Client onboarding technology at the heart of law firm success

Client onboarding constitutes a crucial part of any legal business. Establishing the relationship between a law firm and its client with a positive initial client experience is integral to laying strong foundations for future business. Hannah Solicitors are one firm that have leveraged the growing shift towards digital technology, implementing solutions to further align their business strategy with their client-centric beliefs. Wasim Akhtar, senior partner at Hannah Solicitors, joined the firm in March 2021 and has since overseen the firm’s growth from a team of 5 to 35. Shortly after his arrival, t he firm adopted InfoTrack’s electronic client onboarding solution (eCOS) – integrating with Perfect Portal and their case management system (CMS) – and have since digitally onboarded over 1,000 clients. Enacting eCOS was a key force behind Hannah Solicitors’ business growth, improving the client experience by maximising speed, security, and efficiency.

Finding the optimal onboarding solution

The traditional, paper-heavy onboarding process inhibits efficiency and is at risk of postal delays and missing information. Wasim explains: “onboarding a client could take up to two weeks, which led to delays in transactions. There were parties chasing such as the other side’s solicitors, the estate agents, and mortgage brokers.” The firm decided that a more effective and efficient onboarding solution  was necessary — turning to InfoTrack’s eCOS for consideration. “We saw the reviews and thought, we need to give it a try. We found the best solution out there,” says Wasim.

Hannah Solicitors recognised that keeping the entire onboarding process in one digital space would be a key advantage for the firm, and in choosing eCOS they tied together all necessary steps in one convenient package — verification of identity (VOI), verification of funds (VOF), client care packs, onboarding questionnaires, and Law Society transaction forms. InfoTrack’s CMS integration was also an important factor in selecting eCOS, with smart pre-population now maintaining a single source of truth across transactions to reduce risk of error.

For Hannah Solicitors, electronic onboarding realises an ambition to be at the forefront of client experience, presenting a process that is easy for all parties involved. Wasim points out how useful transparency is when a client is filling out forms, because “you can see what percentage has been completed on both our side and the client’s side. It creates a much better process,” he says. The firm no longer needs to wait for forms to be delivered via post only to realise they’re missing information, as the client cannot progress and submit without all required details completed.  Wasim highlights how much faster the process is now, recalling, “I’ve sent a client a document to get signed up through eCOS, and they’ve signed up within the hour. So, you are saving more than 100 hours across a couple of transactions.”

Hannah Solicitors’ clients can now onboard anywhere, without any compromise on security – as consumers have come to expect. InfoTrack’s VOI uses the latest biometric technology, while the VOF captures real-time data from client bank accounts, meaning that results are trusted by banks. Wasim values the reassurance this gives to clients, “it protects the client because it is approved by regulatory bodies. The security of the VOI is amazing.” By using digital solutions for onboarding verification checks, Hannah Solicitors benefit  from a system that upholds security and provides time-saving for all parties.

A helping hand from InfoTrack

Consistent with all InfoTrack’s product offering, eCOS comes with access to an unrivalled technical support team. Hannah Solicitors benefit from this support whenever it is needed, as Wasim says, “the customer service and Account Manager experience is second to none. Every time we need something, we get a call back straight away. If we need any new accounts for new starters, the account is set up in literally 30 minutes.”

Electronic onboarding is here to stay

Hannah Solicitors have defined a client-centric approach to their practice and found eCOS as the solution that fortifies their business objectives. Delivering security, time-saving and client satisfaction, and supporting the firm’s long-term goal to become a paperless operation, eCOS is the step forward that law firms are making to digitally onboard clients. Wasim is eager to share the benefits, too. “I’ve already recommended it to a few people. One peer from a different law firm has already started using eCOS, and he’s singing nothing but praises.”

When asked to summarise his firm’s experience of eCOS in a few words, Wasim has clear feedback in mind. “It’s here to help you in the present, but it’s for the future.” Like Hannah Solicitors’ forward-thinking values, eCOS keeps the future in mind by evolving in pace with legislative changes and providing clients with the digital onboarding experience that is expected. With his ambitions, Wasim knows that eCOS will remain at the heart of the firm’s client-first onboarding process – “it’s something that I predict we’ll be continuing to use for a long, long time.”