Conveyancing can be a busy job. A single transaction can involve clients, estate agents, mortgage brokers and other professionals, all waiting for different things to happen. Add several cases to the mix and it is easy for the working day to become a constant stream of emails, phone calls, paperwork and follow-ups.
There are ways to make things easier, though. It does not always mean making huge changes to the way a firm works. Sometimes the biggest difference comes from sorting out the small jobs that are repeated every day.
It starts with getting a new client on board. If information is missing at the beginning, someone will usually have to chase it later. That can hold things up and create more work for the team. A simple onboarding process makes it clear what the client needs to provide and gives staff the information they need to get started.
Doing this digitally can make a lot of sense. Clients can provide their details without everything having to go backwards and forwards by email. Staff can then access the information when they need it rather than hunting through an inbox to find an old message.
Once the case is open, keeping an eye on what is happening becomes important. Property transactions do not always follow a neat order. A search might be outstanding while another document is ready to be signed, or a case may be waiting for someone else in the chain.
It is much easier to deal with this when the latest information is easy to find. QMP includes case tracking, giving conveyancing firms a way to keep an eye on their transactions and see what needs attention. Having that information together can save time that would otherwise be spent checking different places for updates.
Then there is communication. Clients understandably want to know what is happening with their purchase or sale. Estate agents want updates too, and mortgage brokers may need information as a transaction moves along.
Keeping everyone informed is part of the job, but it can become repetitive. Writing similar emails throughout the day is not the best use of anyone’s time, especially when the update is simply confirming that a case has reached another stage.
QMP includes automated progress updates, which can be sent to clients, estate agents and mortgage brokers. Routine information can be shared without staff having to start a new email each time. When something needs a personal explanation, there is still plenty of scope for direct communication.
Documents can cause their own problems. Conveyancing creates a lot of paperwork, and it is surprisingly easy to lose time looking for a particular file. One document might be in an email, another in a folder and something else saved somewhere completely different.
Keeping documents in a secure central location makes them easier to find. It also gives the team a better idea of where the latest information is, rather than having to work out which version of a document is the right one.
The same idea applies to identity checks, AML checks and electronic signatures. These are necessary parts of the process, but they can add extra administration when they are handled separately.
QMP works with services including DocuSign for electronic signatures and ICOS for identity and AML checks. Having these functions available alongside the wider conveyancing process can reduce some of the jumping between different systems.
As a case gets closer to exchange and completion, organisation becomes even more important. There can be several outstanding jobs to deal with, and a delay with one part of the transaction can affect everything else.
Being able to see what has been done and what still needs doing gives staff a much clearer starting point. Instead of checking through old correspondence to work out what is outstanding, they can concentrate on the tasks that actually need action.
This can also help when a client asks for an update. Nobody wants to tell a client that they need to check several emails before they can answer a fairly simple question. Having the relevant information available makes those conversations easier.
Of course, making a process more efficient does not mean removing the human side of conveyancing. Property transactions can be complicated, and there will always be situations that need someone to pick up the phone or spend time working through a problem.
A system cannot stop a chain from breaking or make another party respond more quickly. What it can do is take some of the repetitive administration out of the picture.
That matters when a firm is dealing with a large number of cases. Saving a few minutes on onboarding, finding documents or sending updates may not seem like much on its own. Repeated across a busy caseload, however, those minutes can become hours.
For conveyancers, that time can then be used on cases that need more attention, speaking with clients or dealing with issues that cannot be handled automatically.
Making conveyancing more efficient is really about removing some of the unnecessary work around the transaction. Better organisation, easier access to information and fewer repetitive tasks can make the whole process more manageable.
From the first client contact through to completion, there are plenty of opportunities to save time. A platform such as QMP brings several of these tasks together, helping firms manage onboarding, case tracking, documents and progress updates from one place.
The transaction itself will always require care and attention. That is not something technology can replace. But there is no reason for the administration around it to be more complicated than it needs to be.
