artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation and composable technology. Firms will then be able to further improve profitability, offer greater customer value and open new routes to market. As an example, BrightFlag offers AI services to the legal sector in the form of an AI-powered review of invoicing. The intelligent service automatically checks narrative lines against billing guidelines and the agreed fee model. This will increase review accuracy and free up teams to focus on higher-value activities. Fast-moving professional services businesses are already implementing digital convenience and agility into their ecosystems and reporting how it has improved client relationships. Stage Three: Advanced “retail-style” offering Law firms have typically operated with a sales process that is heavily reliant on person-to-person relationships. Retail businesses, meanwhile, have successfully automated interactions to improve efficiency and unlock the opportunity to scale. By this stage, we have reached a point where customers are used to full online self-service when engaging with legal firms. They are expected to offer detailed personalisation of relationships in digital – just as happens in eCommerce. Digital tools are already smart enough to streamline professional services and customer experiences. For example, IronClad automates contracting workflows and approvals. The service, already used by L’Oréal, Staples, Mastercard and other leading brands, automatically identifies critical terms and entities, turning contracts into code and allowing users to search, tag, and manage them. It is this type of technology that is allowing tactics used by successful retailers to be applied to legal firms. SPECIAL FEATURE 53 Customercentred disruption represents an opportunity in the market for forwardthinking law firms.
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