How Bentham Locke P.C. streamlined legal client intake and onboarding with Zoho Creator

Overview

Bentham Locke P.C. needed to improve its client intake process as the firm's client volume and intake requirements grew. Its existing intake questionnaire operated separately from the firm's Zoho environment, creating gaps between collecting client information and completing subsequent activities such as conflict checking, document signing, document management, communication, and payment authorization.

YAALI Bizappln Solutions developed a customized Legal Intake Application using Zoho Creator and integrated it with Zoho Sign, Zoho Desk, Zoho WorkDrive, and Stripe. The solution brought the firm's intake and onboarding activities into a connected workflow, from initial information collection through attorney review and client follow-up.

Key Takeaways

• • Centralized legal client intake using Zoho Creator.

  • Automated conflict-of-interest checking against existing records.

  • Connected intake with electronic document signing and document storage.

  • Integrated client communication through Zoho Desk.

  • Added payment authorization through Stripe.

  • Provided attorneys with a centralized intake dashboard.

  • Gave clients visibility into intake progress and access to relevant documents and communication

Executive Summary

Bentham Locke P.C. is a private law firm specializing in employment law. The firm provides legal guidance, advocacy, and representation for employees and contractors dealing with workplace-related matters.

As the firm's client volume and intake complexity grew, its existing client intake questionnaire became increasingly disconnected from the activities required to process and onboard clients. The questionnaire operated outside the firm's Zoho environment, making it difficult to connect intake information with internal review, conflict checking, document signing, document storage, client communication, and payment authorization.

YAALI Bizappln Solutions worked with Bentham Locke P.C. to develop a centralized legal intake application in Zoho Creator. The solution was designed around the firm's existing processes and provided a configurable foundation for managing and improving the intake workflow over time.

Problem Statement and Key Challenges

Bentham Locke P.C.'s existing intake questionnaire was designed to collect prospective client information, but it operated separately from the firm's Zoho environment. As a result, the information collected during intake did not flow seamlessly into the processes required for client onboarding.

The firm identified several areas that needed improvement:

1. Manual Client Intake

The existing process required significant staff involvement and manual follow-up, making the onboarding process slower and more dependent on administrative coordination.

2. No Automated Conflict Checking

The firm did not have an automated mechanism to check incoming client information against existing records for potential conflicts of interest during intake.

3. Disconnected Documents and Communication

Client documents and communication were not integrated directly into the intake workflow, requiring additional coordination between different stages of onboarding.

4. Limited Client Visibility

Clients had limited visibility into the progress of their intake and could not easily determine the status of their onboarding.

5. Limited Process Flexibility

Bentham Locke P.C. also wanted greater flexibility to manage and refine its intake process without relying heavily on developers or external support.

Evaluation of the Problem

YAALI reviewed the firm's existing intake process to identify the gaps between information collection and the activities that followed.

The evaluation showed that the existing questionnaire handled the initial collection of client information but did not provide a connected workflow for the subsequent stages of onboarding. Conflict checking, document signing, document storage, communication, and payment authorization required separate processes and additional coordination.

Based on this assessment, YAALI determined that Bentham Locke P.C. needed more than a replacement questionnaire. The firm needed a centralized, configurable application capable of connecting the different stages of client intake and onboarding.

The solution was therefore designed to address the following process requirements:

• • Structured online client intake.

  • Conditional collection of relevant information.

  • Automated conflict-of-interest checking.

  • Electronic signing of engagement documents.

  • Organized document storage.

  • Payment authorization.

  • Centralized attorney review.

  • Client access to intake status and communication.

Zoho Creator was selected as the central platform because it could be customized to the firm's specific workflow and connected with the other Zoho applications and third-party services required for the process.

Proposed Solution(s)

YAALI developed a customized Legal Intake Application using Zoho Creator as the central application for Bentham Locke P.C.'s client intake and onboarding process. The solution was integrated with Zoho Sign, Zoho WorkDrive, Zoho Desk, and Stripe.

Zoho Creator

Zoho Creator forms the core of the solution. A multi-step intake application was developed to capture client information, address details, service selection, and employment-law-specific responses. Conditional logic ensures that relevant questions are displayed based on the client's previous responses.

Zoho Creator also provides the attorney dashboard and client portal, bringing internal intake management and client self-service into the same application.

Zoho Sign

Zoho Sign was integrated into the intake workflow to automate the signing of engagement letters and other required documents after the client completes the intake process.

Zoho WorkDrive

Zoho WorkDrive provides organized storage for uploaded and signed documents. The solution uses structured naming conventions to help maintain consistency in document management.

Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk was integrated to manage client communication, support threads, issue tracking, and correspondence associated with the intake process.

Stripe Integration

A custom payment widget was developed in Zoho Creator and integrated with Stripe to support credit-card holds and payment authorization during onboarding. Attorneys can control payment capture based on the client's engagement.

Conflict-of-Interest Checking

The application compares incoming client information against existing records to identify potential conflicts. Potential conflicts can be flagged for review or trigger the appropriate disengagement communication.

Together, these components created a connected intake workflow instead of maintaining client intake as an isolated questionnaire.

Implementation

YAALI implemented the solution as a centralized legal intake workflow in Zoho Creator, connecting the required Zoho applications and Stripe around Bentham Locke P.C.'s onboarding process.

Website-Embedded Intake

The multi-step Zoho Creator intake form was embedded into the firm's website. It captures client details, address information, service selection, and employment-law-specific responses. Conditional logic adapts the questions presented to the client based on their responses.

Digital Document Signing

Once the intake is submitted, the workflow connects with Zoho Sign for engagement letters and other required documents. This removes the need to manage document signing as a separate manual activity.

Document Management

Uploaded and signed documents are organized in Zoho WorkDrive using defined naming conventions, creating a structured repository for client onboarding documents.

Payment Authorization

YAALI developed a custom payment widget within Zoho Creator and integrated it with Stripe. This allows the firm to place credit-card holds during onboarding and gives attorneys control over subsequent payment capture.

Automated Conflict Checking

The application checks incoming client information against existing records for potential conflicts of interest. When a potential conflict is identified, the workflow can flag it for review or initiate the appropriate disengagement communication.

Attorney Dashboard

A centralized attorney dashboard provides access to new submissions, client information, documents, countersignatures, payment controls, and client communication managed through Zoho Desk.

Client Portal

A secure Zoho Creator portal allows clients to track their intake status, access signed documents, and view communication threads synchronized from Zoho Desk.

Implementation Complexity/Challenges: The implementation involved more than replacing the existing intake questionnaire. YAALI had to build a centralized Zoho Creator application and connect multiple stages of the client onboarding process, including conditional intake, conflict checking, document signing, document management, communication, and payment authorization. The solution also required separate workflows for attorneys and clients, along with integrations across Zoho Sign, Zoho WorkDrive, Zoho Desk, and Stripe.

Results

The implementation connected the major stages of Bentham Locke P.C.'s client intake process into a single workflow, reducing the separation between initial information collection and the activities required to onboard a client.

Faster Client Onboarding

Clients can now complete the intake process, electronically sign documents, and authorize payment within minutes rather than days.

Reduced Manual Coordination

The connected workflow reduces manual effort across intake, conflict checking, document signing, document management, communication, and payment authorization.

Earlier Conflict Identification

Automated conflict checking allows incoming client information to be compared against existing records as part of the intake process, helping identify potential conflicts earlier.

Improved Client Visibility

Clients can track their intake status, access signed documents, and view relevant communication through the client portal.

Centralized Attorney Management

Attorneys can manage new submissions, client information, documents, countersignatures, payment controls, and client communication through the centralized application.

Greater Process Flexibility

The solution provides the firm with greater flexibility to manage and refine its intake process without heavy dependence on developers or external support.