While the nature of texting may often seem a bit too informal for lawyers to interact with their clients, 53% of clients consider it a viable form of communication when reaching out to a law firm. Texting is clearly taking over a phone call or email as a preferred method of communication.  

No matter what type of law you practice, you always want to maintain a healthy and positive attorney-client relationship. Providing regular updates and consistent communication is at the core of practicing law. Establishing a clear and robust communication practice ensures clients feel involved in their own cases.

In today’s modern law firm, text messaging can be a faster, more reliable, and more natural way to get that information communicated to clients.

The Importance of Legal Client Communication

According to the American Bar Association Profile of Legal Malpractice Claims, 90% of malpractice suits could have been avoided if there was better communication between the attorney and the client. Statistics such as this make having a standardized communication policy and process for every client imperative. 

What is Business Text Messaging?

Also known as SMS, business text messaging is a way for businesses to communicate with clients via text from a business phone number. This means that staff don’t have to sacrifice their personal phone numbers to provide one of the most popular methods of communication to their clients. 

The benefits of business text messaging are endless, but for law firms specifically, it can be a useful resource to enhance customer service, onboarding, meeting scheduling, and providing reminders, or even invoice notifications. 

When you adopt a legal practice management software, you can take advantage of built-in 2-way business text messaging at no added cost, along with everything you need for case management, time tracking, billing, and more. Your law firm can enhance your clients’ experience while your clients can enjoy the added benefit of easy communication with your firm.

Why Should My Law Firm Use Business Text Messaging? 

With 70% of consumers responding that they check their phone within 5 minutes of receiving a notification, business text messaging is a lucrative asset for law firms. 

The most important aspect of the attorney-client relationship is to make doing business with your firm simple. If a client has to jump through hoops to communicate with your firm, you can quickly lose their interest and loyalty. This is especially true when it comes to lead generation and nurturing. 

Prospective clients are often using Google or other search engines to find legal services that fit their needs, and are usually expecting answers quickly. Having a streamlined process to vet and onboard these clients will speak volumes about how your law firm values the client experience and modern processes. 

For example, if your firm uses automated intake forms (we highly suggest you do) a prospective client can fill the form out from your website. Your firm would then get a notification and could text the prospective client that you’ve received their information and that you would like to schedule a time to discuss further.

The goal is to keep leads warm and seamlessly guide them through the funnel. With business text messaging, your firm can provide the sense of urgency and on-demand attention consumers want.