Cloud technologies enable better client service

2020 has made it incredibly challenging for law firms to meet the needs of their clients. While circumstances remain largely uncertain for 2021, there is no better time to think about designing the future of their legal services.

What’s most important to recognise is that in 2020 clients have grown more accustomed to technology and are using it more. With this change, clients are also shifting their expectations when working with professional service providers.

How has technology become more vital to clients?

• 50% say they are more comfortable with technology
• 52% say they are using technology more
• 58% say technology is more important to them now than before the pandemic
• 53% say cloud technology is a necessity to them

As clients adopt these technologies, they also grow more accustomed to the ease and convenience of solutions like videoconferencing software, and the time-saving benefits they provide. The fact that they can connect face to face without leaving their home or office vastly reduces commute times and allows more flexibility within the context of other personal and professional commitments. The same advantages apply to paperless workflows, which are fast and easy, and help keep a clear record of communications.

Most law firms have already adjusted how they operate in some form or another, and much of this shift has seen firms adopt more online cloud technologies to support remote work – both among staff and with clients. What many firms are also realising is that these shifts will likely be in many ways both permanent and irreversible.

These are just some of the findings from Clio’s recent Legal Trends Report, which is based on aggregated and anonymised data from tens of thousands of legal professionals. Based on the research, lawyers should be looking at how to use cloud-based technologies to expand virtual and remote systems to better serve the needs of clients.