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Probate & Property

July/August 2024

Career Development & Wellness: The Importance of Client Service—Tips from a Former Waitress

Marissa Dungey

Summary

  • Just like the customer service provided in a restaurant, customer service provided by a law firm should prioritize responsiveness and anticipating needs.
  • A waiter and a lawyer must each excel in multitasking and delivering a quality product.
Career Development & Wellness:  The Importance of Client Service—Tips from a Former Waitress
fizkes via Getty

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I once participated in a survey of 150+ attorneys that asked them what was most important to growing their practice. Of the ten options, client service came in seventh. The low ranking given client service is misguided—the practice of law is a service industry and those providing the service will be well-served to know what that means. For me, client service is Number One, and I credit it to my practice and the firm I have built and maintained.

To get into the field, lawyers take countless classes, study for exams, and hold internships or other legal jobs to prepare themselves. I was no different, but the most helpful thing I did before becoming a lawyer, surprisingly but with hindsight undoubtedly, turned out to be working in the restaurant business as a waitress. Waitressing is a job where it’s clear that customer service can make or break the experience. Through analogy, this article will explain why it’s just as important in the practice of law.

These tips apply as much to the person managing the client relationship as they do to a more junior team member in relation to the supervising attorney (who is their client in this analogy). The supervising attorney can only provide optimal client service if the other team members do the same.

Managing Expectations

Imagine entering a restaurant and being seated immediately but then waiting 45 minutes for someone to come to your table to take your drink order. Or being told your food is coming right out, and it doesn’t appear for another 20 minutes. Compare this to being told there’s a 45-minute wait to be seated, but when you’re seated, you’re immediately greeted, or being told the kitchen is backed up, but could they start you with bread or freshen your drink?

Managing client expectations can avoid a lot of disgruntled clients. This concept doesn’t require immediate attention; it’s about providing a realistic turnaround time so the client can plan accordingly or alert you to exigent circumstances that may require an expedited timeline. A client is more likely to be dissatisfied if you under-deliver on a promised timetable. In contrast, if you manage expectations with a realistic timeline and then deliver, you’ve kept your promise. When you keep your promises, you build trust and a reputation for being reliable.

It may be that you miss an opportunity because the client needs it faster than you can provide it, but turning away work you can’t do is not only ethical, but also respectful. Admitting as much also builds trust and credibility.

Responsiveness

As a waitress, I habitually scanned my section to see if anyone was trying to make eye contact with me. The first thing a restaurant client does when she needs something is look up to find her server. If that doesn’t work, she will call the server or wave a hand to get the server’s attention. If even that doesn’t work, she’ll ask another server or get up to find a server. As you might imagine, responding to eye contact is optimal because it reduces the effort customers have to put in and means their needs are being addressed promptly. The longer it takes to get your server, the more it detracts from the dining experience.

Responsiveness is just as important to clients when it comes to their lawyers. It’s the most essential quality to a client outside of being technically competent. Clients are very appreciative if you answer the phone when a client calls or respond promptly to an email. You may not be able to answer the question immediately or be available to pick up the phone—a good rule of thumb is to respond within 24 hours. If the client has to chase you, it will detract from the experience.

When I hear about a client who is dissatisfied with her counsel, the reason is, more often than not, that it’s too hard to get ahold of her attorney.

Anticipating Needs

The best server brings over or suggests what you’d like even before you ask because the server anticipated the need. If the server has been waiting tables for a long time, the server’s experience with the needs of other customers should have improved the server’s ability to anticipate. Many of us can relate—consider the difference between having ketchup brought to the table when you ordered French fries compared to your experience ordering French fries and then having to ask for ketchup when they arrive at the table sans ketchup.

Clients LOVE when their attorney anticipates their planning needs and brings proactive planning ideas to them that reflect that the attorney understands their circumstances and planning goals. An attorney can be well-positioned to do this, particularly when there is a change in case law, pending legislation, proposed rule-making, or the interest rate environment—in other words, a change that’s not specific to the client. The proactive idea comes from knowing the development and being able to apply it to a specific client for whom it’s relevant. Clients will feel well taken care of when asked instead of having to ask themselves.

Of all the examples, this one is the least expected by a client and most challenging for an attorney to find the time, but it only takes one great proactive idea to endear yourself to a client!

Checking In

A server typically checks in on a table periodically throughout a meal. If the customers have not decided on their order, the server gives more time and follows up. Following up and checking in to ensure the customers have what they need is expected and helps move the customers through the meal. The same applies to legal matters. Following up encourages continued engagement on the matter and will facilitate completing the project.

Quality of the Product

The most obvious aspect of client service is delivering the product. A customer of a restaurant expects to receive the meal that was ordered and that it be timely and taste good. It’s also the most obvious aspect of seeking legal services —the clients expect to get what they asked for and that it be done correctly per applicable laws and regulations. Some projects (and meals) require more technical competency than others, but there are unforced errors relevant to all matters that should be avoided. These include accurately reflecting the terms, spelling names correctly, and gathering and confirming information. Consider how disappointing a dining experience is when the server brings a meal that doesn’t reflect what was ordered. Take the time to get it right.

Multitasking

Like a lawyer, a waiter manages multiple clients at a time, arriving at different times and progressing through their meals at their own pace. This multi-tasking is efficient because if everyone ordered simultaneously, the bar and kitchen would sometimes be overwhelmed and otherwise in a lull. Maximizing the economics means closing out tables so new customers can be seated; the same is true in progressing and closing out legal matters. Juggling multiple matters at the same time while still providing optimal client service to each individual client is a critical skill set to master in maintaining and building a book of business.

Client Referrals

Why is excellent client service important? What do you do when you’ve gone to a restaurant where you had a great meal with great service? You tell your friends about it, and then they go. Excellent client service begets more projects from the same client, and those clients recommend you to their friends. A personal recommendation from a friend who is also a client is an easy pitch for an attorney and a near-guaranteed new engagement. In contrast, a bad client service experience means the client probably isn’t going to come back to you, and they may even tell others about the bad experience, resulting in lost opportunities.

Here’s a big tip: great client service is the best marketing you can do, and it doesn’t require marketing time or budget.

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