First, email curbed snail mail – now, client access is doing the same to email, writes Stephen Butler, CEO of Red Rain

CAN YOU remember banking before you had an online account? You’d try to find time to visit the bank during your lunch hour – only to find a dozen other people lined up.

And, if you’re an oldie like me, you might even remember banking before ATMs – visiting before the Christmas or Easter Holidays to ensure you had enough cash while the banks were closed.

This was frustrating for customers and costly for banks. The beauty of client access technology like ATMs and online banking have meant both improved customer service and reduced costs.

Online banking was first introduced around 2000 – so it’s a slight understatement to say the legal profession is a laggard.

However, thanks to the now widespread use of smart devices and reduced technology costs, client access is about to change how law firms operate.

When a client currently needs a document, they have to call or email their lawyer. If they’ve been clear in their request (that’s a big ‘if’) the lawyer or secretary will find and email the document.

This doesn’t seem like too much of an issue, until you consider that if just10 clients request a document you are easily wasting half an hour a day. Over a year, that’s nearly three working weeks.

Client access tools, such as our recently released RedView Connect, work like online banking for law firms. Instead of constantly emailing documents back and forth, you simply select ‘share with client’. Clients can then access documents, reports, timelines, and more – from any device.

A number of firms already using RedView tell us notifications, either by email or on their clients’ devices, are one of the most useful features. They can automatically let clients know there’s been an update – reducing the constant ‘check-ins’ that often occur.

Of course, client access technology will never completely replace a personal email or call. But, as with banking, sometimes convenience is king.

RedView helps law firms and their clients access information and documents from any device. Visit redview.com.au for more information.