The Client Experience - How to Optimize Client Service and Deliver Value

We all know that law is a people business. Clients buy from lawyers whom they like, respect, and trust, and they judge those lawyers and their firms on the quality of service that the firm provides, the results achieved, and whether they receive value for money. This applies to corporate, institutional, and private clients alike. For their business plans to be connected to reality, partners and law firm leaders must learn how they are perceived by their clients and adapt accordingly. They do this by listening to their clients. Historically this was through informal, fireside chats. In recent years, many firms have devised formal client listening programs and in recent years there has been an explosion of review sites and social media channels enabling clients to leave their unfiltered and public feedback, whether solicited or not. Forward-looking firms are adopting multi-channel approaches to taking feedback to maximize the intelligence they gather and to adapt to clients' own preferences. As ever, the most nimble and adaptable will reap the rewards.

The Client Experience: How to Optimize Client Service and Deliver Value looks at the client experience from end-to-end, from client listening programs to journey mapping, from customer audits to how legal tech can help improve the way a client interacts with a law firm throughout its relationship. A client-centric business model is essential for future law firm success and the authors of this far-reaching title utilize their own experience and real-life case studies to drill down into the importance of maintaining the one thing no business can do without: its client.

Sommario

Executive summary vii

About the authors xiii

Chapter 1: Client feedback has gone stereophonic: are you still listening in mono? 1

By Sally Dyson, director, Firm Sense Ltd

Introduction 1

How firms listen 2

Bringing it all together 13

Conclusion 15

Chapter 2: Client feedback – asking the hard questions to get the best results 17

By Will Taylor, senior client development manager, Wiersholm

Introduction 17

Why have a client feedback program? 17

Have a structured set of questions 19

Ask the hard questions 21

Go “off piste” when given the invitation 23

Ask the “hard” clients 24

Have the right person asking the questions 25

However you do it, make sure you act on the feedback 25

Conclusion 25

Chapter 3: Cultural shift or cultural shove? The challenges of the client journey in the post-pandemic era 27

By Yolanda Cartusciello, partner, PP&C Consulting

Client journeys in the pandemic and beyond 28

What the clients told us 29

The shift versus the shove 30

Client journey management 31

Client journey mapping 31

Inject client thinking into the client journey design process 33

Identify new client needs and services 33

Provide management committees with a powerful governance tool 33

Conclusion 33

Chapter 4: Client journey mapping as a source of sustainable competitive advantage 35

By Andrew Hedley, Hedley Consulting

Setting the strategic context: what client journey mapping is and why it matters 35

Client journey mapping as an integrative process 36

Understanding touchpoints: necessary but not sufficient 39

Stages of the client journey 40

Using Servqual to understand and align brand promise with brand experience 43

Taking things forward 46

Chapter 5: Client loyalty – delivering exceptional client service 49

By David H. Freeman, JD, CEO, David Freeman Consulting Group

Build long-term relationships 49

Be highly responsive 50

The new math 51

Get on their turf 52

Understand the client's business 52

Client feedback 53

Client service teams 54

The feedback process 55

Annual client meetings 55

End-of-matter reviews 56

Mid-matter reviews 56

Act on feedback 56

Deliver added value 57

ACC value challenge 57

Work as a team 58

Other techniques for delivering exceptional service 58

Chapter 6: Defining, measuring, and delivering a stellar client service strategy 61

By Kim Carr, lead partner of the wills, probate, and lifetime planning department, FBC Manby Bowdler LLP

Defining “stellar” 62

Bringing everyone on board 63

Sharpening the tools of our trade 64

Chapter 7: Optimizing client service in the post-COVID legal market 67

By Douglas McPherson, director, Size 10½ Boots Ltd

How do you provide the best possible client service? 69

How do you put the improvements you want to make into practice? 73

How do you ensure you are delivering the optimal levels of client service while working in a hybrid environment? 75

Chapter 8: Are automated assistants ready to optimize the next chapter of online client care? 77

By James Matthews, UK&I country manager, CM.com

Is LegalTech the springboard to a higher level of client service? 77

Where to start? 79

Virtual assistants – a simple starting point 80

How could a virtual assistant improve your client care? 82

How can virtual assistants be used to improve the way you market and the results your marketing achieves? 83

Chapter 9: Innovation as a business development strategy 87

By Scott Rechtschaffen, chief knowledge officer, Littler Mendelson

Law firm marketing approaches have evolved 87

Why innovation is relevant for today's corporate legal clients 88

Innovation at Littler 89

The beginnings of innovation at Littler – knowledge management 89

Knowledge management as the foundation of a comprehensive content marketing strategy 90

How do we do it? 92

Innovative legal service solutions as a brand differentiator for Littler 93

Conclusion 96

Chapter 10: The LawNet Mark of Excellence – lessons for law firms 97

By Helen Hamilton-Shaw, member engagement and strategy director, LawNet

The LawNet Mark of Excellence 98

Cultural commitment 102

Rates of satisfaction 104

Learning lessons 105

Feedback from LawNet member firms on how they are making use of CX metrics to effect change 107

Chapter 11: Litigation management in a still uncertain world 109

By Paul A. Williams, partner and general liability litigation practice co-chair, Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP

Pandemic litigation trends so far 109

What still lies ahead? 112

The litigation burden 112

The litigation management solution 113

The practice of successful litigation management 115

An opportunity to take control 117

Info autore

By Yolanda Cartusciello; David H Freeman; Kim Carr; Douglas McPherson and Helen Hamilton-Shaw

Riassunto

A client-centric business model is essential for future law firm success and the authors of this far-reaching title utilize their own experience and real-life case studies to drill down into the importance of maintaining the one thing no business can do without: its client.

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Kim Carr, Yolanda Cartusciello, Sally Dyson, David H Freeman, David H. Freeman, Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Andrew Hedley, Sally Kane, James Matthews, Douglas McPherson, Scott Rechtschaffen, Will Taylor
• Con la collaborazione di: Alex Davies (Editore)
• Editore: Globe Law and Business Ltd
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Tascabile
• Pubblicazione: 31.12.2021
• EAN: 9781787428133
• ISBN: 978-1-78742-813-3
• Pagine: 118
• Dimensioni: 234 mm x 154 mm x 12 mm
• Peso: 220 g
• Categoria: Scienze sociali, diritto, economia > Diritto > Diritto internazionale, diritto degli stranieri