Dexter Montague LLP (www.dextermontague.co.uk) is a firm of solicitors based in Reading, serving the community and businesses in the Thames Valley area. The conveyancing team consists of four residential and two commercial fee earners, all of which use Dye & Durham’s cloud-based platform for search ordering. The firm also benefits from Dye & Durham’s automated online quoting tool, which is often the first point of contact for clients and offers a consistent, streamlined, professional response.
Dexter Montague has used the search ordering platform for more than 10 years. Since recent VAT directive changes were implemented, Dexter Montague’s conveyancers now book searches and then Dye & Durham’s Funds to Collect team contacts the client to obtain payment. Once payment is received, the searches are ordered.
Dexter Montague receives regular email updates confirming when searches are expected to be returned. Bill Montague, Partner at Dexter Montague, stated:
“For us, it saves both time and hassle collecting payment, and for our clients, it offers complete transparency. Clients are clear on which searches are required and precisely what they will cost.”
Dye & Durham’s range of cloud-based conveyancing searches for England & Wales include: Local Searches, Environmental & Flood, Drainage and Water, Mining and Subsidence, Energy & Infrastructure, Risk Management and Compliance, Chancel and Planning.
In addition to the search ordering platform, Dexter Montague’s team also uses Dye & Durham’s online quoting tool, which is integrated with its website. Clients can go online to see published fee scales, and the tool generates an automated quote with confirmation to Dexter Montague’s team members, who then personally follow up. Montague said:
“During lockdown, it would have been difficult to manage the volume of enquiries without the quoting tool. It has proved very useful and takes the pressure off our support staff, enabling them to focus on active cases. Crucially, it also helps us to maintain a consistent approach to quoting for conveyancing services across the firm.”
Staff are also able to help clients who phone rather than visit Dexter Montague’s website, as they can also access the system to issue quotes. Correspondence generated by the system can be tailored to requirements, ensuring communication is clear and concise and the entire process is efficient, Montague said.
Dexter Montague processes around 1,000 matters per year, and the quoting tool is often the first point of contact for a new client. He continued:
“We’re happy that the process gets our new client relationships off to a good start. Client feedback is consistently positive, and our conversion rate is high.”
From a management perspective, the firm can review and adjust prices easily too so they remain compliant with transparency of fees rules. Monague added:
“Conveyancing solicitors have more than enough issues to deal with, in the current climate. We value the reliability of Dye & Durham’s solution which provides us with help to deal with these everyday challenges with consistency and efficiency at a reasonable price.”
He also added that his firm has known some of the Dye & Durham team members for many years, further enhancing the relationship. He concluded:
“They understand how we work and provide a valuable backup service, and they are always on hand to deal with any issues that occasionally crop up, such as expediting searches. Dye & Durham is proactive and we look forward to benefitting from their future initiatives in relation to technological advances and integration.”
For further information please see: Dye & Durham – A Legal Technology Company (dyedurham.com)
This article was submitted to be published by Dye & Durham as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Conveyancer. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Conveyancer.
