How to stop clients calling for case updates

"Any update on my case?" is the call most law firm offices take, and the one that helps least. Clients aren't being difficult: their case is often the biggest thing in their life, and from the outside nothing seems to be happening. The calls stop when clients can see that things are moving.

Why clients call

Most update calls come from uncertainty, not from news. A client who hasn't heard anything in three weeks assumes the case has stalled or been forgotten. Long, quiet stretches are normal in personal injury, criminal, family and immigration matters - waiting for medical treatment, discovery, a court date or a government decision - but clients don't know that unless someone tells them.

1. Explain the stages at intake

At the first meeting, show the client the stages their case will go through and roughly how long each one takes. A client who knows that "Negotiation & Settlement" can last weeks is far less likely to call in week two.

2. Use plain-language stage names

Internal task names ("Demand Prep - Pending Records") mean nothing to a client. Name each stage the way a client would say it, and add one sentence on what happens during it and whether they need to do anything.

3. Send a short update at every milestone

One or two sentences when a case moves forward - "We sent your demand to the insurer on Monday; they have 30 days to respond" - prevents a dozen calls later. Dated updates also give clients something to point to.

4. Let clients look it up themselves

The most effective step is giving each client a private place to check their case, day or night, on their phone. When the answer is one tap away, most clients look instead of calling. It has to be simple: no app to download and no password to forget.

5. Speak your clients' language

If many of your clients speak Spanish, updates they can read in Spanish cut calls further - and save your bilingual staff from translating every message by phone.

How Gides does this

Gides gives every client a private access code and a page showing the current stage of their case and your latest update, in your firm's name and colours. Clients switch to Spanish with one tap and your notes are translated for them. They get an alert when their case moves, and a button asks their case manager to call them when they really do need to talk.

Plans start at $99 a month for up to 50 active cases, with unlimited case managers. New firms: your first month is free with code FREEMONTH.

Questions: support@gidescase.com. Gides Case LLC.