Save Progress on Intake Forms

Cogent CRM now includes a "Save Progress" feature for multi-step intake forms. For a law firm, this means potential clients filling out lengthy intake questionnaires or case evaluation forms can pause, close their browser, and return later to finish without losing their progress. This reduces form abandonment and ensures you capture complete client details.

How to Enable Save Progress

1. Open the intake form builder in Cogent CRM.
2. Navigate to the Settings tab.
3. Locate and enable the Save exit confirmation toggle.
4. Save your changes.

Tip: The resume prompt automatically inherits your form's custom branding, fonts, and button colors, ensuring a seamless and professional experience for your prospective clients.

Automatic Case and Contact Linking

A new "Associate Records" workflow action in Cogent CRM allows law firms to automatically link contacts, companies, opportunities, and custom objects based on matching field values. Instead of manually linking a new consultation contact to an existing case or company record, your workflows can now handle this association instantly behind the scenes, keeping your legal files organized and up to date.

How to Set Up Automatic Linking

1. Go to Settings, click Labs, and enable the Associate Records - Workflow Action feature.
2. Navigate to your workflows and add the Associate Records action to a Contact, Company, or Custom Object workflow.
3. Select the target object containing the records you want to associate.
4. Add filters to identify matching records (such as matching email, case ID, or custom fields).
5. Choose how to handle multiple matches, such as associating the earliest created, latest created, or all matching records.
6. Select an association label if required, then save and publish your workflow.

Tip: You can use merge fields from the enrolled record as filter values, allowing you to dynamically match and link records like connecting a new witness contact to a specific active case file.

Instant Alerts for Client Document Uploads

Cogent CRM now sends instant in-app notifications to designated staff members whenever a client uploads a file through the Client Portal. Law firms handle sensitive and time-critical documents daily, such as signed retainer agreements, evidence, or identification. This update ensures your legal team is alerted immediately when a client submits files, eliminating the need to manually check portals and speeding up case progression.

How to Configure Upload Notifications

1. Navigate to Settings and select My Staff.
2. Select the specific staff member you want to configure.
3. Open their Notification Settings.
4. Under Client Portal Notifications, toggle on Notify when a contact uploads a file in the Client Portal.
5. Save the changes.

Tip: Because notifications are managed individually per staff member, you can ensure only the relevant paralegals or attorneys assigned to a case receive alerts, keeping your team's workspace clutter-free.

Simplified Payment Collection on Intake Forms

Cogent CRM has redesigned the "Sell Products" element inside forms and surveys with a unified payment configuration panel. For law firms that collect consultation fees, retainer deposits, or flat-rate service payments during the initial intake process, this update simplifies setup by letting you connect payment providers and configure pricing options in one central place.

How to Configure Payments on Intake Forms

1. Open your form or survey builder and add the Sell Products element to your canvas.
2. Open the unified Payment panel on the right side of the screen.
3. Connect your preferred payment provider directly from this panel if you have not already done so.
4. Select the legal services or consultation products you want to offer, and configure any available price levels or variants.
5. Save your form.

Tip: The system automatically validates required price and variant selections before a client can submit the form, preventing incomplete submissions and ensuring accurate billing.

How-to: Automatically save intake form submissions as PDFs

Cogent CRM now allows you to automatically generate and store PDF records of form submissions. For law offices, this is a crucial compliance and record-keeping update, as it automatically converts client intake responses into a clean PDF document and saves it directly to the client's contact record for easy reference during consultations or trial prep.

How to Enable Automatic PDF Generation

1. Open the intake form builder in Cogent CRM.
2. Navigate to the settings menu for your specific form.
3. Locate the option to enable automatic PDF generation for submissions.
4. Toggle the feature on and save your changes.

Tip: Once enabled, every new submission automatically saves as a PDF in the contact's Documents section, making it simple to download, print, or share with co-counsel.

How-to: Manage client appointments on the go with the mobile app

The Cogent CRM mobile app now features a Unified Appointment Screen, allowing attorneys and legal staff to manage all appointment details from a single interface while away from their desks. This update consolidates client details, attendee lists, notes, form submissions, activity history, and payments into one view, ensuring you have complete context before walking into a client meeting or court hearing.

How to Manage Appointments on the Mobile App

1. Open the Cogent CRM mobile app on your device.
2. Navigate to the calendar or appointments section and select a scheduled meeting.
3. Tap the Details or Attendees tabs to view or edit basic meeting information and participant details.
4. Swipe to the Form Submissions or Notes tabs to review intake answers or add internal case notes.
5. Use the Activity Log and Payments tabs to track client history and review billing status directly from your phone.

Tip: Having quick access to intake forms and payment history directly on your mobile device helps you confirm consultation fee payments on the spot before a meeting begins.