Extraordinary Customer Experiences

Firms today flourish or fail on customer service, and the pandemic brought the need for efficient customer service into sharp relief. Spurred on by consumers’ march to all-digital services, when in-person support all but disappeared for almost two years. Many firms have been looking for solutions to improve customer service efficiency while simultaneously handling massive spikes in digital-service demand.

With the world moving to a post-pandemic state, it is more important than ever for firms to take a deep look at every aspect of their customer service operations, how to make them more efficient, and remove any points of friction. However, in addition to efficiency, customer service also needs to be memorable, personalized, trusted, and proactive. In other words, customer service needs to deliver truly extraordinary experiences, ones that make users feel valued, understood, and loyal to your brand.

Law firms need to recognize that it is the client that defines what is an extraordinary experience. The client and user expectations for what really defines quality service have irrevocably changed. Accenture’s recent research of 25,000 consumers across 22 countries shows that a majority of consumers said that the pandemic made them rethink what is important in their lives. This is no different from your firm’s client base. People care more than ever about their own client experience and ruining that experience does not take much.

Over the past few years, reviews have become the trusted adviser when it comes to selecting which firm to go with. Brand Loyalty was king for so many decades, and although important to some age groups, it’s no longer the only driving force. Potential new clients want to hire a firm that treats their clients with respect, compassion, and provide an environment that has a varied means of communication that suits them. One communication type does not suit everyone.

Your clients are often going through the most difficult times of their lives. You owe it to them to make sure their experience is a great one. New clients need more than your current level of service. Efficient service is a concept dominated by time. With human employees and the limitation of capacity, your clients often get stuck on what seems like an endless on-hold status, or they wait days for a call to be returned. Face it you are involved in a market that is too saturated to survive with your current level of service.

Search any law firm in the country. What is the first complaint you will see for everyone? “I have no idea what is going on with my case. My lawyer doesn’t call me.” This is caused by the human limitation of capacity. Your human employees are incredibly busy and do an amazing job. However, just because they are busy does not mean you can afford to lack great customer service.

Your clients are not the only ones who feel the strain. Your employees are also struggling with job stress, balancing who gets what attention, and keeping all of these activities balanced. It simply isn’t fair to either group, but guess what? You can’t hire more employees because they are just not available. It’s time to take a hard look at the new technologies that have emerged.