Improving a law firm’s customer service and reputation is a critical component to the success of every law office. Having a great customer service and reputation will not only inspire loyalty and devotion in your clients, but it will directly impact your bottom-line.
Although many lawyers understand the importance of managing their relationships and image, they can be so busy spending time on their practice that focusing on customer service and reputation management is put on the back-burner.
We have decided to solve this issue by showing you the rules of building lasting relationships. You will be surprised as to how simple, yet effective, these rules really are when executed.
JurisCase has put together this comprehensive guide, the “Golden Standard”, on how to improve a law firm’s customer service and reputation, in order to help attorneys excel in their practice and crush the competition.
The Golden Standard of a law firm’s customer service and reputation management is based on four main pillars: communication, subtle presentation, organization/administration, and networking.
We have also included a fifth pillar for the general Do’s and Don’ts you should pay attention to; but let’s beginning with the first pillar – Communication.
Managing Law Firm’s Customer Service and Reputation starts with COMMUNICATION
SCHEDULE ROUTINE CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS
Make a habit of routinely contacting your clients.
Your clients need to feel that they are on your mind day in and day out. When it comes to law firm’s customer service and reputation, it all depends on how well you’re perceived by your clients.
It’s important to always be in contact with your clients, because it not only gives them the peace of mind that you’re on top of things, but you’ll always be present to maintain a good relationship with your clients.
It doesn’t take much time or effort to check up on your clients. Your schedule could be as simple as once a week for active clients and once every two months for inactive clients.
PERSONAL TOUCH = GREAT LAW FIRM CUSTOMER SERVICE
Thoughtful is always appreciated.
Your clients would much rather work with you if they feel like they personally know you. Your relationship with your clients will drastically improve if you frequently show small personal gestures.
For example, you can send handwritten notes to your clients who have just won a case with your help. Believe me, this gesture will go a long way. Or perhaps, if you client is old and not very tech-savvy, they might appreciate a phone call from you, instead of receiving an email.
ROUTINELY GET FEEDBACK FROM CLIENTS
Always monitor and gauge your performance.
There is a reason why successful companies frequently ask their customers/clients for feedback. The reason is simple, but potent.
Asking clients for feedback demonstrates how much you care about maintaining your law firm’s customer service and reputation, which gives them the assurance that you will do your best to take care of their needs, because your firm’s image depends on their satisfaction.
Also, let’s not forget that the feedback that you get from your clients can help you improve and fix mistakes that you might be making.
RETURN PHONE CALLS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
Be sure to return all calls yourself or have your staff return them for you, preferably within an hour.
When people are in need of an attorney, assuming they don’t already have one, they usually call local law offices by going down an online directory. In most cases, the first available law office usually wins the client’s business.
If you are unavailable, just make it a priority to call back as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the higher the chances of losing a potential client.
