Barings Law, a leading law firm based in Manchester, has earned a stellar reputation by championing the rights of consumers. Representing over half a million clients, the firm tackles complex cases, from financial mis-selling to data breaches. However, behind the scenes, its outdated technology was preventing it from reaching its full potential.
When Barings Law transitioned to Zoho One, a unified business operations platform, the benefits were immediate. It enabled it to modernise its operations and drive significant improvements in efficiency, customer service, and cost savings.
The Challenge: Breaking Free from Legacy Systems
Before adopting Zoho One, Barings Law was grappling with multiple disconnected, cumbersome systems. Its legacy case management CRM, Proclaim, was hosted on physical servers and earned the nickname "dinosaur software" due to its clunky, outdated nature.
The software’s inability to integrate with other platforms created a fragmented workflow, forcing the team to rely on manual processes and developer intervention for even the smallest changes. With a growing caseload and a need for better scalability, Barings needed a solution that could unify its operations, improve automation, and support future growth.
Enter Zoho One: a fully integrated suite of 45+ applications that covered every aspect of Barings' needs—from case management to marketing communications—all in a single, cloud-based platform. The switch to Zoho One revolutionised how the firm worked, unlocking several key benefits.
1. Streamlined Case Management and Increased Efficiency
Zoho One brought Barings Law an end-to-end case management solution that eliminated the inefficiencies of its previous system. With Zoho CRM at the core, the firm was able to centralise all client interactions, case details, and legal documents into one platform. Every phone call, email, and client update is now logged automatically, ensuring that teams have instant access to crucial information.
One of the most significant improvements was the automation of repetitive tasks. Processes that once required hours of manual work—like sending mass updates to clients or tracking the signing of documents—were now automated, freeing up time for Barings’ professionals to focus on litigation. “The power that automation gives us as a firm to bulk process cases allows our teams to focus on the legal stuff, which is what really matters at the end of the day,” explained Melanie Cope Machial, Head of Marketing & Technology.
2. Enhanced Client Communication and Faster Response Times
One of the firm’s top priorities was improving client satisfaction, and Zoho One delivered on this front in a big way. By integrating its telephony system with Zoho CRM, Barings implemented a custom-built Reviews Module that automatically sends follow-up emails to clients after phone calls lasting more than 60 seconds. This real-time feedback mechanism allowed the firm to identify any issues immediately, enabling its team to address complaints before they escalated.
The result? Dramatically faster complaint resolution times. Previously, resolving a client issue could take up to three weeks. With Zoho’s automation and real-time feedback loops, this timeframe has been reduced to just a few days. "Zoho allows us to be proactive," Melanie noted. "We can turn unhappy clients into happy clients in a matter of days rather than weeks."
3. Cost Savings and Increased ROI
Switching to Zoho One didn’t just improve operations—it also delivered significant financial benefits. By consolidating multiple software platforms into a single suite, Barings Law was able to cut down on costly third-party subscriptions. For example, the firm eliminated its reliance on expensive platforms like DocuSign and MailChimp, replacing them with Zoho Sign for document signing and Zoho Campaigns for email marketing.
Zoho Campaigns alone saved Barings around £20,000 annually by replacing traditional mass-mailing services, while Zoho Social, which streamlined the firm’s social media management, saved it an additional £250 per month. With Zoho’s comprehensive tools included in the One bundle, the firm no longer needed to pay for fragmented solutions, significantly boosting its return on investment.
4. Remote Work and Enhanced Security
Zoho One’s cloud-based infrastructure empowered Barings Law to transition to a remote working model securely and efficiently, a crucial development in the post-pandemic world. Employees can now access the CRM and all related tools from anywhere, allowing for seamless collaboration between remote teams without sacrificing security. Zoho’s robust security features—including multi-factor authentication and centralised access controls—provided Barings with peace of mind, knowing that sensitive client information was protected.
"Zoho has empowered us to give our staff the opportunity to work from home securely," Melanie highlighted. For a firm handling thousands of sensitive financial details, the ability to instantly grant or revoke access permissions has been a critical benefit.
5. Boosted Marketing Capabilities
The benefits of Zoho One extended beyond legal operations to Barings Law’s marketing efforts. The firm’s Digital Marketing Executive, Jessica Howkins, uses Zoho Campaigns and Zoho Social to manage communications with around half a million clients. Zoho’s automation tools have made Jessica’s job significantly easier, allowing her to send highly targeted and personalised email campaigns with just a few clicks.
Zoho’s integration between CRM and Campaigns allowed Jessica to track client engagement in real-time, making follow-ups more effective and tailored to each individual’s needs. "The automation from CRM into Campaigns saves me so much time," she noted.
Additionally, Zoho Social allowed Barings to orchestrate its presence across multiple platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok from one central dashboard. The platform’s reporting features helped the firm track social media performance, ensuring it could optimise content for maximum engagement.
6. Empowered In-House Customisation
Perhaps one of the most empowering aspects of Zoho One is its ease of customisation. Barings Law built its entire Zoho One implementation in-house, without needing to rely on external developers. This not only saved the firm money but also gave its team full control over the platform. When new requirements arise, they can quickly make changes, test new ideas, and adapt the system to their needs.
"There are no real limitations to what we can do with Zoho," Melanie explained. This flexibility has allowed the firm to continuously innovate and improve its processes, ensuring it stays ahead in a competitive legal landscape.
Conclusion: A Transformational Shift for Barings Law
For Barings Law, adopting Zoho One has been more than just a technology upgrade—it’s been a complete transformation. By replacing outdated systems with a powerful, integrated platform, the firm has unlocked new levels of efficiency, improved client satisfaction, and significantly reduced costs. The comprehensive suite of tools within Zoho One, combined with its ease of use and flexibility, has empowered Barings to innovate and grow while staying true to its mission of delivering justice to consumers.
With Zoho One, Barings Law is no longer held back by "dinosaur software" and can focus on what truly matters: providing top-tier legal services to its clients whilst remaining agile and forward-thinking in its technology. Indeed, so impressive is Barings Law's Zoho One implementation, that in 2024 it was shortlisted for the ‘Best Use of Technology’ in the Legal Services category of the British Insurance Technology Awards.
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