Today’s legal consumers have different expectations than they did even five years ago. Your clients are used to conducting business and obtaining the information they need online.
For example, one thing consumers do on a regular basis is pay their bills online. Doing so saves them time and money. There’s no need to pay for envelopes and stamps or waste time writing out a check; instead, they can instantly pay their bills with the click of a button.
Because it’s so easy to pay bills online, the number of dollars collected via online payment processing has increased dramatically in recent years. In 2014, only $1 out of every $6 was collected online, whereas in 2022, roughly $5 out of every $6 is collected via online payments.
Only 4 in 10 consumers in the US still pay bills via mail, and less than 1 in 5 consumers rate it as their preferred method to make payments. It’s no surprise that the number of payment cards in circulation was expected to grow to 30.6 billion by 2025.
Legal consumers’ payment choices are in line with this trend as well. Currently, 53% of law firms are equipped to accept electronic payments.
The good news for solo and small firm lawyers who accept online payments via credit card, debit card, or ACH (eCheck) is that doing so increases client satisfaction (26% of consumers who receive ebills report increased satisfaction) and allows your law firm to compete with the whopping 77% of large and mid-sized firms that are already offering these options to their clients.
Does your law firm offer online payment options to your clients? If not, it’s time to get started! The infographic below solidifies the need to expand your law firm’s payment options.
Note: Last updated in 2022