  For example, lawyers love Microsoft Office, but fear the cloud.  Enter Microsoft Office 365.  Buy it, use it, see how similar it is to what you’ve used before, and get comfortable with cloud-based technology, in a familiar environment  Then, buy another cloud software product.  Then, do it again.  Pretty soon, you’re throwing your server out the window.

It’s the same with marketing. If you’re uncomfortable using social media, think of it as a global networking event instead of a web platform.  LinkedIn, in the main, features all the same people you’d meet at bar association or lawyers’ events; but, it’s even easier to get someone’s attention.  Just request a connection; no more awkward interruptions of ongoing conversations.  After a while, you’ll become a sought after connection yourself, as you watch your profile and post views rise.

But, this isn’t just a vanity play; the more people who see what you’re doing, the further your brand reaches, the more you increase the likelihood of additional targeted referrals and new client inquiries.  Modern marketing is more about breadth than depth.  The wider your profile extends, the more opportunities you have to make money.  The key to extending your online profile is to increase the number of platforms you use in as inexpensive a manner as possible.  That’s why free social media services and directory profiles are so essential to a cost-effective law firm marketing strategy.

The time to experiment is ongoing.  In business, stagnation is loss.  So, don’t wait for your practice to start flailing before you switch things up.  Try something new, experiment.  Become the first mover, for once, and reap the benefits.

Your gateway awaits you.

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