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72 transformative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. "I think it creates enormous opportunities for changing many of the ways we work as lawyers, the ways we provide legal services to our clients, and also the ways the justice system as a whole works," she told the ABA Journal in August 2020. at said, numerous studies suggest that legal consumers were significantly dissatisfied with service delivery pre-pandemic, repeatedly mentioning poor visibility into their cases, lack of timelines, costs incurred, and work being done on their behalf as issues caused them to look elsewhere. And while many law firms have certainly tried to implement better project management systems and practices, the overall perception is that the industry and its efforts remain far behind where they need to be. As legal professionals grapple with the challenge to offer a more customer-centric experience, they will need to embrace modern and alternative digital tools, or they risk losing customers. For example, several clients cited in a LexisNexis report were willing to seek nontraditional solutions and have switched to working with much smaller firms that offer the visibility, flexibility, and responsiveness they don't get from the top-50 law firms. ese patterns and desires for more flexible services will continue. erefore, the ability to rethink core client strategies and reengineer operational processes will help the legal industry deliver the communication, transparency, and personalized level of service that is now expected. THE BENEFITS OF CUSTOMER LOYALTY e legal industry is a pillar of society, as many businesses as well as individuals need legal services daily, and not to mention, the reference of trials and process of law being U.S. Constitutional Amendments. Despite the permanence of the institution, the legal industry is a competitive market, and it's no secret that happy customers are loyal customers. In this market, when practically every service provider is expendable, being customer-focused is more important than ever. Furthermore, the cost of nurturing and acquiring new customers far exceeds the cost of retaining existing customers, which is one of the reasons firms should be turning to technology to automate as many tasks as possible. By utilizing automation, technology frees up lawyers' time to service and secure clients. A study from the Leeds University Business School suggested that the longer a relationship evolves, the more profitable it becomes, revealing the need for legal firms to focus on client retention for survival and profitability. ese findings indicate that customer satisfaction is required for growth, reputation management, and increased profitability, and that technology adoption can be a strategic pillar to safeguard loyalty. HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN IMPROVE EFFICIENCY & CUSTOMER SATISFACTION In this Age of the Customer for the legal industry, earning customer loyalty is becoming increasingly important in order to stay competitive and meet clients' evolving demands. ere are many ways to strengthen the client relationship, improve loyalty, and reduce defection; a few examples include providing frequent communication and efficient client responsiveness and soliciting client feedback regarding their service experience. According to a recent report by Deloitte that focuses on the relationship between digital maturity and financial performance, evidence reflects that a comprehensive effort to implement technological change, such as data mastery and intelligent workflows, can deliver a handful of concrete business benefits. ese benefits range from improved product quality and higher customer satisfaction to greater efficiency and increased revenue. e combination of these benefits results in improved reputations and increased market share against competitors in the sector. Indeed, modern solutions such as videoconferencing, virtual notaries, digital documents, eSignatures, and e-filing have become widespread as just a few of the methods firms are taking to boost efficiency of operations and simultaneously improve customer satisfaction and retention. Clio's 2020 Legal Trends Report found that 85% of responding firms are using software to manage Intelligent tools are being deployed across the legal field in several exciting ways, such as identifying tasks and workflows that need to be initiated, as well as populating common documents and contracts, saving lawyers valuable time to invest in other client- facing tasks. Feature By: Sascha Mehlhase