Outsourcery : Legal firms unresponsive to client buying behaviours will lose competitive edge

Legal firms unresponsive to client buying behaviours will lose competitive edge

Consumer's desires for multi-channel communnications must be satisfied for success

Law firms that do not offer clients the range of communication channels that modern consumers have come to expect will lose business to more technologically adept practices. This is according to cloud services provider Outsourcery.

The Law Society's Future of Legal Services report noted that customers increasingly expect to engage with legal assistance through a variety of devices and channels, including mobiles. Outsourcery warns law firms that if they cannot offer clients these communications channels as part of their service, they risk clients looking elsewhere for advice.

Jon Seddon, Head of Product at Outsourcery commented: 'Strong client retention is built upon building rapport between lawyers and their clients, meaning that regular contact and interactions are essential. However, people have dramatically higher expectations of how they can communicate and interact with modern businesses - the legal sector is no exception to this.'

Clients are demanding more varied and contemporary methods of contact with their legal advisors, including instant messaging, video-calls and screen sharing of legal documentation. It is critical that firms recognise and rise to these changes.
Jon Seddon, Head of Product, Outsourcery

Ofcom's 2015 Communications Market Report found that a third of consumers see their smartphones as their most important device for going online, with 4G capabilities fuelling their ability to use their smartphone for a range of communications and services. Law firms in both private and corporate practice need to adapt to changing consumer behaviours and adjust their businesses accordingly to prevent obsolescence.

Seddon concluded: 'The state of today's unified communications market means that The Law Society's report ought to provoke law firms across the UK to seriously consider how to best engage with both existing and prospective customers. Firms need to adapt to remain competitive, employing modern communications tools like Skype for Business to enable flexible communication between lawyers and clients. Failing to do this will impact profitability in the long run.'

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