SMS brings Greatly Improved Internal and External Communications, along with Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Features.
Spencers Solicitors are a Chesterfield based law firm that have been delivering exceptional legal services for over 40 years. Their reputation is founded on a commitment to a tailored, personal approach that puts their clients at the heart of everything they do.
With a broad range of expertise, the multi-accredited & award winning law firm has developed a strong reputation for its work in wills and probate, HR, employment law and personal injury.
Two Business Requirements
Two important areas of business at Spencers Solicitors had been discussed and it was believed that these could be improved through the deployment of modern communications technologies.
The first requirement was finding a software solution that would be able to keep clients up to date with their case progression in a way that was convenient, providing them with timely information in a non-intrusive way. Strong and reliable lines of communication with legal clients can prove to be invaluable for not only the client/firm relationship, but also the success of cases. Therefore, making sure the solution was easy to use for both the client and firm was imperative.
The second requirement was for a communications tool that could be used in the context of business continuity and disaster recovery. A solution was required to communicate with all relevant staff, in real time, to provide information in cases of emergency, unexpected office closures or power outages. This solution would therefore need to be flexible and resilient.
Having located these two areas of interest, Spencers Solicitors turned to one of their technology providers, ProcessFlows, who had already developed a well-established relationship with the firm as providers of the leading e-Document delivery solution, RightFax.
Versatile, reliable and cost effective – SMS the clear choice
Following initial exploratory discussions, SMS quickly presented itself as a solution that would not only be able to accommodate Spencer Solicitors current requirements, but also provide additional useful functionality beyond the firm’s initial scope.
SMS deployed for client communications
With regards to client communications, SMS provides a number of advantages over other forms of communication for the recipient. The first is the ubiquitous nature of mobile phones and where an email might be overlooked, a text message is almost always going to be received in a timely manner, wherever the recipient happens to be. SMS also tend to be considered unintrusive by recipients.
ProcessFlows SMS systems provide the flexibility to send out messages to groups or individuals on the fly, from the desktop, allowing fluid communication with clients that is as easy as sending out a message from your phone. Standard or regular messages can be templated or fully automated to be triggered by external events or actions within the messaging system. This means that during certain milestones within the course of a case, or as meetings are set up, clients can receive automatic updates with information and dates.
SMS meets disaster recovery and business continuity requirements
In addition to the important client communication role, SMS has be utilised within the firm’s disaster recovery and business continuity plans. The platform is set up such that alerts can be configured to be sent out at a moment’s notice, or automated entirely, meaning that in the case of an incident, key employees and other relevant individuals can be immediately notified of any problems.
“Both TMS and 123-txt provide easy to use, easy to maintain and easy to earn software platforms. We have been
involved with ProcessFlows for many years and will continue to be so due to the excellent support that they provide.“
Ryan Jackson
Software Developer at Spencers Solicitors
Migration from Text Message Server to 123-txt
Initially, having taken the decision to adopt business SMS communications, Spencers Solicitors were using ProcessFlows’ Text Message Server (TMS). However, the firm has recently migrated from the on-premise TMS solution to ProcessFlows’ cloud SMS platform, 123-txt.
In addition to the normal benefits that come with transitioning to a cloud-based solution, 123-txt is presenting the firm with a number of advantages that will allow them to further develop their deployment of SMS.
One example afforded by 123-txt is the instant access to the platform from any internet-enabled device. This allows Spencers Solicitors’ users to utilise the full range of SMS services wherever they are – something that is especially important in the context of business continuity and disaster recovery.
Another is the recently improved 123-Survey module on 123-txt which allows users to create responsive surveys to gather vital information recipients in an engaging and insightful manner. This is something staff are already very much engaged with, using it to send out customer satisfaction surveys to their clients.
The expansion of use cases beyond a client’s initial scope is typical of SMS deployments, due to the versatility of the platform. We very much look forward to continuing to work with Spencers Solicitors and helping them to explore more ways to utilise this powerful communications tool.