The property tax reform requires a great deal of work from law firms. But the clients affected must also take action now. Yet how should law firms approach their clients? What information is relevant, and what tasks will clients have to undertake? Bastian Klasvogt and Paul Liese discussed this on „hsp live at 11“.
Bastian Klasvogt is the managing director of WIADOK. The company offers a service whereby it compiles information material for law firms to pass on to their clients. This means that law firms no longer have to search for topics, carry out research or edit content themselves in order to keep their clients informed. Instead, they can select from a pool of current topics at WIADOK to identify those with which they wish to engage their clients. The final output can take many different forms – ranging from detailed information to engaging teaser texts with links to further reading. By tracking clicks, the law firm can identify which clients are interested in which topics and take appropriate action accordingly.
So what is the situation regarding property tax reform? Law firms are wondering whether or not they should approach their clients – and, if so, how. The first question that arises is whether law firms want clients to approach them unexpectedly at some point, leaving them unable to respond appropriately in the moment. Or whether they would prefer to take a proactive approach to their clients in order to offer them information or advisory services. With the second approach, the firm retains control, positions itself as a proactive partner and opens the door to new projects. If a firm decides to communicate via WIADOK, it can the subject of property tax present it to the client in a concise manner. This is where a new idea from Bastian and Paul comes into play. It involves giving the client the option, via the property tax teaser in the firm’s newsletter, to click a link that takes them directly to the software onboarding process. This means that the client clicks on the link, can register and use the software to discuss property tax matters with the firm.
Flexible approach
The service is flexible. Depending on how the law firm wishes to proceed, the teaser and the linked process can be customised. Should I send all clients straight to the onboarding process, or should I sort them first? The law firm has a number of options available. During onboarding, the client’s representative can create property records directly. The data is temporarily stored on WIADOK’s German servers. The firm is then notified that the data is available and that a project can be started. Only then does the firm retrieve the files; no one pushes data into the firm’s system from outside.
But how do clients generally respond to WIADOK’s information materials? What are the response rates like? Bastian explains that the materials are always produced in collaboration with the law firms. As a result, they vary greatly and must therefore be considered and assessed on a case-by-case basis. Some law firms prefer media featuring fully written-out texts. Such media usually already contain the most interesting information, so click-through rates are correspondingly low. In contrast, hub media covering many topics, which are only briefly teased, are extremely successful in terms of click-through rates. In some cases, according to Bastian, click-through rates exceed 100 %, as there are more clicks than the number of media pieces distributed.
Easy to implement
For existing clients, incorporating the property tax module will be no problem. But how can we get law firms on board who do not yet use WIADOK? Anyone interested can book an appointment via wiadok.de/hsp. During the appointment, the tool will be briefly explained and any questions can be answered. In principle, the lead methodology isn’t limited to property tax. It can also be used for other Topics such as process documentation the client can be informed and brought on board for a project. The advantage is that clients are invited directly and guided through the process, rather than having to make a conscious effort to get involved in their day-to-day work.
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