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Most probate cases aren’t legal conundrums—they’re standard cases: clear family relationships, manageable assets, and no business succession. Nevertheless, they often end up on the desks of expensive specialists or get put on the back burner because client advisors feel uncertain about property and estate law. When standard cases are pre-screened digitally, this burden shifts noticeably: routine tasks are handled quickly and systematically, and specialists’ limited time is directed toward where it creates the most value.
Many inheritance cases are routine cases
The median estate in Switzerland is around 170,000 francs, and many situations are straightforward: a surviving spouse and joint children, clear financial circumstances, and no international implications. In such cases, there is no need for an absolute expert; a structured process and well-trained advice are sufficient. Only the complex minority of cases—such as business succession, blended families, cross-border assets, or contentious divisions—warrant the involvement of expensive specialists.
| Characteristic | Standard Case | Complex case |
|---|---|---|
| Typical Situation | Spouse and children, clear circumstances | Business succession, blended families, cross-border, contentious |
| Needs | A structured process and expert guidance | Specialists |
| Role of Prequalification | Clarifies many issues right from the self-service stage | Provides a prepared, context-rich introduction |
| Value | Fast, scalable, cost-effective | High and lucrative—deserves full attention |
The Hidden Problem: Routine Cases Tie Up the Most Expensive Employees
Today, banks generally face two unsatisfactory options. Either specialists handle even the simple cases—at high cost and with poor scalability—or the cases are left unaddressed because generalists avoid the issue. Both approaches come at a cost: In one case, valuable capacity is tied up in routine tasks; in the other, no early connection is established with the next generation of heirs—and that is precisely when there is a risk that assets will be lost upon inheritance.
Use digital prequalification instead of blocking
- The 4-Step Inheritance Calculator provides clients with a quick, structured initial assessment of statutory succession, reserved shares, and the discretionary portion, complete with CHF amounts and a visual representation. This resolves the majority of standard cases.
- The death checklist and the source-based wizard guide you through the routine steps with references to sources and clear guidelines, without ever asking for confidential information.
- The directory of government agencies and sources for all 26 cantons provides the correct entry points instead of unreliable deep links.
- Generalists receive a structured introduction and clear visual aids, giving them the confidence to handle standard cases on their own.
- The truly complex cases are referred to specialists along with the context that has already been gathered.
The result is a system of triage: routine work is handled where it is cost-effective, and the specialists are free to take on complex, lucrative cases, such as estate division or executor mandates.
Not every probate case requires a specialist. But every routine case that ties up expensive specialists means they’re unavailable elsewhere for complex, lucrative cases.
How the bank benefits from this
Conclusion
Digitizing routine cases does not mean replacing consulting, but rather allocating it appropriately. The digital layer serves as a preliminary screening, handles simple matters, and ensures that the most highly skilled professionals are assigned to the most challenging engagements. This transforms a cost factor into a gain in capacity and a neglected issue into a scalable consulting process.
See which functions are included in the prequalification.
Inheritance Calculator, Death Checklist, Directory of Government Agencies and Sources, and the Source-Based Assistant—an overview of all features on the reference page.
