All-in-one technology integration once and for all

Alex Williams, product manager at Advanced, says law firms need a single technology suite and tech integration to stay ahead of the competition and to bring benefits to their clients.

The legal technology sector continues to amaze me: despite all the current challenges, the industry is still in a hugely innovative and varied state. Firms these days can choose digital solutions for every corner of their operation, from among hundreds of different providers, all offering a vast array of options like a pick-and-mix stand at the cinema (if they were still open). But so many of these providers specialise in only one or two areas – there comes a point where firms can be faced with operating as many as 10 different solutions at one time.

All law firms, large or small, need to start thinking about the benefits of using one provider for all their legal technology. Firms would reap immediate benefits from a suite of systems that intuitively speak to one another and don’t require any messy, sometimes time-consuming, manual integrations.

It also might sound trivial but, actually, having only one point of contact for all your technology needs would save your firm’s people a lot of time in the long run. In the remote-working world, who would say ‘no’ to having as few emails and calls as possible?

A single software suite would also allow any individual at your firm to have a complete overview of a given client’s journey – supporting exceptional customer service, whoever the client talks to. An online portal that’s integrated with your CRM software and automatically updates your clients on case-progress with information straight from your practice and case management systems would also enable you to deliver precise communications – and drastically improve your clients’ experience. And, as we all know, law firms that can understand and improve their clients’ experience will undoubtedly stay ahead of their competition.

But to do that, firms’ technology support also needs to be prepared for change. We need only look at how rapidly legal technology has advanced in the last five years to see how important it is to understand, and invest in, a solution with a solid product roadmap. As methods of working and communicating with clients evolve, your firm will need a solution that adapts to change at the same pace as your firm does.

Ultimately, implementing this single-system strategy would save your firm time and operating costs, help you better satisfy your clients’ needs and, internally, benefit your staff through integrated HR and payroll tools – all of which would be built into the same platform you use for forms, accounts, dictation and case management.