By Michael Tobin, Marketing and Business Development Manager, Grant Saw.
Grant Saw Solicitors LLP is a leading firm of solicitors based in South East London, with offices in Greenwich and Blackheath.
Providing a range of legal services for individuals and businesses, Grant Saw specialises in conveyancing, Wills and probate, contesting Wills, powers of attorney, commercial leases, insolvency law, disputes, divorce and separation and employment services.
Estatesearch Integration
Grant Saw’s Private Client department which comprises five lawyers and two support staff have used Estatesearch’s Financial Profile Search for three years and also use the Estatesearch portal to place Section 27 notices. Most recently, the firm has used Estatesearch’s new Will Bank Management Service developed to help private client practitioners manage data more efficiently, while maximising the potential pipeline of work from existing customers. The unique service also allows firms to understand their client dataset in terms of mortality and helps comply with GDPR.
Michael Tobin, Marketing and Business Development Manager, Grant Saw explains: “We have over 400 Wills that were made in 2013. Last year, we invested time into getting the data stored in a digital format. We also researched organisations who could help us cleanse the data efficiently to ensure we comply with GDPR and with a view to communicating with clients about potentially updating their Wills.
“My colleagues use Estatesearch for other reporting services and I was introduced to Caroline, our account manager, who was particularly helpful. Estatesearch’s Will Bank Management tool is very easy to use. I was sent an instructional video which was great but even without it, the process would have been straightforward. Our Excel spreadsheet was simply uploaded to Estatesearch’s secure portal and I was notified once the data cleanse had taken place. I was able to download the cleansed database plus a password protected report which clearly indicated the number of people who had passed away in addition to the living categorised by a high, medium or low degree of confidence that their data was correct.”
Will Bank Data Management
Estatesearch’s Will Bank Management service includes three stages – Screening, Cleansing and Notifications. The initial screen provides a free health check of the testator database. This enables firms to see the percentage of out-of-date records, before proceeding with a full cleanse.
“The report was insightful and informed us of who had passed away and when. We were then able to send sensitive and appropriate communication to the executors, providing them with the Will and introducing our range of services should they need any assistance.
Data Cleansing Benefits
“We are now planning a proactive and phased marketing campaign to those within our database who have been confirmed as living, safe in the knowledge we have their up-to-date contact details, to invite them to update their Will if they choose.
“Estatesearch’s Will Bank Management cleanse now means we have a clear and up to date snapshot of our Will Bank clients including an updated address. We can now be proactive with our communication, enabling us to get in touch with them before they need to get in touch with us. This puts us in a stronger position commercially but also means we can offer more appropriate and more timely services to our clients.
“From start to finish the process of the data cleanse was very easy. The Estatesearch team have all been incredibly professional and helpful and the reports have provided us with quick and accurate results. It’s also a cost-effective service; just one new instruction will cover the cost of the complete data cleanse.
“We are now confident that our data is up to date, we comply with GDPR and we can now move ahead with our sensitive, proactive communication campaigns in a professional way.
“Estatesearch supports us in offering a best practice approach, both in identifying assets and liabilities, locating Wills and with Will Bank Management, enabling us to offer an even more professional service to our clients.”
For further information about Grant Saw Solicitors please see: Solicitors in Greenwich, Blackheath & London (grantsaw.com)
Originally Published on Today’s Wills & Probate.