Client management and client interaction model for law office

Abstract

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is one of the most potent business strategies to emerge in recent years. Its allure is rooted in common sense which dictates that the more an organization knows about its customers and the closer the relationships it can forge with them, the better it can serve their needs and the more it can sell.If information is power, then the influx of information into law firms packs the punch of an avalanche – the trick is to manage this information effectively in order to avoid being buried. Many of today’s firms face the challenge of translating what the firm “knows” into useful information its members can apply to existing relationships, and as the firm grows, so too does the avalanche. For example, if a law firm is small enough; its lawyers and staff can all sit around a table once a week to discuss business. If one lawyer is interested in contacting XYZ Corp., the others can pitch in with valuable information about “who” they know at the potential client and “what” they know about it. CRM systems can be used to manage relationships as well as contacts. At this level, contacts are integrated with a firm’s other internal systems in order to add meaningful context – or relationships – to an individual contact. Most CRM systems will automatically download a record of e-mail and electronic fax contacts as well as calendar information and notes.