What would you think if I handed you my business card and all it had on it was a QR code? What’s a QR code? That’s the doohickey pictured next to this article. It’s a special code that, when scanned by your mobile device or webcam (with the right software running), takes you right to my biography on my website. Why would I bother with putting my name, address, and phone number on my card when I can do all that and more with a QR code?
Would that work for you, or would I be getting ahead of my market?
I’m guessing I know the answer, and that’s why my business card still has that identifying information printed on it.
What would your client think if she hired you and discovered that she can’t get her billing info or check the status of her case online? What if she can’t check to see whether you received an e-mail from opposing counsel? Or whether a document is ready to be reviewed? What if she tries to connect with you on LinkedIn and you aren’t there? What if she tells her friend about you and he or she can’t find your website?
Of course, your client uses the Web to check package delivery status, review her banking balances, receive her lab results from her doctor, and schedule appointments with her dentist. She moves money from one mutual fund to another online and reviews her children’s homework online. She buys hotel rooms and plane tickets online. She can even pay her property tax online to that backward bureaucracy at the county office building. What do you mean she can’t get an update about her divorce case online?
It’s important to know your market and stay even with them. Don’t get too far ahead or too far behind. You want to be in sync with expectations and seek to do more than they expect, but not so much that you leave them baffled and befuddled.
Use your own perspective as a test of where you stand. Think about what you’d expect if you were the client. Many of us have been a client, and we know what it feels like. If you haven’t yet had a need for a lawyer, try to imagine what it feels like from a client’s perspective. Put yourself in a client’s shoes. That’s a great way to start.
More importantly, ask your clients what they think about how you’re meeting their technology expectations (and other expectations as well).
You know how you spend hours sitting with your clients during mediation or negotiation sessions? You’re desperate for conversation. That’s a great opportunity to research your market. Ask what they expected. Ask what would have made things better. Ask what they liked and disliked. They’ll be thrilled to have the tables turned and be the dispenser of advice rather than the recipient.
Don’t create an issue for yourself by getting too far off track from what your clients think you’re supposed to be doing. Stay informed, continue asking questions, and keep your practice even with your market.
