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Join the Claim is not a law firm. This information is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. While every effort has been made to ensure the information is accurate, regulations, details, and legal proceedings may change.
When successful claims still leave consumers dissatisfied
Today, consumers are generally willing to pursue collective claims.
Many value professional representation and recognise the importance of holding organisations to account.
Yet too many describe confusing onboarding, poor communication, unclear costs and long periods without meaningful updates.
Research commissioned by the SRA provides one of the clearest pictures yet of how consumers experience high-volume claims. Its findings suggest that while legal outcomes are often positive, the journey to get there can leave claimants feeling uncertain, unsupported and disengaged.
For law firms, the message is clear. Delivering a successful claim is only part of the challenge. Keeping claimants informed, engaged and confident throughout the lifecycle of a claim is becoming just as important.
The claimant experience is every interaction a consumer has with a claim, from the moment they first see an advert or social media post through to receiving compensation or the conclusion of the case.
It encompasses:
When these elements work well, consumers feel informed, confident and able to make decisions about their claim.
When they do not, uncertainty begins to build.
This is what we mean by the claimant experience gap. It is the difference between successfully delivering a legal outcome and successfully delivering a positive claimant experience.
The SRA’s 2026 research highlights several areas where consumers struggled during high-volume claims.
Consumers frequently reported uncertainty about:
Others reported inconsistent communication or long periods without meaningful updates.
The research also revealed a clear difference between legal outcomes and claimant experience.
The research also found that consumers with additional support needs and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds were significantly more likely to report confusion and poorer experiences, highlighting the importance of accessible communication throughout the claimant journey.
Taken together, the findings suggest claimant experience has become an important factor in how consumers judge legal services, regardless of whether the claim itself succeeds.
Every firm wants happy clients. But in high-volume litigation, a positive claimant experience delivers more than satisfaction alone.
Claimants who understand the process are more likely to:
For litigation teams, these behaviours matter. A better claimant experience with more engaged claimants leads to:
As collective actions continue to grow in scale and complexity, claimant experience is becoming a strategic advantage rather than simply a client service consideration.
Transparency is often viewed through a regulatory lens. Law firms have clear obligations to ensure consumers receive information that is accurate, accessible and not misleading, so they can make informed decisions about legal services.
However, while compliance is essential, transparency should not be seen simply as a regulatory obligation. It is also one of the defining factors shaping claimant confidence, trust and engagement throughout the life of a claim.
In practice, that means being clear from the outset, making complex information easier to understand and maintaining communication as the claim progresses.
Collective claims can take months—or even years—to conclude. Helping claimants understand likely timescales, what remains uncertain and what may be required of them reduces unnecessary frustration later.
It also helps prevent a gap developing between what consumers think they are signing up to and what the claims process actually involves.
Transparency means more than providing information. It means making information understandable by:
The aim is not to strip out important legal detail, but to present it in a way that consumers can realistically engage with.
Transparency should continue long after onboarding. Regular updates, clear explanations of milestones and honest communication about delays help maintain confidence throughout lengthy proceedings.
Claimants who understand what is happening are more likely to remain engaged and continue supporting the claim.
That is particularly important during long periods where there may be little visible progress from the claimant’s perspective.
Claimant experience does not begin when someone signs a retainer or completes an onboarding form. By that stage, many of their perceptions have already been shaped.
It starts with the first advert they see, the first social media post they read, the first news article they come across or the first eligibility checker they complete.
Those early interactions influence whether consumers:
Misunderstandings formed at this stage are often much harder to correct once someone has signed up. That makes early communication one of the most influential stages of the claimant journey.
Claimants do not need all the information about a claim at once. They need the right information at the right stage of their journey.
The most effective claimant journeys recognise that communication should evolve alongside the claim itself.
At the awareness stage, consumers need enough information to understand what the claim is about and why they may be affected.
Communications should explain:
Where claims are still developing, it is equally important to be open about what is not yet known.
As consumers move into the onboarding process, the focus shifts from awareness to informed decision-making.
Claimants should clearly understand:
Once litigation is underway, communication should help claimants remain informed rather than simply updated.
Claimants should understand:
Even where there is little substantive progress to report, regular communication helps maintain confidence and reassures claimants that the matter continues to move forward.
If a claim succeeds, the focus turns to ensuring compensation can be delivered efficiently.
Claimants should understand:
Clear communication at this stage helps minimise delays and reduces the risk that eligible consumers fail to complete the final stages of the process.
In this quick guide, we unpack the legal marketing funnel – how it works, and what law firms need to know to drive sign-ups in group claims
Effective claimant engagement is not achieved through a single email or onboarding journey. It is built through a series of well-timed interactions that help consumers understand the claim, stay informed and remain engaged throughout what can often be a lengthy process.
Different stages of the claimant journey require different types of communication
Early awareness may be driven by educational content, news articles, social media campaigns, videos or dedicated landing pages that explain the issue in plain English and help consumers understand whether they may be affected.
As a claim develops, communication becomes more personalised. Eligibility checkers, onboarding journeys, email updates and SMS reminders help consumers understand what is expected of them, while ensuring law firms receive the information they need to progress the claim.
Once litigation is underway, claimant engagement should continue rather than stop.
Dedicated claimant dashboards give consumers easy access to claim updates, key documents and frequently asked questions whenever they need them. Regular email communications, milestone updates and targeted re-engagement campaigns can help reconnect claimants when additional evidence, updated contact details or further action is required.
At the point of compensation, clear communication remains just as important. Claimants may need to verify their identity, confirm payment details or complete final administrative steps before compensation can be distributed. Effective engagement helps maximise participation and reduces the risk of eligible claimants missing out.
Throughout each stage, the objective remains the same. To give claimants the information they need to:
The SRA’s research found that consumers with additional support needs and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds were significantly more likely to report confusion and poorer experiences throughout the claims process.
The finding is an important reminder that claimant communication should be designed for the widest possible audience, not the average claimant.
Legal terminology, lengthy documents and complex onboarding journeys can create barriers for consumers who may already be less confident engaging with legal services. At the same time, assumptions about digital skills, literacy or previous experience of making a legal claim can leave some people feeling uncertain about what they need to do next.
Making communication more accessible does not mean oversimplifying the legal issues. It means:
These principles benefit every claimant, not only those with additional support needs.
Claimant communication and claimant data are often treated as separate parts of the litigation process. In reality, they are closely connected.
The quality of the information collected from claimants depends largely on how well they understand the questions they are being asked and why that information is needed.
When claims are explained clearly, consumers are more likely to:
High-quality claimant data also reduces unnecessary work for litigation teams.
When information is collected accurately from the outset, firms spend less time resolving inconsistencies, chasing missing evidence or correcting records later in the process.
This helps reduce:
The result is a more reliable claimant population and structured data that litigation teams can use with greater confidence throughout the lifecycle of a claim.
As collective actions continue to grow, claimant engagement has become a specialist discipline in its own right.
Building and supporting a claimant population requires far more than generating registrations. It demands expertise across:
For many law firms, developing these capabilities entirely in-house is neither practical nor commercially viable.
Specialist claimant engagement partners provide the infrastructure and expetise needed to support claimants from first awareness through to compensation distribution.
Join the Claim was built around the principle that claimant acquisition should not just maximise registrations. It should also help consumers understand what they are joining, why they may be eligible and what happens next.
That philosophy shapes every stage of the claimant journey.
We build early understanding through educational content, news, guides, eligibility checkers and targeted digital campaigns. This creates a more informed audience before registration even begins.
Our onboarding journeys then combine plain-English communication with structured eligibility questions, helping consumers make informed decisions while producing reliable claimant data. And, because communication should not stop once a claimant has signed up, we can help firms maintain engagement through ongoing communications and claimant dashboards.
The SRA’s research demonstrates that claimant experience matters.
Consumers want clear information, realistic expectations and consistent communication throughout the claims process.
For law firms, that creates an opportunity to strengthen claimant relationships, support better-quality claimant, data, and help claims progress more efficiently.
That is the approach Join the Claim has taken from the beginning.
By combining specialist communications, technology, claimant engagement and operational expertise, we help law firms create claimant journeys that are transparent, accessible and designed around the people they represent.
If you are reviewing your claimant engagement strategy or looking to improve transparency and the claimant experience from first contact through to compensation, contact us for an informal conversation.
We connect consumers with their legal dream teams to ensure they get the compensation and support they deserve.
Join the Claim is not a law firm. We connect individuals with top law firms for group or individual claims, and our service is free to use. While we may receive a fee from the law firms we introduce you to, this will not affect your costs or compensation. We are not responsible for the advice or services provided by these firms. Please note, nothing on this website is legal advice, and while we check claim eligibility, we cannot guarantee a law firm will accept a case.
Join the Claim is a trading name of Join the Claim Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 1053404). Registered in England and Wales, Company No: 16245278. Registered office: 32 Eyre Street, Sheffield, S1 4QZ.
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