Impossible is possible: how Crespect made CRM features attractive for lawyers

Many lawyers are failing to leverage CRM systems effectively, missing out on their potential benefits. This grim reality is repeatedly confirmed through observations and industry reports.

“In the past year, I’ve engaged with representatives from over 100 mid-sized to large law firms across Europe and the US. Shockingly, only a third of them have a CRM platform in place, with few reporting satisfactory ROI. The prevailing sentiment towards CRMs in the industry is a one big meeh.“ – says Crespect co-founder Karolina Šilingienė.

If the insights from Karolina aren’t persuasive enough, consider the 2023 State of CRM at Law Firms Industry Report by Pipelineplus, which states that even if law firms have CRM in place, fewer than four of ten lawyers use it.

Typically, law firms use CRM tools that are not an integral part of their practice management system. Inputting data into these systems is time-consuming, requiring lawyers to sacrifice billable hours or precious breaks. Picture the frustration of discovering a lead in the CRM system, only to find outdated contact information. Can we realistically expect lawyers to maintain and update this data proactively? <Please insert your smirks and sighs here>

Moreover, most CRM tools are designed by and for salespeople, demanding a certain level of technical knowledge and marketing expertise. Lawyers, unfamiliar with the sales jargon, often feel alienated and skeptical about these tools’ effectiveness. Lead, prospect, lead conversion, sales cycle, deal, quota, churn rate, and closing ration these are just several terms from the sales glossary. Legal marketers sometimes speak in a different language than lawyers and so frustration arises. When heads of Business Development pick a perfect CRM tool for sales, the common user (read lawyer) is often overestimated, and expectations of their commitment to use such tool are not managed well enough.

As a spin-off of the esteemed law firm Sorainen, Crespect boasts an intimate understanding of the legal profession. Leveraging our team’s legal expertise, we’ve embedded CRM features seamlessly into our legal practice management system, recognizing that lawyers shouldn’t be expected to morph into salespeople.

Since time tracking is ingrained in lawyers’ daily routines, we’ve transformed BD activities into a familiar billing-like feature. By consolidating time tracking and BD efforts, lawyers can now effortlessly monitor their relationship-building activities, from networking events to client meetings, all within the same platform.

With Crespect everyone in your organisation has information about a particular client or a group of clients or prospects and utilise this knowledge and information to take good care of your clients and turn them into happy and loyal customers. This layer of relationship information can be inserted, tracked, measured, and encouraged throughout Crespect.

1. Outbound and inbound referral tracking: Crespect allows users to track both outbound referrals made to other international law firms and inbound referrals received. This comprehensive approach facilitates the identification of key referrers and business generators within the firm and across the international networks, aiding in strategic decision-making.
2. Detailed referral management: By meticulously tracking referral sources, Crespect enables lawyers to discern the origins of clients or cases, empowering them to nurture existing relationships, treat loyal customers with care and make informed CRM decisions.
3. International law firm segmentation: Crespect provides a thorough segmentation of partnering law firms, offering detailed insights into inbound and outbound referrals and their respective values. This feature enhances ROI analysis for international alliances and networks and allows strengthening relations with international partners.

If you’re intrigued to witness how Crespect seamlessly integrates leads and business development efforts with client and case history, Karolina would be delighted to demonstrate our platform firsthand.