FLAWED IN-TAKE PROCESS IN NIGERIAN LAW FIRMS LEADS TO MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR LOSSES IN REVENUE!

Looking back 30 years, it is obvious that the management of law offices in Nigeria have evolved, everyone wants the image of a High street and sophisticated law office, with a modern building and technology to match but the harsh reality is apparent- Lawyers have Gigantic egos which keep non-legal staff walking on eggshells and making costly mistakes due to the level of pressure placed on them to 'serve'. A Princeton University Study in 2014, found that Lawyers scored the lowest in warmth and trust, compared to how other professions are perceived by the public.

The marketing of any organisation must be all-inclusive, especially when doing business in the very connected age of digital marketing and web presence; law firms can engage with prospects online and offline more easily than ever before. In the case where communication points like a website contact form and front desk phone lines are manned by people unfamiliar with the law firms brand philosophy and services, a poor perception is formed immediately.

Imagine a law office with high performing lawyers servicing the same clients but recording low levels of new business coming in, typical culprits may just be the Junior Associates who believe they have no business marketing the firm or the Receptionist, Practice Manager and Law Clerk with poorly defined KPI's and Job Descriptions - and finally the IT guy who merely waits around to fix faults in the IT infrastructure with little knowledge of what transpires on the firms websites and social media pages; these people are merely meant to do what they are told - often with overlapping and incongruous targets. Many of these staff members do not consider themselves a part of the revenue generation engine of the firm, merely extra hands to be sent on errands.

Due to the stress and low job satisfaction of the staff who are often the first point of contact for prospects seeking to buy legal services, the law firm starts losing good leads for lucrative work.

Whether it’s an unfriendly sounding receptionist answering calls, calls that go unanswered or simply not responding to leads in a timely manner, lawyers should be analyzing the process and working to make it better.

It might be argued that there are no existing parameters to measure how much loss is suffered because of this lack of passion by law firm staff, but quite the contrary, some stakeholders have been voicing their worries over the management cultures at their firms to business consultants more than ever before. If the problem is identified, how do we solve it? The answer is often tucked in-between the respective egos of the law firm management who will need to adjust, for a more inclusive and progressive work environment.

Law firms with a really strong intake process in place are the ones that are able to convert more leads into actual clients, due to set standards in communicating with prospects, clients and colleagues.

Keep in mind, the average person looking for a lawyer online is comparing you to multiple other firms. Law firms that have a streamlined intake process in place and return calls, emails or online case evaluation requests quickly are the ones that do best.

At Nubainette Consulting, Business Development services include the coaching of all staff members on the best ways to identify leads and prospects which can be converted to actual clients for the firm; there are often incentives that encourage staff members to actively look out for opportunities for the firm, like rewards and raises. We also create policies that outline phone and email etiquettes for law firms, along with various interactive options to open up law firms to new markets/ prospects.

Contact info@nubianetteconsulting.com for a consultation.