Hi.
I'm the junior partner in a two-partner firm, which means I get to do all the admin stuff.
I want to automate our client and matter intake process. You can think of matters as children of clients: every client has at least one matter associated with him/her/it, and sometimes more than one; every matter is associated with one and only one client.
Here's what I want to do. This starts when there is a potential new client/matter:
1. Input relevant info into a Web form. There is a workflow:
--if existing client, go directly to matter intake
--if new client, enter client info (name, address, email, phone etc). - mostly text fields, a couple of dropdown/radio button fields, then to matter intake
--matter intake is also mostly text fields, with a few dropdown/radio button/text box fields.
From my playing around, I think that Google Forms can do this.
2. Save the input into csv files, Clients.csv and Matters.csv. Again, I think Google Forms can do this, although it seems to want to use that annoying Google faux-Excel product.
3. Export from the csv file into fields in a PDF that are mapped to the CSV file (name, address, etc). The PDF is our firm's retainer agreement form. A few of the fields need to have some simple if-then logic based on the contents of the csv, ie if Field X on the csv is value 1, then I want text block 1 to appear in the PDF; if it's value 2, then text block 2, etc.
4. Auto-magically email the PDF to the client, bccing an email account I have set up to keep track of what's gone out.
For steps 3-4, I think it may be easier to do a Word mail merge and convert to PDF, but I think (??) that PDFs can import data, and this is where my first-hand knowledge gets hazy and I'm here for help.
5. Upon the client returning the retainer, ie the client has hired us, import the matter info and the client info (if a new client) into our practice-management software. This is web-based and the import process is simple; I think it would just be a matter of isolating the pertinent row of the appropriate csv.
5a. Ideally, if after x days, the client hasn't hired us, email the client a declination of representation form letter, importing again from the csv, ie you never hired us so don't blame us for your legal problems.
As I get further into this workflow, I start to wonder if some database product other than Google Forms front end plus ??? back-end might be better, but again I'm out over my skis now and that's why I'm asking for help here. About 20 years ago I was a pretty good Lotus Notes/Domino developer and I think I could do all this in Notes, but I'm guessing that Notes is dead and/or that a license would cost money.
Thoughts?
Thanks everyone.
I'm the junior partner in a two-partner firm, which means I get to do all the admin stuff.
I want to automate our client and matter intake process. You can think of matters as children of clients: every client has at least one matter associated with him/her/it, and sometimes more than one; every matter is associated with one and only one client.
Here's what I want to do. This starts when there is a potential new client/matter:
1. Input relevant info into a Web form. There is a workflow:
--if existing client, go directly to matter intake
--if new client, enter client info (name, address, email, phone etc). - mostly text fields, a couple of dropdown/radio button fields, then to matter intake
--matter intake is also mostly text fields, with a few dropdown/radio button/text box fields.
From my playing around, I think that Google Forms can do this.
2. Save the input into csv files, Clients.csv and Matters.csv. Again, I think Google Forms can do this, although it seems to want to use that annoying Google faux-Excel product.
3. Export from the csv file into fields in a PDF that are mapped to the CSV file (name, address, etc). The PDF is our firm's retainer agreement form. A few of the fields need to have some simple if-then logic based on the contents of the csv, ie if Field X on the csv is value 1, then I want text block 1 to appear in the PDF; if it's value 2, then text block 2, etc.
4. Auto-magically email the PDF to the client, bccing an email account I have set up to keep track of what's gone out.
For steps 3-4, I think it may be easier to do a Word mail merge and convert to PDF, but I think (??) that PDFs can import data, and this is where my first-hand knowledge gets hazy and I'm here for help.
5. Upon the client returning the retainer, ie the client has hired us, import the matter info and the client info (if a new client) into our practice-management software. This is web-based and the import process is simple; I think it would just be a matter of isolating the pertinent row of the appropriate csv.
5a. Ideally, if after x days, the client hasn't hired us, email the client a declination of representation form letter, importing again from the csv, ie you never hired us so don't blame us for your legal problems.
As I get further into this workflow, I start to wonder if some database product other than Google Forms front end plus ??? back-end might be better, but again I'm out over my skis now and that's why I'm asking for help here. About 20 years ago I was a pretty good Lotus Notes/Domino developer and I think I could do all this in Notes, but I'm guessing that Notes is dead and/or that a license would cost money.
Thoughts?
Thanks everyone.