Embracing app technology

Darren Gower (pictured), Marketing Director at Eclipse spoke with Legal Practice Management magazine to discuss why law firms shouldn’t think that, just because they’re operating in a traditional working environment, they’ve missed their chance to adapt.

If we’re honest, the legal sector has never been particularly quick to adopt new technologies. Traditional ways of working have always served us well in the past, so why change anything?

Well, the answer is because we can always get better. There’s always a new way to improve the level of service that law firms can offer their customers, and it’s often done through technology.

Digital technologies in particular have a big impact on businesses because they’re able to boost efficiencies. They can cut down time-consuming tasks into more manageable jobs, enabling more time to be spent on other areas of the business.

But it’s not just about embracing technologies that allow your fee earners to be more productive. You can also put these solutions into the hands of your customer – not only creating a better experience for them – but a more exciting one.

And the way to do that is through apps. Most people have a smartphone or a tablet and are used to using apps on a daily basis for a variety of things – from online banking and shopping, to browsing social media and reading the news.

The ability for them to communicate with their legal team through a simple, easy-to-use app –available 24/7 – is a huge benefit. They can view information about their case anytime without having to pick up the phone or send an email and wait for a response.

Certain apps used by law firms provide real time information, so users know that it’s completely accurate and up to date.

This additional value will encourage people to pay for and retain your services. You have to ask yourself what you can do that other law firms can’t. Using new technology is a great way of gaining an edge on your competitors.

Other firms are already providing these services – so you might be the one being left behind and losing that edge. The more quickly you implement apps and other process improvement features, the more you will benefit.

But it’s never too late. Don’t think that just because you’re operating in a traditional working environment, that you’ve missed your chance to adapt, and are behind everyone else.

Apps are going to be a bigger and bigger part of our lives in the coming years. Every day that goes by without you offering these powerful tools is another day that your competitors are gaining an edge.