But the risk of inaction outweighs any possible risks associated with making changes to meet client demands. Ignoring client service is especially hazardous, because it leaves attorneys unprepared for sustainable growth and puts them further out of touch with a client’s needs. When it comes to client service, a short-term mindset means long-term loss of business and increased pressure to make ends meet.
The good news is that a path forward awaits with plenty of opportunity to create a competitive advantage while giving clients the service they expect. In fact, the changes made now to track and enhance client service offer a powerful “first mover” advantage, since such actions are likely not being taken by competitors. This white paper will analyze the issue of client service for firms, show how clients are changing, and offer guidance on what firms should do.
A savvier and more demanding client
Today’s clients are more sophisticated than ever, largely because they have access to a virtually limitless amount of information about their legal issues: legal problem guides, how-to blogs, and even DIY services, to name a few. In turn, that knowledge increases the number of options available to clients, and the level of client expectations continues to rise. An attorney can now expect a much different first meeting with a client where the client is versed on his or her issue and more apt to demand a certain outcome.
However, that research may not necessarily be equipping clients with the proper information—which leads to other challenges. Claudia Lagos, a criminal defense attorney and partner at Scully & Lagos in the Boston area, is seeing these changes. For her, a big hurdle is the self-perceived expertise clients have when they come into her office: “You constantly have to deal with a lot of self-anointed lawyers on the internet. It’s definitely a tougher thing for dealing with clients and their ultimate satisfaction.”
In addition, the online world has created heightened demands for speed. Legal consumers today expect immediate value and give attorneys a short time frame to respond. According to the 2018 Thomson Reuters U.S. Consumer Legal Needs Survey, 57% of respondents that chose to act on their legal need did so in a week or less. That’s a quick turnaround to give clients the information they need, respond to their requests, and get them to make a hiring decision.
The need for speed holds true for existing clients. “The most important thing is that I’m available,” Lagos says. “I think the most common complaint that you hear is that they haven’t been able to get ahold of their attorney.”
Compounding matters is the fact that 81% of legal consumers contact or seriously consider just two attorneys or law firms per legal need, according to the 2018 Thomson Reuters U.S. Consumer Legal Needs Survey. In other words, they are doing their homework online to learn more about their legal options and narrow down who they will contact.
Because of that, a firm’s client service process starts before a client ever signs on the dotted line. The first interaction with an attorney’s online and offline reputation makes first impressions that much more important.
At the same time, though billable hours are shrinking, that doesn’t mean the work is decreasing. In fact, it’s just the opposite. For those firms surveyed, 72% identified spending too much time on administrative tasks as a challenge. As billable hours decrease, work that pulls attorneys away from clients is increasing. It shows that law firms have come to grips with the issue but haven’t identified the necessary solutions to fix it.
Because of all these changes, the client service process now encompasses more of an attorney’s mindshare and time. It’s still about providing excellent legal expertise and giving clients a clear and accurate perspective on a case, but it’s also about responding to calls, texts, and emails, managing lofty expectations, and showing how the firm is evolving with technology.
