How Important is Customer Satisfaction for the Legal Sector?
Running a legal practice successfully requires more than just work expertise or delivering results to your clients. As this industry revolves around customers, legal practice cannot flourish without adopting a customer-centric approach or achieving optimum client satisfaction.
When customers associate with their lawyers, they expect their work to be handled with the utmost expertise. But they also expect that their lawyers maintain a respectful relationship with them throughout the case. Practices like answering their emails and calls promptly and maintaining reliable and honest terms with the client can really help lawyers to go the extra mile to achieve success. If you dedicate the time to improve your customer service, your reputation will improve as well, which will lead to more business growth in the long term.
Some Shocking Law Firm Customer Service Statistics
Here are a few statistics that emphasize the importance of customer service in the legal sector:
- When a customer calls a law firm, fewer than 10% of them actually get to speak to a lawyer.
- More than 40% of people who leave a voicemail or fill out a web form wait two or three days before they hear back.
- 11% of callers hang up within 10 seconds of calling a law firm because they’re frustrated at not getting to speak with the person they ask for by name.
- United States companies lose $62 billion in revenue every year from terrible customer service.
Benefits of Customer Satisfaction for a Legal Practice
1. Creates an enjoyable experience for the customer
It is generally not the most favorable circumstances under which people visit a law firm. For example, when seeking litigation services, the cost-intensive and stressful nature of the legal battle can take its toll on customers and make them frustrated. If you treat your clients with respect and show genuine interest in them, they will enjoy working with you and you can create a better work environment across your firm.
2. Helps to retain loyal clients
The legal business never goes out of trend. Many people, like small business owners, need lawyers multiple times throughout their work cycle. When your clients are satisfied with the services and overall experience that your law firm provides, they will most likely come back to you when they need a lawyer again. In this competitive market, where it is very easy to get replaced, ensuring that you provide the best customer experience is often the only way to gain loyal clients.
3. Proves to be a value for money
There is no denying the fact that the legal services are cost-intensive for customers, as they can easily spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a good lawyer. If your law firm has the expertise required, but lacks in providing quality customer service, clients will probably abandon you as they pay such high costs to gain a top-notch overall experience. Hence, your fees get justified and valued only when you provide services to gain client satisfaction.
4. Enhances market reputation
With the internet and social platforms trending exponentially, customers are very quick to leave reviews about the services they receive. Creating an excellent experience for your customers will ensure that they talk positively about your law firm, both in person and on social platforms. This would create a good online reputation for your firm, and you will definitely attract more clients.
5. Creates a good work environment
When your law firm provides excellent overall services, it does not only make customers happy. It makes your employees happy too, as profit and praise are the biggest reward an employee can get for the work they do. With increased job satisfaction, they will work with high morale and your law firm will only see success.
Client Relationships – The Change Required and What Clients Expect
It is important to understand that the one-size-fits-all approach does not work in legal practice. Each individual case and client must be understood and their requirements evaluated. You can only provide exceptional customer service when you have a clear idea of their expectations.
Here are a few ways to understand and improve client relationships:
- Law firms need to invest in communication solutions and operating models that improve interaction and allow personal contact and 24-hour remote assistance.
- Doing diligent research and targeting client sectors is crucial for law firms. It is important that the associated legal advisers are experts in their field and are guiding clients with their experience.
- Legal advisers must be transparent with clients when it comes to their working relationship. Both must have a clear idea of what needs to be done, the timeline to follow, and what is to be expected while working toward a common goal.
- Clear your communication scheme with the clients in advance and maintain contact with them during and after the case, accordingly. Build a stronger relationship by supporting them with their business or personal challenges, whenever they seek relevant help.
Customer Service – The Key to Growth for a Law Firm
Expertise and knowledge have their own importance, but they cannot solely grow your law firm if you have no clients. Customer satisfaction is the catalyst that is required if you want your law firm to be on the path of growth. It is only through satisfied and happy clients that you can attract more customers to your firm, maintain its reputation, and grow its profits. Clients are the main focus of the legal industry ecosystem, and hence, their experience has the power to make or break your legal practice.
When running a legal practice, along with honing your legal skills, make sure that you focus on providing a top-notch customer experience. Measures must be taken in this direction and the same should be propagated across your law firm. Building a customer-centric environment is not a one day task. Collective and consistent efforts are required for the same, and it pays you back by facilitating growth and increased revenue.
Customer satisfaction for the legal sector FAQs
How important is customer satisfaction for the legal sector?
When customers associate with their lawyers, they expect their work to be handled with the utmost expertise. But they also expect that their lawyers maintain a respectful relationship with them throughout the case. Practices like answering their emails and calls promptly and maintaining reliable and honest terms with the client can really help lawyers to go the extra mile to achieve success.
What are some of the benefits of customer satisfaction for a legal practice?
Customer satisfaction creates an enjoyable experience for the customer. It helps to retain loyal clients and proves to be a value for money. It also enhances market reputation and creates a good work environment.
What is the key to growth for a law firm?
It is only through satisfied and happy clients that you can attract more customers to your firm, maintain its reputation, and grow its profits. Clients are the main focus of the legal industry ecosystem, and hence, their experience has the power to make or break your legal practice.
Tags: Business Reputation Repair, Reputation Management, Reputation Marketing.
