11 May 2004 - UK law firm Pinsents has created client relations history by becoming the first professional services firm to win a prestigious all-industries national award for its client relationship management (CRM) system.

Pinsents picked up the award for the Best CRM Project for an organisation with a turnover under £100 million at the national 2004 CRM Industry Awards staged by CRM magazine.

The accolade came within a week of Pinsents' CRM system winning an award for the Best Use of IT to Support Marketing presented at In Brief magazine's annual Legal Marketing Awards (LEMAS).

"Some industries are more associated with customer relationship management and service than others. So the judges were particularly pleased with the winner of this category which showed energy and enthusiasm in a very targeted and disciplined project in an environment not always associated with change and new technology" – was the citation for the CRM Industry Award. The awards are open to organisations from all sectors and finalists across the various categories included Diageo, Lloyds TSB, EGL, Reg Vardy, Nationwide Building Society and Orange.

"Our CRM system is the core support tool for the client service activities, promoted by our business development and client service teams, which are central to how Pinsents operates as a business," said Senior Partner, Julian Tonks. "A clear focus on client needs has driven the strategic growth and expansion of our business and is central to all investment. I am very proud that the firm has received independent recognition in this way."

Andrew Hedley, Pinsents' Business Development Director, said: "A clear vision, rigorous planning and excellent execution lie at the heart of our success, alongside the firm's investment commitment in terms of people and technology. Three years ago we appointed Simon McNidder, as our first CRM Database Manager, to manage the development and implementation of a completely new CRM system for Pinsents. We wanted a fully featured system with a simple user interface, which would give us good buy-in within the business, together with the technical integrity and scalability to flex with the differing needs of a growing business. We're delighted with the progress we have made."

After an exhaustive search process, Pinsents chose an off-the-shelf mid range CRM solution - e1 Metis (from SAGE SalesLogix and e1 Business) and fine-tuned it over several years to reflect the different types of users and a range of business requirements specific to the legal industry.

It is used by the business development and client service teams as the core resource for the full range of their CRM, marketing and sales activity. Lawyers use it to manage their client relationships in real time with a selection of automatic notifications when contact records change. While lawyers retain primary responsibility for managing contacts' core details, the firm's database and research teams enhance it by adding key business information and interests. This has reduced the data admin burden, made direct marketing quicker and more effective, and ensured clients receive more relevant marketing communications.

"Looking back on the last three years, we've achieved a significant amount," said Simon McNidder. "The future is even more exciting as we develop the system to help lawyers manage their client relationships even more effectively, make direct marketing more successful, and significantly reduce the data admin burden that can be a disincentive to use."