Cost per signed case is a ratio with two decisions hidden inside it: which costs belong in the numerator and which engagements belong in the denominator. Define both before using the number to compare campaigns or set a budget.
Write The Formula And The Scope
For a defined inquiry cohort, divide the acquisition costs assigned to that cohort by the number of engagements from that cohort that meet the firm’s documented acceptance milestone. State the observation date because some inquiries may still be awaiting a decision.
Report media-only cost separately from a broader acquisition cost that includes agreed vendor, tool and intake allocations. Keep matter-service costs in a separate analysis. The arithmetic can be simple while the allocation assumptions remain important.
Work Through An Illustrative Cohort
Illustrative example: a cohort has $12,000 in media spend, $3,000 in agency fees and $1,000 in allocated acquisition tools. The firm also allocates $4,000 in intake labor. By the observation date, ten engagements have completed the firm’s acceptance process.
Media cost per signed case is $12,000 divided by ten, or $1,200. Including agency fees and tools gives $16,000 divided by ten, or $1,600. Including the stated intake allocation gives $20,000 divided by ten, or $2,000. Each figure is valid for its stated cost boundary; calling all three simply “cost per case” would conceal the difference.
Preserve Later Changes Without Rewriting History
Suppose two of the ten illustrative engagements later end before ongoing service begins. The original acquisition milestone still occurred. Show ten initially accepted engagements and eight remaining at the later observation date, with the relevant reasons recorded according to the firm’s rules.
Using the same $20,000 cost, a separate cost per remaining engagement would be $2,500. Label that measure clearly. Do not silently replace the original denominator, and do not infer that the remaining eight matters will produce any particular recovery or fee.
Avoid Common Cohort Mistakes
Do not divide today’s spending by signatures from older inquiries and call it the performance of today’s campaign. A calendar-month cash view can still be useful, but keep it separate from acquisition-cohort analysis. State how shared vendor fees and staff costs are allocated across practices.
When a cohort has no accepted engagements, show the cost and zero outcomes; the ratio is undefined, not zero dollars. Keep pending inquiries visible. Where sources overlap, use an agreed attribution method and disclose that another method could distribute costs differently.
Use The Ratio Alongside Capacity And Collections
Compare similar practices and observation windows. Review acceptance quality, retained status, service effort and actual collections when available. A lower acquisition ratio can still be unattractive if it creates work the firm cannot support or delays cash beyond its operating plan.
The number should help leadership choose a next action: repair contact, refine source scope, improve review capacity or adjust spending. It is a management measure, not a case valuation, a profit guarantee or a substitute for the firm’s professional acceptance decisions.
Common Questions
Can We Count An Electronic Signature Immediately?
Use the firm’s documented milestone. If the firm still needs to complete acceptance, show the received signature as a separate stage until that process is complete.