Some cases are simple and easy to track. The number of processes involved in them is limited. As a result, the number of people working on them is also limited. Other cases can be more complex, with a number of processes and people involved. But no matter what type of cases you generally take on, you could do with case management software.
Even if you’re running a small business and your cases are limited, it’s a good idea to get this type of software and start using it right away, before your business starts growing.
This will ensure that you don’t feel any growing pains later. Any new cases you take on will merely be added to your caseload and managing them will be easy right from the beginning.
But what exactly does case management software do? And how will it help you in your business? Read on for answers to all your questions:
Case Management Software: Scenario 1
Case management software helps you to keep track of all the processes that need to be done for each case. Let’s say that you have five cases and five people working on these cases. In one possible scenario, you might have assigned one case per person.
In this scenario, you want to make sure that each case manager is doing everything that they are supposed to do, such as the initial client interview that goes into the case, the research necessary to help the client with the case, the actual processes that the client may have hired you for and any customer service follow-ups that need to be performed.
You may not have time to be in touch with each of your employees who are handling these cases. But case management software can help you to keep track of what’s going on remotely. Once the employee finishes each process, they’ll need to enter it into the case management software. And you’ll be able to check it remotely and see whether it’s done or not.
So case management software can help you to supervise without personally asking your employees about the case again and again. This saves you a lot of time. And employees also work more efficiently when they can focus on what they’re doing continuously.
As this article from Forbes puts it, “The goal isn’t to be ‘big brother,’ but rather to offer support and guidance throughout the process.” You don’t want to keep hovering over your employees all the time but you don’t want to give them complete freedom either. The idea is for everyone to work in cooperation.
Case Management Software: Scenario 2
The above scenario is actually a fairly simple one. But what happens when you don’t just have one person handling each case? What if all five of your employees are involved in handling the five different cases you have? To understand this, consider the following scenario.
Let’s say that you run a law firm. One of your employees, a lawyer, will handle the initial interview and argue the case in court. Another lawyer will probably also be present as a backup, to assist the first one and argue the case in case the first one is held up somewhere. An investigator will also be involved in looking into the details of the case and finding pertinent information. Someone in the accounting department will be responsible for billing the client and collecting money on their behalf. An office manager will probably keep track of all legal correspondence.
That’s five people working on each case simultaneously or one after the other. How can you keep track of them all, especially if they’re in different locations? The lawyers might be in court while the investigator is out in the field and the accounting and administrative people are in the office.
In such cases, case management software becomes invaluable to keep all your ducks in a row. If you’re looking to organize and manage your office efficiently, you need to have it installed. If not, you’re going to be stuck calling your employees and tracking them down day after day.
Plus, as this article from Entrepreneur points, out, “workers are becoming more and more self-sufficient by the day.” Work with this trend instead of working against it. You can do this by installing case management software.
As a business owner, you probably want to spend more of your time figuring out how to grow and develop your company, how to enhance its company image and how to become a thought leader in your field. You want to be involved with more high-level decisions instead of spending all your time managing day-to-day tasks. Installing case management software can give you the time you need to do this.
Case Management Software and Customer Success
So we’ve established that case management software is likely to make your office more organized. And this makes things easier for you. It helps you to get things done in time. But does it actually help you to develop and expand your business? Or is it merely an organizational/management tool? Is it going to result in getting or keeping more clients? Is it going to raise your bottom line?
- Focusing on Customer Success: The fact is that case management software can help you to focus on customer success. And when your clients are more successful because of the product you sell or the services you provide, they’re going to be much more likely to stay with you and bring new clients to you. So you succeed in both, your customer acquisition and retention aims. And, as per this article in Entrepreneur, it’s necessary for you to “make customer retention a KPI” (key performance indicator). Just keep in mind that retaining customers is as important, if not more so, than attracting new ones.
- Meeting Clients’ Deadlines: Case management software helps you to meet the clients’ deadlines. You’re not the only one who has a deadline; your customer usually does too. They may need to get your products installed or your services completed by a certain date so that they can do their work by the date that it’s due. As this article from Inc. puts it, you need to “focus on pivotal moments.” And these pivotal moments will vary from customer to customer, depending on what field they’re in. You need to keep track of your customers and what their pivotal moments are.
- Customer Success Example: Let’s say that you run the above-mentioned law firm which is defending a documentary filmmaker who made a controversial film. Unless the filmmaker is cleared of this charge, he won’t be able to enter his film in a film festival which is coming up in a few months. So if you manage to get the plaintiff to drop the charges, you’re also helping the client meet his deadline for the film festival. As a result, you’re helping him to be more successful. So he’s much more likely to come back to your firm if he has any more legal issues. He’s also likely to send his friends and family to your firm in case they need legal help.
So if the customer’s successful, they’re also likely to make you more successful. You’re not just looking at customer success because you want to help the customer out but also because it’s the practical thing to do, for the success of your own company.
