How to Excel in Serving Your Clients

The most successful law practices do not focus solely on providing excellent legal services, but also, excellent customer service. Here are four simple practice tips for providing excellent customer service.

Be Transparent and Honest. Clients appreciate an honest answer, even if it is not the answer they were hoping to hear. Attorneys should be forthright in every client interaction and never hide the unsightly details. If a case is a loser or a desired result is unobtainable, the client should be advised of that at the earliest opportunity in order to mitigate losses and avoid further disappointment.

Communicate. Communication is the key to maintaining happy clientele, regardless of the outcome of the legal matter. The single most important thing an attorney can do to avoid having unhappy clients is managing the clients’ expectations. Each interaction with a client should include a clear, concise summary of what the client can and should expect to happen next. This will avoid frequent, and often, unnecessary, inquiries from clients, minimizing the attorney's time and inspiring confidence that the matter is progressing as expected.

Show Understanding. Attorneys who specialize in one practice area may repeatedly confront the same issues, resulting in a clinical, rote response. It is essential to remember the personal aspects of each matter, and show understanding for a client’s position regardless of the number of times you have handled similar issues for other clients. It does not have to be hand-holding, and can be as simple as not emailing or calling a client when he or she is on vacation. A little understanding of a client’s position goes a long way.

Focus on Customer Service, not Payment. The legal profession has earned a reputation for charging excessive fees and rates without any guarantee of results. While attorneys provide a valuable service and should be fairly compensated, the focus of client interaction should not be solely—or even primarily--on making money for the attorney. Attorneys who set aside their own concerns about money and simply provide great service to their clients consistently reap the rewards.

Satisfied clients often provide repeat legal business, which helps to build a successful law practice. Another way to develop business and clients is through Legal Services Link, an online forum connecting clients with attorneys at the click of a button. For an annual flat fee of only $250, attorneys can have access to countless client job postings. Visit www.LegalServicesLink.com for more information.

Posted - 06/25/2015