Client satisfaction leads to more than repeat business; it also leads to new referrals. These are both vital for profitability and business growth. Therefore, your law firm cannot afford not to provide customer service that leads to customer satisfaction.
These are the 11 things you can do today to improve client satisfaction and increase your profitability.
1. Make A Good First Impression
Setting the tone for making a good first impression starts before the client makes that first call for an appointment. Ensuring a positive client experience requires putting a whole system in place. Everything from your website, the initial call to your law firm, and how soon you respond to their message will indicate whether your firm is worthy of their business to a potential client. If any of these leave them with a negative experience, they will likely find another law firm. Providing excellent service to clients is something everyone at your law firm must understand and practice.
2. Offer The Best Legal Services
Naturally, the level of the services your law firm provides will determine your client satisfaction. Your skills and knowledge are undoubtedly why a client chooses your law firm, but you must keep updated on trends and court decisions in your practice area. You also need to attract and retain high-level legal professionals with experience.
3. Keep The Client Needs in Mind
When clients come with a complex issue or request a timeline of their obligations, remember that these must be easy to understand. If you must present them with a list of written information, make it understandable. Sometimes legal advice is too complex to explain, but a visual timeline can meet your client’s queries.
4. Keep Clients Updated
Communication is essential once you have taken on a client’s case. Your clients want to know at what stage you are with their legal issues. Find out how often they want updates and their preferred communication mode, whether by phone, email or even through a client portal.
5. Return Client Communications
One of the most frequent complaints from legal clients is lawyers’ time to respond to queries. Always return client phone calls or respond to their messages as soon as possible, not days later. Quickly returning their communications is the best way to ensure client satisfaction.
6. Listen Carefully
Clients come to you with issues that are often highly challenging. Listen to their concerns before giving them advice on how you plan to handle their case. When you listen to their concerns, you show them that they are heard and understood. You can also offer them a more realistic analysis.
7. Ask For Feedback
Feedback is a valuable tool for your law firm, ensuring that you know which services your clients are happy with and allowing you to improve on areas where they aren’t. Feedback during and after a case can help you to address problems swiftly.
8. Use Technology
Technology provides your practice the ability to become more effective. The administrative benefits of using technology include improving your billing, faster customer communication, and helps provide better customer service.
9. Anticipate Client Needs
Depending on your clients, they may have regular commitments they need to meet for the business or family. This information is in your system. If managed correctly, you can remind clients early of these commitments, helping them avoid future problems, especially if they are in a business where compliance is vital or need to remember to trademark a product.
10. Be Flexible
Your clients may not have the time to meet you at their office or may have financial difficulties. Run your law firm in a flexible manner that accommodates all your clients. You increase client satisfaction as you adapt to their needs, like speaking online instead of insisting on in-office meetings or offering billing options that suit them.
11. Make Processes Easier
In your communications with clients, gauge their level of knowledge first before ranting away in the jargon of your trade. If necessary, mirror their language, making the process easier for them.
Final Take
Client satisfaction ensures good reviews that bring in new clients. It also means increases in repeat clients, billable hours, and profitability. These tips will help you make any changes that will improve the performance of your law firm.
