Over the last decade, client expectations have shifted immensely. Outdated onboarding workflows are now costing conveyancers time and trust. So, what should onboarding look like today?
How is customer onboarding changing?
The conveyancing landscape is being shaped by mounting pressures: rising client expectations, evolving compliance demands, and increasing competition from tech-enabled firms.
At the centre of these challenges lies client onboarding: the point the relationship between your clients and your business truly begins.
Your tech-enabled competitors have already taken a major step forward. They’re meeting your clients’ demands for swift, secure, and simple digital interactions while you still rely on time-consuming email exchanges, paper forms, and fragmented verification systems.
These outdated workflows not only slow down the client experience, but also frustrate firms’ ability to grow and scale, and expose them to serious compliance risks.
By putting off your own digitalisation you risk falling far behind.
What’s the problem with manual onboarding?
When onboarding is clunky or inconsistent, it doesn’t just create admin headaches. Slow processes make for impatient clients, and delayed onboarding damages the trust and credibility your firm has built.
What’s worse, these slow, manual processes can expose your firm to serious compliance risks due to poorly-documented ID checks, ambiguous source of funds trails, or manual data entry mistakes that go unnoticed until an audit looms.
Without more sophisticated onboarding, you’re in danger of falling foul of regulatory scrutiny, putting you at risk of fines, reputational damage, or more serious consequences.
The shape of modern onboarding
Progressive firms are reimagining onboarding through the eyes of the client.
They’re creating seamless, mobile-first experiences that allow new clients to verify their identity, provide documentation, and complete necessary checks within minutes.
And they’re doing this without compromising either regulatory compliance or the customer experience.
Platforms like Checkboard enable exactly that: a secure link sent to the client initiates a streamlined process that integrates biometric ID checks, source of funds verification, open banking, and document submission into one user-friendly flow, all without requiring an in-person visit.
Instant impact
Fast workflows. Instant uploads. Secure, reliable verification. The impact this has on efficiency and performance is huge.
And firms that have embraced these modern onboarding systems consistently report faster file openings, improved client satisfaction, and fewer compliance headaches.
Indeed, one of our customers reported that their AML onboarding and verification now takes just one tenth of the time since using Checkboard. That means fee earners spend less time chasing documents and more time progressing business, and the entire firm runs more efficiently.
Your onboarding is your first impression
First impressions have always mattered in conveyancing and legal services, but today they’re often formed long before a client ever picks up the phone.
Indeed, it is increasingly rare for a phonecall to be your first point of contact with any client.
So, in an increasingly digital-first world, your website UX, your onboarding process, and your customer outreach is the new front door to your business.
That digital doorway is where trust is built or broken. The key is to make entry simple, secure, and modern. Do this, and you’ve already won half the battle.
To find out more about Checkboard, get in touch with us today.
A version of this article was originally published on Today’s Conveyancer. This version has been expanded and adapted for the Checkboard audience.