6 Mistakes Your Law Firm is Making with Client Experience
Law firms have long held a monopoly when it comes to providing legal services but changes in technology and just as importantly, client expectations, are transforming both the consumption and practice of law. In a report developed by Jordan Furlong, he dives into the millennial effect and how traditional legal practices need to change to accommodate. In the coming years, the client population of legal services will dramatically change. Below are three of the millennial features outlined in the report:
Client expectations are changing and so should the way your law firm deals with clients. Here are six common mistakes law firms are making with their client experience.
When a client pays for a service they are expecting (rightfully so) the same experience across the end to end journey, from sales all the way to post delivery. Every touch point with your client matters and clients value a journey that is consistent. Once a firm wins a piece of work, the effort may drop off slightly which can have a significant impact on the client experience.Apple is a brand that delivers a consistant end to end journey for their customers. Let’s take the iPhone as an example. Apple provides a memorable experience at every point in the journey, from the research phase (clean and slick website) to the communication while waiting for your iPhone (email and SMS delivery updates). A standout moment in the journey (often overlooked) is the suspense encountered when lifting the lid off a new iPhone box. It takes about five seconds to slide off the lid - the excitement, the anticipation, the joy - it all forms part of the consistent experience.
If you never ask for feedback, you are never going to improve. It is common for lawyers not to be open to feedback because they’re afraid of what they might hear. There may have formal sessions set up at the start and end of each project but that does not allow you to improve or address issues with your client until it is too late.
Feedback at the end of the project is useless. Look to set up informal catchups with key stakeholders during a project - clients are also more likely to open up during informal catchups. Just remember - there is one thing worse than never asking for feedback...failing to address feedback you receive.
Your clients will be facing many challenges and sometimes they will be outside of your realm of expertise. Rather than just saying you cannot help, look to add value by connecting them with someone/organisation that can help. Lawyers need to aim to be seen more as a trusted advisor rather than just a service provider. For instance, Clifford Chance has set up a Tech Academy to provide their lawyers with the skills to become more of a trusted advisor to their clients.
Zappos is a company that may seem to take this concept too far - but it works for them! Zappos direct you to a competitor website when they are out of stock of a product you are looking for! Why? Customers are considered the most valuable asset at Zappos and they are focusing on lifetime customers rather than once-off customers.
.png)
The WorkFlow podcast is hosted by Steve Glaveski with a mission to help you unlock your potential to do more great work in far less time, whether you're working as part of a team or flying solo, and to set you up for a richer life.
To help you avoid stepping into these all too common pitfalls, we’ve reflected on our five years as an organization working on corporate innovation programs across the globe, and have prepared 100 DOs and DON’Ts.
