Achieving Better Client Service by Using Client Surveys

A law firm's most important assets are its clients. Clients provide the best marketing possible; they tell their friends about their experience with your office. These friends may eventually become referrals, new clients obtained by word of mouth.

Providing excellent service to clients is key to obtaining referrals. What do clients most often complain about? Lack of communication.  Happy clients can be made as easy as picking up the phone, sending a quick e-mail, or dropping a letter in the mail periodically providing an update on the status of their case. Always return messages from clients promptly and speak in a language that they can understand. Document the conversations in the file.

Customer service to clients is a team effort. It begins at the receptionist's desk. Work with your staff to ensure that everyone is on the same page. A well-oiled machine will work together efficiently and make the client's experience the best it can possibly be.

Good service doesn't include only the manner in which the client is treated. It also includes office behavior. If your clients witness office gossiping, they will feel uncomfortable with your firm.

How do you ensure that you are providing excellent service to clients? Follow up with a client service survey.  This provides information about how your clients rate the services you provide them. The survey should also help identify areas for improvement so future clients benefit.

While some of your clients will still prefer to complete handwritten surveys, you'll have many clients who like doing all communications electronically. You can place an online survey within your website, or you can use online tools like Zoomerang (www.zoomerang.com) or SurveyMonkey (www.surveymonkey.com) to create professional-looking surveys for little or no cost that you can send to your clients.

Questions in the survey may include the following:

• How did you find out about our firm?
• Why did you select this firm?
• Was our firm conveniently located for you?
• Did our staff greet you courteously when you came to the office/answer phone calls pleasantly?
• Were your phone calls returned promptly by attorneys?
• Overall, were you satisfied with the legal services you received?
• If a friend needed an attorney, would you refer him/her to our firm? If not, please state your reasons if not detailed elsewhere on this survey.
• Did you receive regular bills on your case? Please include any suggestions for improving the way we charge for services and our billing process.
• What additional services could be offered to make your legal representation more satisfying?

Don't forget to thank your client. You can include the thank you message with your survey, or it is also appropriate to send them a thank you card. Birthday and Holiday cards are nice touches as well.

Lawyers Mutual has sample client surveys available in our "Client Relations" handout, available at http://lm2014.gethifi.com/risk-management-resources/risk-management-handouts. This and our other risk management resources are available to help your practice run smoothly.

 Samantha Cruff is the Marketing Communications Coordinator at Lawyers Mutual. Contact Samantha for information regarding our available risk management publications at 800.662.8843 or samantha@lawyersmutualnc.com.