How a full-service law firm was able to modernise its remote meetings with ease and improve the client meeting experience by switching to LoopUp
GableGotwals is one of the largest and oldest law firms in the state of Oklahoma. GableGotwals is well known for providing high-quality legal services to Fortune 500 corporations, entrepreneurs and privately-owned companies. Effective communication and collaboration is paramount to the firm’s success.
A more modern conferencing solution
Dave Kester joined GableGotwals in 2019 as Director of Information Technology. His first task was to modernise some of the firm’s infrastructure. The firm had been using an outdated dial-in audio conferencing tool for the last seven years. Attorneys would join audio-only calls with dial-in numbers and access codes. It offered no screen sharing or video capability. “Our attorneys were comfortable using dial-in – it worked, and they knew how to use it,” said Dave. “They didn’t realise there was anything better out there”. The IT team decided to find a more progressive solution that would improve the way the firm communicated with its clients.
A tool for important client calls
GableGotwals already had access to Microsoft Teams as part of their Microsoft Office package, but it was only used for internal meetings. “We never used it for client meetings because it was just too complex for guests to join a meeting,” explained Dave. “The client wouldn’t always have a Microsoft account, or they weren’t familiar with the tool and then getting on a call was always a struggle”. The IT team began researching conferencing solutions. “I tried many of the popular video conferencing tools but either they were not secure enough or they were too complex to implement,” continued Dave.
The ideal solution
The ideal solution would be quick to implement, simple to use and would have video and screen sharing capability. “I was on a review site and saw that LoopUp had a lot of positive comments”, said Dave. “I gave them a call and was given a demo by the team”.
“One of the first things that impressed me was how easy the tool was to use,” he said. “Some of our attorneys are not extraordinarily computer-savvy and their schedules are very busy, so they need to quickly send invites and join meetings. They need a solution that does all of the work. That’s what LoopUp offered. It was also quick to implement, with no upfront cost and our attorneys could start using it immediately”.
From successful pilot to firm-wide roll out
GableGotwals decided to run a one-month pilot with LoopUp. The overall feedback was very positive. So, LoopUp was rolled out firm-wide. “The fact that you only pay for what you use made the procurement process easier,” said Dave. With LoopUp’s pay-as-you-go pricing, there are no costs to having an account and you just pay for the minutes you use.
The deployment of the product was quick and seamless. GableGotwals’ IT team only needed to centrally deploy the LoopUp for Outlook app and configure single sign-on, and LoopUp took care of the rest, including setting up accounts, sending out user activation emails and hosting 15-minute in-person introductory sessions for staff. The firm also had access to LoopUp’s user guides, a support site and a 24/7 customer service team. Attorneys adopted the tool quickly and the previous dial-in solution was switched off within 60 days. “Every attorney and legal assistant across the firm is using it,” said Dave.
LoopUp calls you
“The fact that LoopUp calls you when you want to join a meeting is a feature that everybody loves”, said Dave. “Our attorneys no longer have to worry about remembering dial-in numbers and access codes and sending them out to clients”. With LoopUp, both users and guests click a link to join their meeting and LoopUp calls them back on their phone. There are no downloads required and the interface is intuitive enough for first time users. “Our attorneys just send the link to clients and that’s it”, Dave told us. “LoopUp even integrates with Outlook so you can send meeting invites directly from your calendar”. 81% of GableGotwals employees send meeting invites via the LoopUp Outlook plugin.
More independence for attorneys and legal assistants
LoopUp has given attorneys at GableGotwals more independence when it comes to setting up and running their own meetings. “With our previous dial-in solution, we always had issues,” said Dave. “People would get confused about which phone numbers and access codes to use or they didn’t know where to find them, so the IT team had to step in. When it came to large important meetings, we always had to be on the call to ensure nothing went wrong. With LoopUp, it’s so simple to use that little or no support from IT is required”.
Attorneys can send out invites and join meetings with ease but if they need legal assistants to schedule on their behalf, LoopUp allows users to assign delegates to their account. They have full autonomy to schedule meetings, update meeting room settings, view meeting history and join calls on behalf of the user. A legal assistant can manage meetings for their attorneys from their own account, without having to sign in to each attorney’s account separately.
A dedicated meeting room for each client
One LoopUp feature that is particularly popular at the firm is the ability to create multiple meeting rooms. “With our dial-in solution, it often happened that if a call overran, then one client would sometimes join another client’s meeting accidentally,” exlpained Dave. Not only was this embarrassing for the GableGotwals attorneys, but it also created a potential security issue.
With LoopUp, users can set up a dedicated meeting room for each client. Each meeting room has unique join instructions, so there is no chance of anyone accidentally joining another person’s meeting. For additional security, LoopUp hosts can see exactly who has joined their meeting and remove anyone they don’t want on the call.
Made for mission-critical meetings
Modernising a firm’s infrastructure can always seem like a daunting task, especially when it involves changing conferencing solutions. GableGotwals was able to find a provider that offered quick implementation and a simple to use solution, making the process seamless. GableGotwals’ attorneys can now benefit from screen share, video and a premium user experience on every call. LoopUp’s call-out feature has allowed attorneys and clients to join meetings with ease. The firm now uses LoopUp for all its external conference calls. “I always recommend LoopUp when my industry peers ask me about remote meeting solutions,” said Dave. “The ease of use, level of customer support and very competitive costs, puts them ahead of the other providers”.
It’s time to improve your company’s remote meetings with LoopUp. Sign up free.
