Cheryl Stephens, Mentor/Muse

Practice Development

The Service Expectations of Today's Client

As the 1990s were the decade of measurement - focused on collecting data about clients and the marketplace, the 00s is the decade of client care. Client Care is an on-going function of doing good business and developing client relationships.

In the past decade, client retention programs were designed to:

• Collect, analyze and distribute timely feedback so that problems are corrected and services are built to better meet market needs
• Capture essential client data and partner with marketing departments to effectively target
• Customize future offerings
• Monitor and measure client satisfaction and loyalty and its impact on the bottom line
• Benchmark the competition and client expectations to understand how to gain strategic and competitive advantage.

As the legal marketplace has rebounded from the effect upon it of high technology, product parity, the Internet, and global competition, it has become difficult for law firms to differentiate themselves. Top-quality client care is needed to meet client expectations and profit from word-of-mouth referrals.

The respected business journal "Customer Relationship Management" from the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business (SOCAP) reported on research by James E. Fisher of St. Louis University and Dennis E. Garrett of Marquette University (both Associate Professors of Marketing).

The researchers concluded that businesses must continually strive to meet rising expectations in the marketplace because people now consider prompt, courteous, and efficient service the prerequisite for their continued loyalty. Both consumers and managers contributed to the survey and to drawing the picture of the modern consumer as "impatient, assertive and even strident when they are confronted with poor customer service."

Fisher and Garrett conclude that the client-relations function is at a pivotal point:

"During the past decade or so the challenge for consumer affairs professionals has largely been focused on data collection issues.
The emphasis has primarily been on developing mechanisms and systems that would capture data to reveal how satisfied consumers are with a company's products and services.
As a result, most companies, even quite small ones, now have fairly elaborate systems that regularly collect extensive data showing trends in customer satisfaction results… the most significant challenge for the next decade in the consumer affairs arena will shift from this data collection issue and instead concentrate on implementation issues.
Consumer affairs managers now have the data to graphically show how their companies are performing, but the new challenge will be to figure out how to develop and implement systems that actually impact customer service.
From the comments we've heard, this will be a huge challenge, particularly because of the human resource factors that are inextricably linked to customer service delivery."

The Crux of Client Expectations

We can apply Fisher and Garrett's seven factors shaping the future of corporate consumer affairs to the legal marketplace:

1. Many consumers still don't get the "excellent" client service they expect: Some still reported bias from continued stereotyping by appearance, race and sex.


2. The quality of your firm's human resources has a direct and significant impact on client satisfaction: The "attitude" that staff exhibit in interactions with clients is as critical as the quality of your services. One of the most basic issues is information-sharing among staff: lost time, lost money, errors in facts, and communications are some of the problems which result. One staff member told me, "For whatever reason, be it ego, lack of enthusiasm, neglect, or procrastination, most people do not take the time to inform one another of pertinent information or facts to help the firm run as a whole; nor do they realize to do so would greatly enhance their own efficiency, effectiveness, and value to the firm."


3. Consumer expectations regarding the quality of services continue to increase: Clients are much more likely to express their dissatisfaction, to actively seek resolution for their complaints, and to generate negative word-of-mouth if dissatisfied with your complaint-resolution process.


4. Effective managers educate clients to minimize unrealistic consumer expectations: Information programs and publications can be used to answer common questions and to explain what clients can reasonably expect from your services. Firm publications like these serve as client-management-aids:
   • a description of the process in registering a trademark,
   • a description of the document discovery process with a listing of examples of relevant documents and examples of third-parties who are likely to have relevant documents,
   • a description of an examination for discovery and how to prepare for it,
   • a waiver form with a full explanation on the reverse,
   • a contract-term checklist for a specialized-business client,
   • an explanatory document "what you need to know about wills" with a questionnaire to be completed and brought to the first interview,
   • a "steps in a lawsuit" brochure with places for the client to note important dates and details.


5. Progressive managers see that customer complaints are resolved quickly by the staff closest to the problem.


6. To improve client service and satisfaction with your firm, you must select, train, and reward staff "who can take the initiative and are both equipped and empowered to do the right thing at the right time for their customers."

Law firm management must actively support and appreciate the client service process.