How it works

How automatic client updates work.

Your team works the file; Matterping sends the client updates. There's no new process to learn. Your fee earners already know when a stage is done. Matterping turns that moment into a clear update for the client, automatically.

Book a demo See how it works

Step 1

Set up your matter types once.

For each kind of matter you handle, list the stages and write a few lines of plain English for each one: what the stage means for the client, what happens next, and roughly how long it usually takes.

Start from a template and adapt it to how your firm actually works.
Keep it short. WhatsApp messages work best when they are brief and specific.
Change it any time. Edits apply to new matters; existing clients are never sent rewritten history.

Example: residential purchase

Instruction and ID checks
Contract pack received
Searches ordered
Searches received
Enquiries raised with the seller
Mortgage offer received
Report on title sent
Exchange of contracts
Completion

Step 2

Open a matter and record consent.

Add the client's name and mobile, choose the matter type, and record their consent to WhatsApp updates and how they gave it. Assign the matter to a fee earner and a department. The stages fill in automatically.

Matterping checks that the number doesn't already have an open matter with your firm, so every reply the client sends can only belong to one file.

Step 3

Complete a stage. The update goes.

When a stage is done, the fee earner clicks Complete. They see exactly what the client will receive, can tweak the "what happens next" line for this client, and send.

WhatsApp first, as an approved business message in your firm's name.
Text message backup if WhatsApp can't be delivered.
Quiet hours: evening updates wait until the morning.
Sent, delivered and read shown on the matter.

Your Firm SolicitorsWhatsApp

Update from Your Firm Solicitors on your matter CONV-1042: "Mortgage offer received" is now complete. What happens next: we will check the offer conditions and send you our report on the property, usually within a week. You can reply to this message if you have any questions.14:02

Step 4

Clients reply. You see it.

If a client replies, the message is saved to their matter and the matter is flagged so the fee earner notices. The client gets a short acknowledgement so they know it arrived. Replies that can't be matched to a matter land in a shared inbox for someone to assign.

Your Firm SolicitorsWhatsApp

Thanks! Do you need anything else from me before exchange?14:20

Thank you, your message has been passed to your team at Your Firm Solicitors. They will be in touch if a reply is needed.14:20

Step 5

Check in with Pulse.

At the times you choose, Pulse asks the client a short Yes or No question about your service. Every No alerts your reviewer at once, so a frustrated client gets a call before they become a complaint.

How Pulse works

Your Firm SolicitorsWhatsApp

A quick question from Your Firm Solicitors about your matter CONV-1042: Did we clearly explain what happens next with your matter? Please reply Yes or No.09:30

Yes No

Questions firms ask

Who writes the messages clients receive?

Your firm. Each stage in a matter type has a short, client-friendly explanation and a "what happens next" line. You write them once, and every matter of that type uses them. A fee earner can adjust the "what happens next" text for an individual client before an update goes.

Do we have to send a message for every stage?

No. Any stage can be completed without notifying the client, which suits internal steps the client doesn’t need to hear about.

How do we get the client’s permission?

When you open a matter you record the client’s mobile number and their WhatsApp consent: how they agreed (verbally, on a form or by email). Matterping logs who recorded it and when. Clients can reply STOP at any time.

What if a client replies at 11pm?

Their reply is saved to the matter straight away and they get a short acknowledgement. Your team picks it up in the morning. Updates your team completes late in the day wait for the morning too, thanks to quiet hours.

Can two clients on the same matter get updates?

Each matter has one client contact for updates today, and every phone number has one open matter at a time so replies are always matched correctly. Talk to us in your demo about joint clients.

See Matterping with your own matters.

Book a short demo and we'll set up a matter type that matches how your firm works, then send an update to your own phone so you can see exactly what your clients would get.

Book a demo