While billable hours can still be a common strategy for lawyers, there are other pricing models that might work better for clients in certain situations. When considering your legal billing strategy, consider offering alternative billing terms, such as floating charges, flat fees, or subscription billing. Our how-to guides, guides and other resources will help you provide your customers with a good level of service, support your business and meet regulatory requirements. For example, by leveraging Clio Manage`s practice management software, you can better organize your files to focus more on your clients, while simplifying and facilitating client management such as electronic signatures and online payments. Clio Manage`s Law Firm Insights dashboard also makes it easy to track your firm`s time and billing, giving you more time to create a positive client experience. By delivering an exceptional customer experience, you can grow your business from a company that only provides legal results to one that customers recommend, positively rate, and return when they need more services. One of the most important touchpoints in a customer`s journey is the customer onboarding process, so it`s a good idea to do so. Technology can help (Clio Grow, for example, can automate your registration process with tools like shareable online registration forms), but you also need to regularly assess how your process actually works for your customers. The customer journey is the path your customer takes with you, and it starts earlier than you think – from the first moment your customer realizes they have a legal problem. Study and plan your client`s experience journey – step by step – from the beginning to the conclusion of their legal case. Divide your processes for each touchpoint in the customer journey, think about each point from your customer`s perspective, and look for ways to improve.
When clients feel underserved or unnecessarily ignorant about legal fees, they don`t get the level of communication they deserve or a client-centric experience. To mitigate this, evaluate your services so your client can clearly see the value they are receiving. If the billable hour makes it harder for customers to anticipate their legal fees, you can ask them to bear too much pricing risk – and another billing model might serve them better. When you`re caught up in the technical aspects of legal work, it`s easy to forget that legal issues can be incredibly stressful for clients. As The Client-Centered Law Firm points out, empathy is key to running a client-centric law firm – and it`s also the first step to delivering an exceptional client experience. Make an active effort to empathize and understand what your customer is going through. Most importantly, look for ways to respond to that empathy. As Jack Newton explains in his book The Client-Centered Law Firm, you don`t necessarily need to constantly delight your clients to provide them with a positive client experience. The key to exceptional customer service for law firms is to accurately meet your clients` expectations and needs in a way that makes their experience as easy as possible. In most cases, this means making it easier for your clients and they are clear about what the legal process will be. These types of structured standards can simplify the law firm process.
However, John notes that many companies only think one step at a time: “It`s more, `Okay, here`s our next thing, here`s our next thing.` And not thinking, “Okay, 10 steps later, we`re going to want it to look like this.” Juliet Oliver and Polly Sweeney discuss the risks associated with returning to face-to-face collaboration with customers and offer practical advice on how to protect your employees. Click here for a copy of our Terms and Conditions for Private Customers. A good place to start is to research and think about ways to better serve your customers. Jack Newton`s book is an important resource for learning more about client-centric law firms. “The more you can make the best and easier option for yourself,” says John, “it will lead to better customers, more customers, more referrals and everything else in this happy chain of events.” Do your lawyers know the difference between a client and a client? I`ve always defined the difference because a customer is someone who buys something from you once, while a customer is someone who keeps coming back to you. Mainly because the legal industry is becoming more transactional every day. And this subtle difference makes a lawyer only a lawyer and one who becomes a rainmaker. Lexcel is our seal of approval for customer support, compliance and practice management. “I mean, when I get calls and I just hear people say, `Oh, well, you answered the phone,` or “We called someone else and they didn`t become professional,” it`s like, `Oh my God. It`s almost like it`s too easy sometimes. And that`s not true.
It`s hard work no matter what, and it`s something that sets me apart. “To create a truly exceptional customer experience, make an effort to ensure your services are accessible to all potential customers. Resolution suggests that a copy of the resolution code of practice be provided with the client service letter, with an explanation for John, the law firm`s client service is really about the type of experience you offer your clients – past, present and future. Simply put, customer service is “the experience that a company provides, beyond a technical or physical product.” Law firms are highly regulated and we have to prove not only to our clients in our work, but also to the Bar, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Legal Aid Agency and various other interested parties that we provide excellent standards of client care. We are pleased to report that all of these external organizations are saying that. Allowing online credit card payments (Clio Manage allows you to offer online credit card payment options) makes billing easier for customers. The added convenience for customers can also help you get paid faster, as the 2018 Legal Trends Report found that 57% of electronic payments are paid the same day they are billed and 85% are paid within a week – a win-win situation. Improving the client experience in your practice can be a boon for your business. But it takes effort and a shift towards a customer-centric mindset.
Keep the following tips in mind to get you started. Improving their law firm`s client service can help lawyers like John stand out and attract more clients. In some cases, just introducing yourself can help you stand out. Discover new tips and tools for remote work, 10 steps to successful remote work, and what to do if you still need to meet with clients in person. Be patient and remember that introducing client-focused legal services is an investment in the future of your firm. As John says, “To be better at service, you need investment. You won`t do it for free. And that may mean that it takes longer to do certain things, or that you need to do something else. The answer is, if you offer more service, you can raise your prices and increase what you charge to reflect that. A certificate of title (also known as a certificate of title) is a specific type of title report.
When attorneys are tasked with investigating the ownership of land (for example, when the land is purchased or offered as collateral), they write a title report for their client, which, nevertheless, according to the Legal Trends Report 2019, 64% of clients said they contacted a law firm that never responded, and. 79% of potential customers said they expected businesses to respond to phone or electronic communications within 24 hours. It is becoming clear that for many lawyers, lack of responsiveness is a clear area for improvement. So do our customers. Almost all the feedback we receive from customers is positive, and if not, we take all feedback into account and review and improve our procedures where necessary. We know that for many people, seeing a lawyer can be a daunting experience, and that it`s often out of necessity rather than choice.
