Explain the options available to your customer in a simple and concise way FirmChecker`s data shows that responding to feedback received is often a neglected strategy. During the recent webinar, Ben and Dr. Beaton acknowledged that while correlation doesn`t necessarily equate to causation, companies that consistently respond to positive or negative feedback score better overall in terms of customer satisfaction. Setting the tone for a good first impression starts before the client makes the first call for an appointment. To ensure a positive customer experience, a whole system must be put in place. Everything from your website, the first call to your law firm, and how quickly you respond to their message indicates whether your firm is worthy of its business for a potential client. If one of them leaves them with a negative experience, they are likely to find another law firm. Excellent customer service is something everyone in your business needs to understand and practice. Your law firm`s website is a good place to start.
By making it easier for more people to find your practice online, you can improve access to your legal services. Evaluate the accessibility of your website and consider factors related to: Providing excellent customer service is extremely important in today`s legal market. More and more lawyers and law firms are competing for fewer clients, while loyalty continues to decline. It is no longer enough to be competent or even expert in today`s competitive legal environment – law firms must distinguish themselves by their service. Lawyers and law firms should strive to achieve 100% customer satisfaction. Service is the number of clients who can distinguish one lawyer or law firm from another. For John, law firm client support is really the type of experience you offer your clients – past, present and future. Simply put, customer service is “the experience that a company provides, beyond a technical or physical product.” Despite this, according to the Legal Trends Report 2019, 64% of clients said they contacted a law firm that never responded. 79% of potential customers said they expected businesses to respond to phone or electronic communications within 24 hours.
It is becoming clear that for many lawyers, lack of responsiveness is a clear area for improvement. While lawyers are unlikely to accept strict and timely guidelines on how to conduct their practice and interact with clients, it is reasonable to expect them to meet minimum client service requirements. Law firms are already preparing lawyers to meet minimum standards in areas such as time tracking and invoicing, so the concept is no stranger. Develop client service standards through meaningful and collaborative discussions. This can include basic things like what to do when a client waits in the reception area, or how to update voicemails when lawyers are out of the office. Law firms may also include client service guidelines in their law firm manuals, particularly with respect to professional conduct. After all, a law firm`s brand is the sum of its employees, and a rotten apple can really mess up the pile. According to what law firm clients tell us, lawyers and law firms need to improve client service by integrating client-centric service into daily practice and receiving feedback. When you`re caught up in the technical aspects of legal work, it`s easy to forget that legal issues can be incredibly stressful for clients.
As The Client-Centered Law Firm points out, empathy is key to running a client-centric law firm – and it`s also the first step to delivering an exceptional client experience. Make an active effort to empathize and understand what your customer is going through. Most importantly, look for ways to respond to that empathy. Discover new tips and tools for remote work, 10 steps to successful remote work, and what to do if you still need to meet with clients in person. Everything the customer sees when they visit the company is part of the “customer experience”. It`s hard to feel comfortable and appreciated in an unwelcoming environment. Make sure the company`s public spaces – especially the reception areas, coffee room and conference rooms – are clean, well lit, uncluttered and in good condition. If lawyers frequently invite clients to their personal office, encourage them to see their office through the eyes of clients. Are there stacks of files everywhere? Is there a chair for the client? Is there anything offensive to see? Similarly, your non-physical spaces should also be clean and uncluttered. Law firm websites should be easy to navigate so as not to frustrate your visitors.
The text should be written with a client-focused focus and, if possible, avoiding legalese. Value-added content such as white papers and webinars should be prominently published to improve the customer experience. So it may not be out of the question that law firms are starting to think like Ritz Carlton or Disney when it comes to a targeted approach to customer experience. However, creating a culture where exceptional client service is evaluated internally on an equal footing with high-quality legal work and billable time requires a culture change. TIP #3: Determine where you currently stand in the eyes of your customers and how they perceive you. Conduct a professional customer satisfaction survey to gather feedback and identify areas for improvement. Ensure that the email or telephone survey is conducted in a professional manner and that the results of the study are valid, reliable and meaningful. A monitoring and problem-solving system must be part of the program. However, these days, a poor client experience can be devastating for a law firm, especially when online reviews and reviews are a primary way to find new clients for their lawyers. For this reason, it`s important to know how to improve customer service in your law firm.
TIP #10: Hire the best receptionist you can afford. Invest in education. If you`re a small business, you should enrich their work by putting them in charge of customer service and using them as a marketing coordinator. Reward and pay your receptionist well. Whether you`re in a five-star hotel or a law firm, you can`t always provide the level of service guests expect without having a framework to follow. The worst customer relationships are based on confusion and lack of communication. Open and consistent communication between lawyer and client is the key to a successful relationship. Keep in mind that they entrust you with their legal affairs and may need advice and comfort. One of the most critical areas of client relations within a law firm is clear and effective communication. Ultimately, customers want to know what`s going on and be kept informed of events. Your customer may have traditional availability, forward-thinking communication channels, and contemporary data requirements. These details should be rinsed off in advance during your business registration process.