Handling attorney referrals and legal matters across multiple locations often depends on shared email inboxes—a system prone to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. For one national law firm, this challenge was compounded by the overwhelming volume of daily emails, leading to a lack of accountability and delays in assigning cases to the right attorneys.

To solve this, XPERTECHS, the law firm’s managed IT service provider, developed an automated solution using Power Apps and Power BI. This approach transformed how the firm handles referrals and organizes legal matters, offering a scalable solution that other businesses can adapt to address similar challenges.

The Problem

The referral request process relied on attorneys submitting case referrals through a shared email inbox. Key issues included:

• No clear way to know if referrals were being handled.
• Difficulty in assigning cases to the appropriate attorneys.
• Administrative burden from manually managing and sorting emails.

The Solution

XPERTECHS implemented a customized app within the firm’s NPM (National Plan Management) system. Attorneys now submit referral requests via a structured online form that captures:

• Information about the legal matter.
• The referring attorney’s name and notes.
• Supporting documents, which can be uploaded directly.

The app centralizes and organizes this data, enabling MPM team members to efficiently manage, edit, and assign cases.

Key Outcomes

Enhanced Visibility with Power BI Dashboards

The app integrates with Power BI dashboards, providing real-time insights into the referral process:

• Real-time metrics show the volume of incoming requests, highlight cases that are still pending assignment, and flag requests untouched for more than three days.
• Administrators can easily identify bottlenecks, ensure timely responses, and track case progress—all from a single interface.

Informed Decision-Making

With comprehensive metrics, the firm can make strategic, data-driven decisions, such as:

• Allocating resources to high-demand regions.
• Testing new systems, like phone implementations, by analyzing call and referral volume trends.

Time Savings and Improved Organization

By automating manual tasks, the solution has reduced the administrative burden on staff, giving them more time to focus on meaningful, high-value work.

Applications to Other Industries

Challenges like dispersed data, delayed processes, and limited visibility aren’t unique to law firms. Similar automation solutions could address inefficiencies in other industries. Here are some potential applications:

Accounting and Financial Services firms can automate client intake processes, replacing scattered email submissions with centralized forms. Dashboards can track request volumes, monitor client onboarding progress, and ensure compliance deadlines are met.

Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) can automate project bids and RFQs (requests for quotes) can streamlining how they manage submissions from contractors and vendors. Dashboards could show bid statuses, deadlines, and resource allocations, helping firms stay on schedule and within budget.

Healthcare clinics and hospitals can automate patient referrals, ensuring cases are routed to the right departments or specialists. Dashboards could track referral response times and identify trends in patient needs, aiding resource planning.

Manufacturing automation can centralize maintenance requests or order tracking for production lines. Dashboards provide visibility into machine downtime, order statuses, and resource utilization, improving efficiency across operations.

Nonprofits and Associations can use similar solutions to manage donor inquiries, grant applications, or member registrations. Dashboards could track engagement levels, application statuses, and geographic trends, helping nonprofits allocate resources effectively.

Government Contractors can manage compliance-heavy workflows like bid submissions or project tracking, automation can ensure documents are complete and deadlines are met. Dashboards can provide insights into project statuses, costs, and regional trends, supporting better oversight and resource management.

Streamlined Workflows and Better Decisions with Automation

By automating the referral process for a law firm, XPERTECHS replaced an unreliable intake system with a structured app and real-time dashboards. This solution reduced delays, provided staff with clear visibility into case progress, and ensured timely assignments. It also serves as an example for how businesses in other industries can address similar challenges by transforming inefficient processes into streamlined, data-driven operations.

Business Process Automation Expertise

Not all managed IT service providers offer business process automation, but XPERTECHS has a dedicated team of engineers 100% focused on working with clients to create and implement automation solutions. If you’re ready to up your game by leveraging technology in ways that will improve operations and enable your success, we should talk.

Learn more about business process automation solutions from XPERTECHS.