A renowned multi-office legal practice based in Houston consistently delivers exceptional service to its clients across various legal domains. However, like many legal firms, this one faced common challenges in managing a growing team, diverse clientele, and complex legal cases.
The challenges included:
- Navigating bottlenecks stemming from manual systems like spreadsheets and documents
- Managing operations across various offices and jurisdictions
- Tracking case types through their lifecycle in consistent, efficient ways
These obstacles created time-consuming tasks, repetitive work, and an inability to efficiently track case progress. In this case study, we’ll tell you how a law firm partnered with Unlimited Tech Solutions to eliminate these challenges, automate processes, and increase productivity by 25%.
The Pre-HubSpot Challenges, Inefficiencies, and Complexities
Before implementing HubSpot, this Houston-based law firm hit barriers that hindered its operational efficiency and ability to scale the business.
“Managing their multi-office operations and diverse case types was a constant struggle for them,” said Stefan Lynton, VP of Operations at Unlimited Tech Solutions.
Let’s dig into some specific instances.
The Inefficiencies and Bottlenecks
The company's reliance on manual systems like spreadsheets and documents created a web of challenges that ate up operational time, hampered productivity, and impeded growth, leaving room for error to seep in.
These manual systems:
- Consumed valuable time: To complete tasks, they used manual data entry, repetitive copying and pasting, and time-consuming searches for information, leading to wasted time and reduced overall productivity.
- Promoted repetitive work: The company lacked automation in its workflow resulting in repetitive tasks across departments. This led to employee fatigue, limiting the ability to focus on higher-value activities.
- Hindered progress tracking: The manual systems lacked centralized data management and progress tracking capabilities making it difficult to monitor case progress, identify bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions.
- Increased potential for error: With all this manual data entry and no cross-checks, the risk of inputting erroneous data was high.
Managing Multiple Locations And Jurisdictions
The firm has a multi-office structure and diverse clientele, which made dealing with legal requirements in various jurisdictions challenging. While management tended to the needs of the legal bodies, communication channels, and collaboration networks, other important aspects of the business were left unattended.
Concerns included:
- Varying legal regulations: Adhering to different legal requirements across various jurisdictions demanded careful attention to detail. The company had to show constant vigilance to ensure compliance with regulations. All of this increased their workload and the potential for errors.
- Communication and collaboration challenges: Coordinating operations and information sharing between geographically dispersed offices posed communication challenges for the firm, impacting operational workflow and consistency.
- Disparate resource management systems: Different geographic locations meant documents and spreadsheets were housed here and there rather than in a centralized resource library. It was difficult to gather information from the resources, hindering collaboration and accessibility.
Complexities in Handling Diverse Case Types
Cases come to this law firm with different issues and in differing stages, leading to a diverse portfolio of clients and case types. That's why the company required a proper system to handle diverse sets of data.
- The absence of standardized workflows for different case types led to inconsistencies in handling cases, potentially impacting outcomes and client satisfaction.
- The lack of automation and centralized case management made it difficult to streamline processes for different case types, resulting in inefficiencies and potential delays.
- Without a centralized resource library, onboarding new staff and ensuring consistent client service across different case types became challenging.
Finding the Solution With HubSpot
Unlimited Tech Solutions provided a detailed analysis of operations, which included the need for a centralized resource library and automation that would improve workflows, all achieved with HubSpot. Unlimited promised tailored, customized solutions that would drive efficiency and growth for this law firm.
But why did they choose HubSpot? The decision stemmed from several key considerations:
- HubSpot's cloud-based architecture allowed easy scaling to accommodate the firm's growing needs across multiple offices. This guarantees that the solution will remain relevant as the firm scales.
- Unlike one-size-fits-all solutions, HubSpot's inherent flexibility enables extensive customization to perfectly adapt to the firm's diverse caseload and tailored workflows.
- HubSpot is easy to integrate with existing tools like Google Workspace, allowing the client to use existing infrastructure while having access to effective new functionalities. This integration automates workflows and eliminates the need for data migration, further maximizing the return on investment.
HubSpot Tools
- Task Management and Automation: HubSpot features like task creation, assignments, and automated workflows reduced manual work and improved team collaboration and productivity. They made the workflow more fluent, giving the team time to focus on other aspects of business.
- Custom Workflows and Playbooks: By creating personalized workflows and playbooks for each case type, Unlimited Tech Solutions ensured the consistent and efficient handling of cases, improving customer satisfaction.
- Communication and Collaboration Tools: Built-in communication features facilitated one-step collaboration and information sharing across teams and offices. Teams remained connected no matter which office they were in, creating a more productive work environment.
How Did They Provide Custom HubSpot Solutions?
The successful implementation of HubSpot at this law firm involved a collaborative process between the company and Unlimited Tech Solutions. It worked in two phases:
1. The Initial Assessment: Needs and Challenges
The initial assessment involved a thorough understanding of the firm's specific requirements and challenges. Unlimited Tech Solutions closely collaborated with the firm's key stakeholders to gain deep insights into:
- Workflows and processes
- Data management
- Integration needs
Unlimited Tech Solutions mapped out the existing workflows and processes for various departments, identifying the bottlenecks. Once they assessed the firm's existing data management practices, they pinpointed areas for improvement to ensure centralized access and utilization of resources.
Lastly, they evaluated the integration requirements with existing tools like Google Workspace so that the law firm can easily access, transition, and maximize resources.
It was Unlimited’s job to "understand the firm's specific requirements and translate them into a customized HubSpot solution that perfectly fits their needs," Stefan Lynton said.
This collaborative approach guaranteed that the implemented solution would directly address the company's unique challenges and facilitate a smooth transition.
2. Configuration And Customization: HubSpot for Optimal Productivity
After the initial assessment, Unlimited Tech Solutions used HubSpot's configuration and customization features to create a solution to cater to the firm's specific needs. This involved internal employee management and sales and intake processes.
Internal Employee Management
This included utilizing HubSpot's task management features, creating custom task lists, assigning tasks to specific individuals, setting due dates, promoting accountability, and streamlining workflows. They even implemented automated workflows triggered by specific events, such as automatically assigning tasks to relevant team members upon case creation. This eliminated manual task allocation and ensured prompt action on critical tasks.
Internal communication was improved through centralized communication features within HubSpot. Team members could easily collaborate with one another using chat functionalities, discussion boards, and document-sharing features, which helped improve information sharing and knowledge transfer.
Sales & Intake Processes
Unlimited Tech Solutions built comprehensive playbooks within HubSpot to address complexities in handling diverse case types. These playbooks outlined specific steps and essential fields customized to each case type and stage, providing clear guidance for sales representatives and intake staff. This helped with consistent case handling, minimizing errors, and improving client service.
The firm also makes use of a recommendation engine built into HubSpot’s playbooks. It analyzes deal and case-type information and suggests relevant playbooks to sales reps and intake staff, saving them valuable time and ensuring they follow the appropriate procedures for each case.
At the same time, Unlimited Tech Solutions integrated HubSpot with Google Workspace Calendar for proper scheduling. Information entered in the playbooks regarding appointments and meetings automatically populated the calendar. This timely scheduling improved communication with clients.
Results and ROI
The implementation of HubSpot at this law firm yielded significant and measurable benefits, transforming their operations and client interactions. The automated workflows and task management features reduced the time spent on manual tasks like data entry, scheduling, and communication, resulting in a 40% decrease in time spent on non-billable activities.
The automated workflow and centralized data management within HubSpot led to a 25% increase in overall team productivity. This allowed the firm to handle more cases efficiently, improving its capacity and profitability.
Take HubSpot to the innovative edge with custom extensions, applications, and other advanced solutions. Connect with a specialist from the Unlimited team here.
