[1]Just over half of law firms (52%) are failing to articulate their offering online and almost two thirds of legal websites (58%) don’t rate highly for customer friendliness, according to new research from Moneypenny [2].
The leading outsourced communications provider conducted a study of 50 legal websites belonging to large top tier firms as well as mid-sized and boutique legal practices during January 2023, as part of a wider study into digital customer experience.
The research sought to assess how easy it is to find law firms online, the quality of their first impressions, how easy it is to navigate their websites and find answers, and how contactable and friendly sites are.
The findings revealed that as well as more than half of firms leaving clients wanting when it comes to clarity about the legal products and services they offer, most firms (58%) either overwhelm web visitors with information or offer too little.
It also shows that two thirds of law firms (66%) are not doing enough to present a strong brand image online and almost half (44%) do not articulate how they are different to other firms.
Additionally, the research suggests legal firms could do much more to make themselves accessible online by encouraging visitors to get in touch, ask questions or make an appointment via their websites.
- 56% of the firms studied rank average or less for how contactable they are. 17% of the firms didn’t make any attempt to help clients get in touch or show them what to do next.
- Almost half of legal websites (46%) are not doing enough to help visitors or convert them into enquiries with by sharing clear information, calls to action and links to contact forms.
- Almost three quarters of firms (74%) do not display their telephone number clearly enough online – even though the phone is king for customers and a web search often precedes a call.
- Most firms do not offer online appointment booking (96%) or a call back service (94%) while more than three quarters (76%) do not have a web form to capture requests.
- 90% of the firms do not offer live chat, even though legal customers expect it.
Bernadette Bennett, head of the legal sector at Moneypenny, said: “Firms have made great strides forward in proactively marketing their services in recent years, particularly online – but our study suggests many firms are still not considering the digital experience of customers and prospects. Poor website experiences cost firms reputation and business.
“In 2023, legal firms, irrespective of size, should not be ignoring the digital customer experience. Failure to differentiate from the competition, to explain services clearly or to offer easy ways to get in touch in real time, render legal websites ineffective. This denies firms the opportunity to be truly accessible for clients and could lose business to the competition.”
Moneypenny handles more than 2 million calls and chats each year for more than 1,000 law firms in the UK, including 75 of the Top 200, thanks to its dedicated team of legal receptionists.
Established in 2000, Moneypenny is the world’s market leader for Telephone Answering, Live Chat, Outsourced Switchboard, and customer contact solutions. More than 21,000 businesses globally benefit from Moneypenny’s mix of extraordinary people and ground-breaking technology.
For more information about how Moneypenny supports the legal sector, visit https://www.moneypenny.com/uk/legal-answering-services/ [3]