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Summary: There are many use cases for workflow automation within law firms. Here, we look at three core areas ripe for innovation within today’s firms and how to use workflow automation to drive greater productivity, client value and service differentiation.
Resource Type: Blog
Publish Date: Jan 2019
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Posted 5 March 2019

 

Law firms and legal departments face mounting pressure to be more responsive and efficient, while still delivering high-quality work. One technology that’s helping firms meet this challenge is legal workflow automation. Workflow automation is transforming the way law firms do business by accelerating processes, reducing risk, and allowing lawyers to reclaim their valuable time.

There are many use cases for workflow automation within law firms. Here, we look at three core areas ripe for innovation within today’s firms and how to use workflow automation to drive greater productivity, client value and service differentiation.

Internal Know-How

According to a recent report, lawyers spend about 48 percent of their time on administrative tasks, such as reviewing and drafting documents. By automating document assembly and template management, firms can significantly reduce the amount time lawyers spend on these non value-added tasks.

Take for example, how leading Swedish firm Vinge transformed the way the firm’s lawyers work by implementing a customised automated document workflow designed to ease the lawyers’ workloads. Vinge’s document automation system, called Vinge Dox, allows lawyers to quickly and easily create new documents directly from the knowledge library. To create a document, lawyers simply select the type of document they want and fill out a guided online questionnaire. By streamlining the document generation and assembly process, Vinge was able to shift lawyers’ focus from drafting documents to client development and service.

Custom workflows can help increase internal speed and accuracy by automatically prompting responsible parties to complete certain tasks within defined timeframes. For example, in the context of document automation, a firm may choose to send subject matter experts a notification to review the quality of clauses or documents at specific internals to ensure automated templates stay relevant.

Risk-Based New Client Intake

Compliance is a complex and ever-evolving challenge for today’s firms. At the same time, firms need to be able to quickly accept new business and onboard clients. Fortunately, workflow automation enables firms to accelerate the acceptance of new clients, while quickly identifying potential risks.

We recently partnered with one of Sweden’s top law firms to design and implement a customised business inception process to streamline the firm’s client intake and clearance processes, while subsequently reducing the associated risk. The new intake process includes a client scoring system, which formalises the evaluation of new business opportunities based on a predefined set of rules determined by the firm’s priorities. Take for example, professional risk, terms alignment, and Know Your Client (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations. A risk profile is created for each new client, enabling the firm to escalate high-risk clients for further review.

Compliance with AML, KYC and sanctions requirements continues to be a key focus for modern law firms. By employing automation to create a structured risk-based business inception framework, forward-looking firms can not only make it quicker to bring on new clients, but also proactively identify potential compliance risks with greater speed and accuracy.

Client Transactions

Another area ripe for disruption is the client delivery process. We’re seeing more and more firms turn to self-service client portals to drive efficiency and profitability, while creating service differentiation. Though self-service itself isn’t a new concept, the approach has only recently started to take hold in the legal sector. And it’s innovative firms in the Nordics that are leading the way.

Many leading Nordic firms have already started experimenting with client automation portals, with positive feedback from their clients. These client-facing portals use document workflow automation to enable clients to automatically generate firm-managed work product on a self-service basis. For example, a client could use the portal to access the template for a frequently-used document, such as NDA, and generate the final work product themselves by simply completing an online questionnaire. The NDA template would be fully managed by the law firm to ensure that the client is using the most up-to-date template at all times.

By giving clients immediate access to the documents they need, when they need them, firms are able to provide their clients with greater value, while also offering a broader range of services. At the same time, firms are able to increase their profitability for fixed-fee transactions and give lawyers back more of their time.

 

As competitive and client pressures continue to reshape the legal landscape, law firms must look for new ways to increase profitability, while improving client relationships and creating service differentiation. Join us for our upcoming webinar, From Library to Contract: Automating the Knowledge Lifecycle, to learn how firms are bringing these three areas of workflow together to automate the entire knowledge lifecycle - from know-how to executed contract.

 

Relevance Score: 1.050513
Summary: Though automation offers a tremendous amount of benefits, practice leaders often struggle with the technology to effectively implement it within their firms.
Resource Type: Blog
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Posted 8 August 2019

 

Over the last few years, automated solutions have become a key driver of efficiency and productivity in the modern law firm. Oftentimes, the day-to-day management of a legal practice involves a number of repetitive tasks - from client intake to document generation. By automating these processes and tasks with workflow technology, firms are reducing workflow inefficiencies, improving quality and limiting risk. 

 

Though automation offers a tremendous amount of benefits, practice leaders often struggle with the technology to effectively implement it within their firms. Starting a new automation project can be overwhelming, and sometimes the hardest part is knowing where to start. However, once you’re up and running, you’re bound to quickly realise results. 

 

As with any large scale technology implementation, a successful automation roll out requires a comprehensive plan coupled with a collaborative approach. In recent years, we’ve partnered with leading firms - such as Vinge, Castrén & Snellman, and Simonsen Vogt Wiig - to successfully bring automation to their firms. Every firm is unique, so their roll out plan is as well. However, there are a few things that every successful launch has in common. Here, we share some best practices for bringing automation to your firm.

 

Ensure Proper Support

One of the biggest hurdles to getting started with automation, especially document automation, is finding the time to automate the necessary documents and workflows. However, this can easily be overcome by dedicating the right resources and support. Consider adding automation as part of a trainee lawyers’ responsibilities and pair them with an experienced practitioner to ensure quality. This will allow you to kick-start your automation efforts, without expending too much valuable fee earning time or sacrificing quality.

 

Prepare your Templates

If you’re introducing document automation within your firm, it’s crucial to prepare your templates before you start automating them. At the outset of the project, conduct a template audit and refine and optimise the templates you plan to automate. 

 

Define your Processes

Mapping and defining your processes early on is key to a successful launch. Spend the time at the start of the project to outline the processes for automation, as well as the role of key stakeholders. This will lay the blueprint for your project moving forward. 

 

Start Small & Automate Incrementally

Depending on your automation project, it might be best to start small. More often than not, document automation projects can be derailed by complex and lengthy templates. To get started, begin with simple templates, such as an NDA, and build from there. 



Involve Lawyers Early On

For an automation implementation to be truly successful, lawyers must be bought into it. Engage with the firm’s lawyers early on in the planning process to build buy-in and source valuable feedback that can be incorporated into the final deliverable. 

 

Clearly Communicate Benefits

While the advantage of automation may be clear to you, it doesn’t mean it's understood by your lawyers. Spend the time to educate lawyers on the benefits of automation and they’ll be more likely to adopt it. 



For more insights and advice for automating your firm, download our Document Automation Implementation Guide, which provides a step-by-step plan for launching automation technology with your firm. 

 

Relevance Score: 1.050513
Summary: Today’s legal services clients want greater control, speed, and quality. One way that law firms are stepping up to the challenge is by tapping into the power of self-service client portals.
Resource Type: Blog
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Posted 19 September 2019

 

Today’s legal services clients want greater control, speed, and quality. One way that law firms are stepping up to the challenge is by tapping into the power of self-service client portals.

 

Self-service portals are a concept that has long been employed by customer service and support teams to provide immediate, on-demand service. However, the concept has recently started to make its way into the legal sphere - and for good reason. With service differentiation becoming a primary battleground for winning and retaining clients, more law firms are turning to self-service portals to provide clients with instant access to legal documents. 

 

This always-available model of service can provide a true competitive advantage for today’s firms. Not only does self-service save time, resources, and costs for the law firm, but it also empowers legal teams to create their own legal documents on-demand, without assuming any additional risk. 

 

Here, we look at some of the top advantages that self-service portal provide to legal clients. 

 

New services, no software required

 

As anyone who has worked in a corporate office knows, installing new software on your computer can be quite the challenge. With client portals, in-house counsel can easily gain access to digital legal services, without the need for additional software. They can simply log on from any computer and start generating legal documents. 

 

The cloud-based portals are hosted and maintained by the law firm, so clients can be assured that the documents they create are up-to-date and ready-to-use. Additionally, with a fixed, predictable fee, it’s easier for clients to project and budget across the services lifecycle. 

 

Enhanced data security and built-in compliance

 

As information security concerns mount, keeping data protected and secure is paramount for today’s organisations. Fortunately, self-service portals can come with enhanced data security and compliance built-in to the platform. 

 

For example, Sysero’s self-service portal ensures client data is stored, managed and protected in accordance to cybersecurity and compliance best practices: 

 

  • Encryption: Personal data entered into a Sysero portal can be encoded and configured so that it is only visible to specific users. The encrypted data appears scrambled or unreadable to an individual or entity attempting to access the data without permission. 

 

  • Pseudonymisation: The process of pseudonymisation adds an additional layer of security to protect sensitive data. The process involves replacing the most identifying fields within a data record, such as Social Security Number, with artificial identifiers. This ensures that even if stolen, data cannot be directly associated with an identity.
  • Backups: Sysero’s client portals come with fully-managed, automated and secured data backups, which ensures that all client data is appropriately backed up and can be quickly accessed in case of down time. 

 

  • Data Sanitization: One of the key principles of GDPR and data security in general is to not hold data any longer than required. As part of Sysero’s portals, data can be assigned an expiration date to ensure it’s removed once it’s served its purpose. The same concept can also be applied to documents and transactions to comply with regulations. 

 

Maintain greater control

 

Self-service portals provide clients with instant access to legal expertise, guide users through specific legal processes, provide options for different scenarios and offer a centralised platform for managing transactions. Many of our law firm clients partner closely with their clients to determine how their portal looks, works and integrates with the rest of the business.

 

Each client portal can be completely customised to suit the unique requirements of in-house legal teams to facilitate greater internal efficiency and enhanced collaboration with their firms. 



The potential for self-service legal portals is endless - for both law firms and their clients. Forward-thinking firms are already approaching clients to collaborate on customised self-service portals, and in the next year, we expect the trend to continue as client demands evolve with the pace of technology. 

 

To learn more about your firm’s clients can benefit from self-service client portals, get in touch with us or check out our client automation portal demo

 

Relevance Score: 1.050513
Summary: Here, we look at three ways that modern firms can use document automation technology to stand out amongst the competition.
Resource Type: Blog
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Posted 10 December 2020

 

As we gear up for a new year ahead, digital transformation continues to accelerate as law firms around the world reset their business strategies and embrace new ways of working. There’s no doubt that this year has brought with it many challenges for the modern firm, but it’s also presented a bevy of opportunities. 

In response to the pandemic, many firms have fast-forwarded digital adoption as they embrace more agile working practices and look for new ways to drive business continuity. Looking ahead to 2021, we can expect legal transformation to continue to accelerate. Market conditions are rapidly changing, client demands are evolving and working practices continue to progress - the need for change has never been greater for law firms. 

As competition heats up in the legal sector, there’s no question that law firms that invest in innovation will hold a very significant competitive advantage post-pandemic. Fundamentals such as collaboration, efficiency and effective client service delivery will remain key to professional success. However, firms that can effectively use legal technology to create scalable value and offer innovative solutions will come out ahead. 

For law firms and legal professionals, implementing the right document automation solution can lead to significant gains in efficiency and client service. More importantly, it can help create differentiation in an ever-competitive landscape. Here, we look at three ways that modern firms can use document automation technology to stand out amongst the competition. 

1) Generate Consistently High Quality Work

If there’s one thing that every client expects from their legal provider, it’s consistent, high quality work. However, overworked lawyers, limited resources and tight deadlines can often lead to less than stellar legal work - and dissatisfied clients.  

Legal document automation can help lawyers create more efficient, consistent and quality work. Using a document automation tool like Sysero, lawyers can quickly and easily automate documents and templates directly from within Microsoft Word, meaning there’s no need for them to learn new technologies or tools. By automating their most-frequently used documents, lawyers can greatly reduce the risk of human error, allowing them to focus on the larger matters at hand, rather than the minute details of drafting. 

Additionally, document automation can help ensure that legal work is consistently delivered in the most compliant manner possible. With tools like Sysero, document workflows can be configured to embed compliance into lawyers’ daily work. As one lawyer makes a nuanced decision, it can be modeled into workflows and processes across the firm.

2) Foster Stronger Relationships with Clients

Today’s clients want quality insight and advice, and those firms that establish client relationships built on communication and collaboration are the ones that will last. However, too many lawyers spend valuable time on mundane, repetitive tasks - with McKinsey & Company reporting that more than 20% of lawyers’ time is automatable. 

By implementing a document automation tool, you can reduce the amount of time lawyers spend on less value-added tasks so they can spend more time advising and partnering strategically with clients. Take for example how Vinge, one of Sweden’s premier law firms, has used document automation to bring enhanced value and efficiency to their client relationships. Using the firm’s document automation system - called Vinge Dox - lawyers can quickly and easily create new documents directly from the firm’s knowledge library. To generate a document, lawyers simply select the document they want and complete it by following a guided online questionnaire. 

With Vinge Dox, lawyers can quickly search and generate new documents directly from Word. This not only greatly reduces the amount of time required from lawyers to create high-quality work, but also gives them more time to spend on providing strategic, value-added advice to clients.

3) Deliver On-Demand Legal Transactions

Today’s clients want more transparency, greater value and faster responsiveness from their firms. One way that forward-thinking firms are overcoming these challenges and creating much-needed service differentiation is by offering clients access to on-demand legal documents.

Legal self-service portals leverage document and workflow automation to enable clients to instantly access and download firm-managed legal documents. To create an on-demand document, clients simply log into their firm’s portal where they can request a document (such as an NDA), provide the relevant information via guided online form, and then generate the firm-approved document. 

As firms strive to find ways to stand out amongst the competition, legal self-service portals have the potential to create a clear competitive advantage, whilst enabling scalable, high-quality client service. 

 

After a year of wholly unexpected events, it’s more apparent than ever that making an investment in your firm’s digital transformation is critical to being ready for the year ahead. If you’re ready to move your firm to the future, get in touch with us. We offer a comprehensive solution that ties together document and workflow automation to drive efficiency, quality and differentiation. 

Now’s the time to change - and Sysero can help.

Relevance Score: 1.050513
Summary: Here, we share some of the real-world lessons from leading firms who’ve successfully implemented legal automation and unlocked the power of digital transformation.
Resource Type: Blog
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Detail: Posted 9 March 2021



Over the past several years, we’ve seen law firms breaking free from traditionally slow moving processes to become
technology-enabled agile firms. There’s no doubt that the pandemic has influenced firms’ need to embrace advanced technology, and it’s clear that legal automation is no longer just ‘nice to have’ for the modern law firm. 

According to research from Wolters Kluwer, nearly half of law firms report that they are effectively using technology today, with 47% saying they can improve technology adoption and plan to do so. In today’s world, digital adoption - or a lack thereof - can quickly determine the success of a firm’s digital transformation strategy. 

For many firms, the biggest barriers to digital adoption have traditionally been training, onboarding and implementing new technology. However, if there’s anything that we can learn from the events of the past year, it’s the importance of agility and the ability to adapt. 

Today’s firms need to rethink how they approach technology adoption in order to drive greater efficiency, productivity and collaboration for their lawyers, staff and clients. Fortunately, at Sysero, we’ve had the opportunity to help leading firms around the world design and implement legal automation solutions to power their digital transformations. 

Here, we share some of the real-world lessons from leading firms who’ve successfully implemented legal automation and unlocked the power of digital transformation. 

Clearly Define Processes Upfront 

When it comes to implementing a new technology solution, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve from it. Before starting any new legal automation project, spend the time to create a detailed project plan, map out core processes and consider key stakeholders. By laying the blueprint for your project before moving forward, you’ll be more likely to realise a successful implementation and adoption. 

iManage, the leading provider of work product management solutions for law firms, took this approach when building its Implementation Portal. Over the years, iManage has perfected a process for tailoring and implementing iManage solutions for customers around the world, which relies on seamless configuration and successful onboarding.

With a rapidly growing partner network, iManage sought to empower its partners to replicate its proven approach and methodology. To that end, iManage used Sysero’s workflow automation technology to translate its proven process into a simple, automated solution for its partner network. The result: an easy, accessible way for partners to start new projects in accordance with the guidelines set by iManage. 

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

Many times, technology adoption fails because users find the technology either too difficult to use or aren’t interested in spending the time to learn a new tool. To bolster technology adoption, try to incorporate tools and processes with which your users are already familiar.

For example, one of the reasons Vinge, one of Sweden’s premier law firms, selected Sysero for its document automation was its ease of use. Sysero’s integrated Microsoft Office client enables the firm’s lawyers to quickly search for and generate documents directly from within Microsoft Word. As Carolina Landys, Knowledge Manager explained: “Lawyers love Word, and the closer you can bring the materials to them, the better.”

Find Your Internal Champions

As with any internal project, the right champions can have a significant impact on the success of your automation programme. Finding the right people to help promote and educate others on the benefits of automation is key to making legal automation work in the long-term. 

Peter Van Dam, Chief Digital Officer at the leading Norwegian firm Simonsen Vogt Wiig, realised the importance of this early on in bringing automation to his firm. Peter was mindful to include lawyers in the beginning stages of the planning process, and as such, identified the ideal internal champion within the firm’s Employment Law practice. As Peter explained: “The lead lawyer in the Employment Practice is very cutting edge, and she likes to work with automation and brings a lot of new ideas.”

By finding your ideal internal champion, you’ll be able to gain the feedback and support necessary to make your automation project a success. 

Make Automation Part of your Culture

When it comes to driving digital adoption, culture is key. Many of today’s most successful legal automation programmes recognise the importance of culture in creating effective, sustainable digital transformation.

Castren & Snellman (C&S), a full-service business law firm based in Finland, is one firm that’s mastered the art and science of technology and culture. In 2016, the firm launched its Signe automation tool, which uses Sysero technology to ease the workload of the firm’s lawyers and speed up the document drafting process, whilst ensuring quality. 

A key part of Signe’s continued success comes down to how C&S has embedded it into the everyday culture of the firm. Leading the project internally is the Knowledge Management team’s Legal Tech Trainees, who are responsible for maintaining and managing Signe. This includes automating documents and training lawyers and personnel to use the system. Over the years, the adoption of Signe has continued to grow largely due to the team’s ongoing training sessions, collaboration with lawyers and continued automation work. 


When it comes to implementing legal automation, we’ve learned a few key lessons: lawyers need easy-to-use technology to improve efficiency and the right support is crucial to long-term success.
Learn more about how Sysero’s solutions can help power your firm’s digital transformations and prepare to take on the future world of work. 

Relevance Score: 1.050513
Summary: While priorities for legal operations have shifted over the past year, pre-pandemic challenges still remain. Today’s law firms and legal departments are still under immense pressure to operate more efficiently, contain costs and collaborate more effectively with clients.
Resource Type: Blog
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Detail: Posted 25 March 2021


While priorities for legal operations have shifted over the past year, pre-pandemic challenges still remain. Today’s law firms and legal departments are still under immense pressure to operate more efficiently, contain costs and collaborate more effectively with clients. 

As legal providers address the impact of the pandemic, they’re having to navigate a great deal of uncertainty whilst also managing a surge in workload. According to the 2020 Deloitte Legal Department Strategy Survey, almost 80% of legal professionals say their workload has increased as a result of the arrival of COVID-19. 

To strike a balance between meeting rising demand and maintaining quality, law firms and legal departments are investing in automation technologies and transforming their approach to transactional business. It’s no secret that automation affords greater efficiency, adaptability and productivity. Still, as much as legal providers are eager to adopt automation, there are still a variety of decisions that need to be made about how best to put automation to work for each individual organisation.

Selecting the right automation project for your organisation comes down to understanding what challenges you want to address. At Sysero, we’ve worked with leading firms around the world to design and implement automation solutions to solve a range of legal operational challenges. Here, we look at some of the most common use cases of automation and how you can use them to overcome your biggest operational challenges.

Improve Internal Knowledge Management

Law firms hold an immense amount of internal knowledge and know-know, including precedents, opinions, documents and expertise. So, it’s not surprising that many firms struggle with how to effectively capture, organise and share explicit and tacit knowledge from across the firm. 

Fortunately, advances in automation technology have made it easier than ever to optimise know-how across the firm. More firms are combining web-based knowledge libraries and process management to simplify categorisation and offer eCommerce-like search capabilities. For example, using workflow automation tools like Sysero, you easily index and categorise know-how by practice area, type of work, type of client, matter and other aspects of the firm and make it easily accessible through fast, flexible search capabilities. 

Workflow automation can also be used to overcome another major challenge in managing internal knowledge - keeping it relevant and high-quality. Knowledge is constantly evolving, and putting workflow automation in place can help you monitor new and changing know-how through quality notifications and review workflows. 

Improve Efficiency & Quality in Document Generation

According to a recent Legal Trends Report, lawyers can spend up to 50% of their time on administrative tasks, such as reviewing and drafting documents. Manually drafting new documents and contracts requires a significant amount of time, which could be better spent advising clients. Not to mention, it also increases the risk of human error. However, automation can simplify the drafting of legal documents, whilst improving quality. 

Document automation solutions, like Sysero, use intuitive online questionnaires to help lawyers quickly and accurately complete contracts, documents and compile document packs. By automating frequently used contracts and documents, firms can shift lawyers time from drafting documents to focusing on client needs, while also mitigating the risk associated with manual production. 

Take for example, how Finnish law firm Castrén & Snellman has streamlined its approach to document creation with its Signe tool. Based on the whitelabeling facilities of Sysero and designed from the ground up to meet the needs of C&S, the Signe tool combines knowledge management and document automation to ease the workload of the firm’s lawyers, speed up the document drafting process and improve the quality of drafts. 

Digitise Client Onboarding & Acceptance

Given the new work-from-anywhere world, the ability to quickly accept new clients and matters online, whilst ensuring regulatory compliance is a major hurdle for many firms. Traditionally, the client intake process has relied on manual and time-consuming processes, such as comparing and entering information across multiple systems. This approach not only creates a lack of visibility, but also is difficult to achieve across distributed workforces and presents a greater opportunity for key considerations to fall through the cracks. 

With workflow automation, firms can accelerate the acceptance of new clients, while simultaneously identifying potential risks. For example, Arntzen de Besche implemented a digital onboarding solution that uses a built-in risk matrix to automatically assess a new client against Money Laundering Act requirements. The automated risk-based acceptance process allows the firm to speed up client acceptance, ensure compliance and document each step of the process for internal quality control and compliance protection. 

Innovate Service Delivery

Today’s legal clients want greater transparency, immediacy and value from their legal providers. One way that forward-thinking law firms are meeting these demands is through self-service client portals

Client self-service portals leverage document workflow automation to enable clients to quickly generate firm-approved documents on a self-service basis. To generate a new document, clients simply access the portal, find the relevant template (such as an NDA), complete a guided online form, and finalise the firm-approved document. 

By giving clients the opportunity to generate legal documents online - when and as needed - law firms are able to deliver differentiated value and more flexibly work with clients working remotely. 

Ready to take advantage of automation?

Whether you’re looking to improve knowledge-sharing across your firm, streamline document generation, digitise client acceptance or bring the benefits of automation closer to your clients, Sysero can help. Automation can be employed in numerous ways to help your firm drive efficiency, productivity and profitability. To learn more about how your firm can take advantage of automation, get in touch with our team

Relevance Score: 1.050513
Summary: From time-intensive processes to client data security, here we look at the five most common client onboarding challenges that today’s law firms face - and how technology can help you overcome them.
Resource Type: Blog
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Detail: Posted 18 May 2022

Acquiring new clients is the lifeblood of any law firm. However, onboarding new clients can often prove cumbersome, time-consuming, and ineffective. A poorly designed process driven by manual input can result in disorganisation, lost productivity, and more importantly, noncompliance. 

The EU and UK GDPR and Money Laundering directives have made it imperative for law firms to ensure they are following the appropriate compliance procedures, which includes sufficiently verifying the identity of your clients. However, this often requires a considerable amount of internal (and nonbillable) time and manual input within disparate systems, which leads to a greater amount of risk. At the same, firms are also tasked with driving greater efficiency in the client onboarding process. 

The good news is that technology can play a crucial role in helping your firm conquer some of the most common client onboarding challenges. From time-intensive processes to client data security, here we look at the five most common client onboarding challenges that today’s law firms face - and how technology can help you overcome them. 

1) The client onboarding process takes too long

Perhaps one of the biggest hurdles to efficient client onboarding is a poorly designed process, which can result in too many process steps, an inefficient allocation of resources, and huge communication gaps. 

More often than not, law firms rely on manual processes and disparate technology solutions to accept new business. This can result in inconsistencies in client intake questionnaires and engagement letters, lead to the omission of crucial information and create risk management gaps. For these reasons, just over half (56%) of law leaders in the UK report that business intake and compliance process automation technologies are amongst the highest-priority technology projects within their firms. 

Digital onboarding solutions can help your firm streamline risk analysis, automate business acceptance processes, and also improve firm-wide risk management by ensuring consistent and comprehensive intake questionnaires and engagement letter templates. 

These solutions leverage workflow automation tools, like Sysero, to enable you to customise your onboarding process and integrate with your firm’s existing business systems, such as accounting and document management, to speed up processes, reduce errors from data duplication, and get to work faster for your clients.

2) There’s missing or incorrect client information

Another common challenge in client onboarding is obtaining the right information. When client information gathering is done manually, key data is often omitted or misentered. Inaccurate data entry, human error, and poor data quality is one of the top issues law firms face in compliance screening.

Instead, opt for a technology solution that allows you to gather information directly from clients. Imagine simply sending a potential client a link to a secure web-based form, where they are guided through a questionnaire to gather the required information. By having clients confirm and update their own data through user-friendly web-based forms, your firm can ensure the correct data is collected and held within the firm’s other internal systems.

Top-tier rated international law firm Wikborg Rein offers a prime example of how digital forms can be used as part of an efficient client onboarding solution. Using its digital client intake solution, which is based on Sysero’s workflow automation technology,  Wikborg Rein uses an intuitive web interface to register new clients and confirm the necessary information is collected and verified by clients and other data sources in accordance with current regulations. 

3) Poor record keeping puts compliance at risk

Siloed systems and manual data management can prove to be a major challenge if your firm is called upon by regulators. In today’s world, it’s not enough to simply just monitor your clients on an ongoing basis; you must be able to demonstrate compliance activity with a clear audit trail as evidence. 

By automating your client onboarding, you can create a controlled process and be confident that every step, action and approval is documented automatically. For example, Arntzen de Besche, one of Norway’s most sought-after firms, uses a digital client onboarding solution that uses a built-in risk matrix to automatically assess a new client against Money Laundering Act requirements. Any client that falls outside the requirements is automatically routed to a simplified workflow for further assessment to ensure compliance and once approved, automatically created in the firm’s integrated ERP system. Every step of the process is recorded, providing a complete audit trail. 

4) Client data needs to be kept secure

In today’s compliance environment, law firms must ensure that data is captured, stored, and maintained in a highly secure manner. With technology like Sysero, data security best practices like encryption, pseudonymisation, and data retention policies can be automatically built into your client onboarding solution. 

Opting for a hybrid cloud solution is another way that your firm can reap the benefits of cloud-based technology, whilst ensuring your data stays secure on-premise. Using a solution like Sysero’s Hybrid Cloud Workflow, you can easily capture data from external parties using web-based forms, and then share, manage, and use that information via a secure in-house system. Once the information is migrated in-house, it’s stored behind the safety of the firm’s firewall and can be integrated with any and all internal systems as required.

5) Technology doesn’t align with the firm’s requirements

Before you make the leap into digital client onboarding, it’s essential to understand your requirements and evaluate potential technologies. Ultimately, the success of your digital onboarding solution depends on the technology that powers it. 

When deciding on a technology solution for your firm, there are few things you should consider:

  • Ease of use: How easy is it for staff to use? Will it require a significant amount of training? Opting for a low-code or no-code solution with a visual designer tool can help boost adoption.

  • Customisation: Can the technology be customised to fit your unique onboarding? requirements? Is it able to integrate with key external verification sites or partners?

  • Configurability & Flexibility: Will the technology integrate with your core existing systems? How easily can you adjust your compliance and data management rules and requirements?

  • Security: How will the system keep your client data secure? What security features come built-in? 

At Sysero, we’ve helped top-tier law firms from around the world streamline, automate, and secure their client onboarding processes. If your firm is looking to conquer the common challenges of client onboarding, now is the time to transition to a digital onboarding solution. Get in touch with our team to learn more. 

Relevance Score: 1.050513
Summary: Here, we look at how law firms can combine Microsoft Copilot with Sysero’s Knowledge Management and Workflow Automation features to drive enhanced efficiency and client service.
Resource Type: Blog
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Posted 29 April 2024

 

In today's fast-paced legal landscape, staying ahead requires more than just legal expertise—it demands that firms strategically leverage cutting-edge technology tools. One way that law firms can gain a competitive advantage is by combining the power of AI-driven technology tools with those designed by human experts. While AI tools like Microsoft Copilot excel in analyzing vast amounts of data and providing valuable insights, human-designed technology tools bring a nuanced understanding of legal processes, regulatory considerations, and client needs. 

By integrating these two types of technology, law firms can strike the right balance between the speed and convenience of AI with the contextual understanding and strategic decision-making of human experts. This allows for enhanced efficiency, improved decision-making, and the delivery of high-quality legal services that meet the evolving needs of clients.

Here, we look at how law firms can combine Microsoft Copilot with Sysero’s Knowledge Management and Workflow Automation features to drive enhanced efficiency and client service. 

What is Microsoft Copilot?

Microsoft Copilot is “an AI companion designed to assist users by providing information, answering questions, and engaging in conversation” according to Bing.com’s free-to-use version of Copilot. Copilot is the result of Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, and provides users with a natural language Chatbot experience using the Internet as its source of data.  A second variant of Copilot, and the reason for Microsoft's investment, is the Pro version. 

Copilot Pro does everything Copilot does, but adds the ability to “build your own Copilot GPTs tailored to your individual needs and interests”. A GPT is a natural language interface for a software application and Copilot Pro allows firms to integrate their existing applications with Copilot.  

Copilot Pro can be programmed to complete tasks such as retrieve information from your ERP system, summarise your in-house expertise on a subject, or guide you through a process. In order to do this, firms need to either develop their own GPT’s, which requires advanced technical knowledge, or use a software platform that integrates with Copilot Pro.

Creating AI-Driven Workflows with Copilot and Sysero 

Sysero is a platform that enables firms to build knowledge libraries, automate processes and integrate with existing applications. By combining Copilot with Sysero, law firms can leverage natural language capabilities to provide a chatbot that guides users through the maze of in-house systems and processes.

To make this magic work, firms need to define key phrases that activate a specific GPT.  For example “Get me a client's account balance” could be a trigger phrase for a GPT that asks for the client’s account number and uses that to retrieve the balance from the accounts system.  “Create an employment contract for Mr Joe Bloggs” could respond with a series of questions that use a standard template to create a perfect contract. More advanced automations could summarise the status of a specific matter or guide users through a series of steps to complete a complex task.  

AI systems like Copilot can sometimes make mistakes or take guesses because they're not perfect. However, when you create a workflow using Sysero, a human expert designs the questions. This expert knows how to set rules about what kind of answer is needed and how it affects the next steps in the process. These questions make up a Metadata Model that can be matched with the data in internal systems and databases. For example, if a prompt asks a user to “Please enter your name,” Copilot understands the response as two separate metadata elements: first name and surname. Sysero then checks this information against the data in internal systems to make sure it's correct. 

With Sysero’s Knowledge libraries, firms can also build internal classification systems for proprietary knowledge. So, when a user requests an example of an internal document or a specific account record, Copilot can be directed to search a specific in-house data source, rather than the entire internet. 

Enhancing Efficiency & Accuracy with Legal Processes

Within the world of legal technology, there’s often a challenge in understanding how “fuzzy logic” systems like AI fit into the meticulous practice of law. Contrary to AI, Sysero workflows are built by human subject matter experts, ensuring that processes and outcomes rely on precise and reliable data sources. By integrating Copilot with Sysero, firms can gain access to a unified, natural language interface that effectively guides both in-house and client users through precise processes, resulting in consistently accurate deliverables. 

To learn more about bridging the gap between AI and workflow automation for your firm, get in touch with the experts at Sysero. 

 

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