Customer service statistics from law firms can be scary:
● More than 90% of clients calling a law firm will fail to be able to reach a lawyer.
● Nearly half of people who leave a voicemail or fill an online form wait up to three days before they get a response.
● More than 10% of the callers get frustrated and hang up because they can’t reach the person they actually want to speak with.
In summary, most law firms have awful client customer service. This is not only a big issue but also an opportunity.
If your law firm falls into the majority guilty bracket, it means you risk losing clients that could stick with you for many years to come.
Here are ways you can improve:
It begins with the first contact
One of the most important things you can do is hire the right person to take charge of taking your phone calls and replying to generated emails from your online form.
It's more about recruiting someone for the phone with a charming voice and personality. The individual needs to sound nice, go up and above when it comes to showing empathy.
Above all, they need to understand how customer-focused your firm is.
Don’t forget to use active listening techniques when interacting with the clients yourself. Active listening will reduce your client's anxiety and will have a positive impact on your client relationship.
Take a cue from other firms
By adopting a focussed approach at every step of your client relationship, you can offer them excellent service. With the shape and design of your website, your rules and your employees, you can make it easy for your customers to get the information they need and like.
Clients should never feel like receiving a reply to a question is a problem. When you're making business with you easy for clients, there's no incentive for them to go to another lawyer.
Don’t wait more than 24 hours before calling a client back.
Make sure to return calls often within a reasonable period of time. All client callbacks should be done within 24 business hours. Do this even if you don’t have an immediate answer yet to their questions. It helps you connect better with your client and wins their loyalty.
Understand life from the eye view of your client
Remember the golden rule? Do unto others as you’ll want to be done unto you. Yes, it should be the cornerstone of your law firm’s client customer service culture.
And it requires you to have basic skills in emotional intelligence and interpersonal communication. They will help you understand your client's thoughts and feelings so you and your employees can react with a professional level of empathy.
Occasionally seize the opportunity to make a short visit to your client and see how they are faring during the case. This one little step will go a long way towards increasing client loyalty.
Take the time to explain your policies to your clients
You should do more than listen to stories and speak about money during the initial consultation (although those two things are of course important). Clearly let your clients know the time and channels messages are replied and how they can get answers to their billing questions. This will help clear up any grey lines.
Keep your clients in the loop
One of the major complaints by clients is that attorneys don’t usually keep them in the know. So set expectations by letting your clients know from the outset how much they often get updated. Then follow that policy with email, phone calls, or help from software.
Also, when talking to your clients, you should be careful about the language you use. Legal terminology can be frustrating and may also be condescending. Use plain English to explain any updates and progress on the case. If there are words you really cannot substitute, please make sure you clarify the meaning.
Embrace technology
Since law firm customer service begins with the very first contact, make it easy and straightforward. Contact relationship management (CRM) software can help you streamline intake, keep in touch with your client, and automate follow-up during representation and after the file has been closed.
Working with specialized agencies such as ClickHereDigital.com an elite legal marketing agency, as well as adopting other digital solutions such as automated online booking can also prove a big help in improving your law firm’s client service culture.
Customer service is the key to growth
If you don’t have clients, then it doesn’t really matter how smart you are as a solicitor. If your goal is to continue to grow your law firm, you need to concentrate on good client service relationships.
Satisfied clients will recommend your law firm to others and making sure that happens isn't too hard. It’s only a matter of delivering good customer service for the clients.