• March 29, 2024
 What Can Chatbots Do For My Law Firm?

What Can Chatbots Do For My Law Firm?

Well quite a lot actually! They’re getting more and more sophisticated.

In this article, we look at what’s available now and peek into the not too distant future.

How can I help you?

Consider what happens when online shopping for a new pair of trainers. Would you rather scroll through pages of options, only to find the pair you like don’t come in your size or are out of stock? Or would you rather ask a chatbot to help you find what you’re looking for – pair of lace-up  ladies trainers in a size 5, black leather uppers, good grip soles, under £50, in stock now, for delivery in the UK within 2 weeks.

Filters on websites are a self-service option, a bit like a chatbot. But a chatbot supercharged with AI and machine learning can search your website – or indeed beyond, to accessible data – and build a database of questions and responses beyond a filtering system.

I know what I’d choose.

Who’s doing what now?

Some firms are already using chatbots to capture leads on their website. We’ve installed chatbots which answer your clients’ enquiries about writing their Will. And when there’s a question the chatbot can’t answer, it presents a lead form for the client to complete which goes direct to a human for a response.

I just don’t have the time…

We’re all busy people and so are our clients, so imagine what the future holds.

James arrives home late from a busy day. He remembers he meant to call your office today to find out who in the firm looks after Contracts, but is based in Preston. It’s after hours now. Well, he could email but he’s not going to have time to check for a response tomorrow and he’s in Preston on Friday so needs to set up that appointment before he goes. Yes, he could trawl through your website to find what he wants, but he’s had a long day and really hasn’t the time – or the inclination – to do that. If you have a chatbot on your site, he could simply ask that question. And if the chatbot is clever enough, it might even be able to book him an appointment there and then…

Who’s using chatbots in business?

According to Forbes, BI Intelligence suggest that about 80% of businesses will use chatbots by 2020. By recognising key words from a user’s question, a chatbot can access a database of related answers to assist you in your search.

The aim of a chatbot installed on your website is generally to move the client towards their end-goal as quickly as possible. Whether they’re looking for services, pricing, the names of team members, the address, the phone number or answers to specific questions.

The Law Society says that, broadly speaking, the legal sector is using chatbots in three ways:

1) For access to justice – some chatbots have been designed to help individuals with a legal problem who are unable to ask a lawyer (or whose issue would not be worth even the most modest legal fee).

2) Professional search – legal research carried out by lawyers is often search query-based. Some of the larger legal publishers are enhancing their research tools with chatbot functionality.

3) Client-facing chatbots – some law firms have been deploying chatbots to streamline the processing of new queries. This can cut down on secretarial time and ensure that legitimate queries are directed to the most relevant departments.

You will find there is already some great – and some not so great – examples in use today. We’re already planning for the next wave of chatbots.

If you’re considering the use of chatbots in your firm, best practice advice suggests that you:

  1. a) don’t try to fool people into thinking the chatbot is a live person,
  2. b) do integrate systems so that when the customer has given their details to the chatbot they don’t need to repeat it all again on a form or to a human being – except perhaps for verification purposes.

The future law firm will need to adapt. As Forrester predicts for Europe in 2020, it will need to be agile, in order to respond to market opportunities by becoming a data-driven firm. Just don’t forget your responsibilities in terms of cybersecurity, and if you’re collecting data, that it’s up to you to ensure it’s kept safe and that the client is in control of what it’s used for. Remember data leakage, consent and transparency.

The future is closer than you think. And if you don’t move with the times, you can be sure that your competitors will…

For an informal chat – with a real human being – contact Paul Clyde – Paulclyde@legalworkflow.com.

This article was submitted to be published by Legal Workflow as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Wills and Probate. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Wills and Probate.

Legal Workflow

https://www.legalworkflow.com

Legal Workflow logo Legal Workflow is a pioneering IT consultancy and creator of innovative products and services for the legal profession in the UK. Utilising automation and artificial intelligence, Legal Workflow is expert in developing and customising online legal services and workflows for legal case management and practice management systems. We specialise in writing integrations with third party applications, client portals and databases. Working in close association with our sister company, a niche private client law firm called legalmatters, we offer a unique combination of deep domain knowledge of Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney and Estate Administration, and tech know-how to provide ground breaking web based services for private client practitioners. We believe that the future of legal services lies in online collaboration between clients and their lawyers, with unbundling becoming the norm, and clients paying only for the services that they value rather than for pure process that can be performed by computers and, increasingly, algorithms that automate processes, aided by artificial intelligence (AI). We are investing in AI capability, beginning with chatbots that can answer legal questions.  Our Wills chatbot will be the first of these, followed by LPAs, Trusts and Estate Administration.  These chatbots will act as lead generators for firms when installed on their websites, and will provide analytics about questions asked, to assist firms in the development of their marketing plans. Legal Workflow was founded in 2007 by Martin Langan, a practising solicitor with over 30 years’ experience, including as an equity partner.  His experience of legal work and the workings and needs of law firms translates into an understanding of law firm requirements and underpins our consultative approach in not only doing what our clients ask us to do, but advising how things can be done differently. Our close association with legalmatters makes the private client offering a particularly strong one. We are constantly creating new products and services.  Take a look at Legal Doc Pro on our website, as an example.  It is a collection of tools for Microsoft Word that allows everyone at your law firm to ensure that all your documents are formatted perfectly to your brand image, and frees up hundreds of hours a year for each member of your firm. A unique combination of experience, knowledge and talent at Legal Workflow brings together commercial acumen with the imaginative application of technology, to provide our clients with modern, streamlined and cost-efficient systems, all while delivering a far superior user experience for both clients and lawyers. You are most welcome to call or email Martin at any time to discuss your needs, without any obligation. Contact: Martin Langan Tel: 01242 859603 Email: martinlangan@legalworkflow.com Address: The Hay Loft, Hills Barns, Appledram Lane South, Chichester PO20 7EG  You can watch our video below: