If you’re like plenty of law firms out there, it’s likely you have a growing dependence on third-party software to connect a bunch of things from your website, to a CRM, your practice management software, forms, chatbots etc.
So, What’s the Risk!
It’s topical for us at the moment because we just received our monthly statement from Zapier (the leading API connector) and we couldn’t help think, if Zapier ever goes down…so too does a bunch of important connections.
We’ve long been aware of the risk when you become over-reliant on third-party software, but it’s particularly pointed when software like Zapier and other similar platforms are doing a lot of the heavy lifting in connecting the technology, marketing and practice management in law firms everywhere.
Why is Zapier So Good!
A significant attraction to Zapier and others like them is that it’s painless to deploy. Need to connect a website form to a CRM, need to connect a chatbot to your practice management software (providing its got an Open API), need to link up any software, Zapier largely does it.
So, What’s The Problem?
Apart from the risks mentioned above, the objective at the outset is your firm likely wants to simplify things. So, connecting all these different software platforms seamlessly works. It does the job! But ultimately, you end up with potentially a spiders web of connections or zaps going on everywhere. Consequently, the objective to simplify has been lost to complexity. Not to mention, when a zap fails to fire, or you forget to pay the monthly subscription, you become acutely aware of the mess.
What’s the Solution Then?
Depending on the size of your firm, you may have to concede that Zapier is going to be with you until such time as you have some weight to necessitate a much better, tighter solution. We’ve found with a bunch of clients that through the deployment of a robust CRM you can go a long way to achieving the majority of what you need to do. More specifically, if your firm is trying to connect the dots between different software, a CRM is a good place to start because its a move towards into not only simplifying your technology but from a reporting perspective you ultimately have one dashboard.
In terms of the best CRM for your law firm, we have a rundown of them as well as recommendations prior to deployment.
Download the Free CRMs for Law Firms Guide Here.
So, is a CRM the Answer to All Our Prayers
Depends on what you’re praying for. But quite apart from consolidating key core functions in one place, there are so many other benefits to a CRM, particularly in lead management and nurture. We talk about all that stuff here.