The Court wants people to settle their differences amicably if at all possibly without the Courts intervention. In order to encourage this, the Court will expect that that the parties set out their case in writing.
It is essential at this point in time that:
1) Evidence is safeguarded and collected.
2) You set out your account of the situation clearly (and in detail).
The Civil Procure Rules for Pre action Protocol set outs out what is expected.
https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/protocol
It can be seen that the Court encourages alternative dispute resolution. More importantly, if parties do not involve themselves without very good reasons, the Court is likely to sanction the failure to involve themselves. The sanction is usually in the form of Ordering costs against the party who has not acted reasonably.