The demands placed on law firms and tax practice are increasing. Clients are expecting an ever-wider range of services, whilst at the same time time pressures are mounting and tasks are becoming increasingly complex. Furthermore, the shortage of skilled workers is leading to unprecedented capacity constraints. Digitalisation promises to provide a solution, in particular the Process automation. However, many people are reluctant to tackle the subject of automation. Yet even for simple implementations, no programming skills are required. A specialist explains how simple automation tasks can be carried out using low-code and no-code platforms: Sebastian Mertens demonstrated during a live chat with Paul Liese.

Sebastian Mertens is an expert in low-code and no-code. As a consultant and entrepreneur, he is actively promoting the widespread adoption of this knowledge. Sebastian places particular emphasis on the topic of automation, specifically the automation of processes. But what are low-code and no-code? Both are methods for creating a function. Anyone who sets a rule in Excel – for example, to automatically sum the numbers in two cells – has already optimised a process using low-code. No-code means that this process optimisation is achieved entirely without code, for example by clicking through a series of options. So anyone who sets a specific rule for incoming messages in their email programme is already a no-coder.

Today, Sebastian wants to show us some exciting tools that can be used to simplify work processes. However, everyone needs to check what is permitted in their own working environment. Not every company allows every type of application; some changes must be discussed with the employer in advance. As a general rule, the approach is to first ask yourself: What is my problem? Only then should you look for the right tool to solve that problem. And what if employees struggle with change and cling to their old habits? This is clearly a question of mindset – in other words, a person’s way of thinking. Those with a conservative mindset – that is, those who turn their backs on the future – are very difficult to persuade to change. However, those who are generally interested in solving problems can gradually acquire the necessary mindset by taking a step back and observing the processes objectively.

Automate processes quickly and easily

The first company Sebastian introduces is make.com – a German start-up that offers automation solutions, amongst other things. For example, if you want to automate certain processes in Outlook, you can do so via make.com. To do this, you link your Outlook email address to the web service. You can then set up a range of functions using simple menus and input fields. As a demonstration, Sebastian creates an automation during the livestream that forwards incoming emails containing the word „property tax“ to a colleague.

In the next example, Sebastian wants to demonstrate how the standard purchasing process for a simple product can be automated. He’ll be demonstrating this using the payment service provider Stripe, though in principle the whole process works with almost any provider. Sebastian creates a new product, enters all the details and generates a payment link. This produces a professional page where the product can be purchased and paid for using the most common payment methods. The link is embedded on your own website – and that’s it. You no longer need to respond to and process every purchase individually. You can now use make.com to set up a function that sends an automatic purchase confirmation or an email with further steps.

A further step could, for example, be filling in a form. One provider of forms is tally.so, a Belgian start-up. There, you can put together a comprehensive form by clicking through the options without any programming knowledge whatsoever. Issues such as encryption and data protection are handled by the provider. Companies in the EU are subject to strict EU data protection laws, so there is clear and reassuring certainty in this regard. In just a few minutes, Sebastian has automated a purchasing process by using and combining helpful tools.

There’s a YouTube tutorial for every problem

One final point: many of the issues that can be tackled in law firms have already been covered. So, if you’re looking to implement automation, it’s always worth using YouTube’s search function. That’s because you’ll find clear, step-by-step guides there for practically every problem under the sun. Whether it’s guides to make.com or other platforms, or advice and inspiration for useful automations in law firms, there’s no end to the videos available. Make the most of this free source of knowledge. At the end of the day, you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.