In Search of Perfect Client Service

Over the past several months, Jim Hassett, Dan Hull, Michelle Golden, Tom Kane, Tom Collins (via guest blogger Jim Remsen) and I (and if I have left out anyone involved in the dialogue, my profound apologies) have been having an on-going dialogue about client satisfaction surveys. Good summary posts are here and here.

Jim Hassett then advanced the ball even further with a provacative post "Should You Sell During Client Satisfaction Reviews." Jim quoted Womble Carlyle's Director of Sales, Steve Bell:

"At a client service review,the lawyer and his/her client are supposed to dig in and candidly discuss what's going on at the company. It's a chance for the client to wax eloquent about problems and dreams... At least to this salesman, for a lawyer to uncover problems (or opportunities) and not to provide a solution (yes, even one that the lawyer himself can address for a fee), is the equivalent of a doctor knowing that you have heart palpitations and not doing anything about it....When a client talks about problems (or opportunities), he/she wants advice and suggestions from a lawyer every bit as much as a patient does from a doctor."

This led to some further comment by Michelle Golden (here and here)and Dan Hull (here). Jim Hassett then provided input from the inestimable Gerry Riskin (here). Gerry's take is this:

I believe that both Steven and I view the primary purpose of a client visit as an opportunity to ensure that there is a high level of client satisfaction and to reduce the probability that the client might migrate to a different law firm. This is achieved through listening and learning. Few lawyers understand their clients' businesses or industries as well as the clients would like and we agree that this is a critical objective for the visit. It follows that this is a key ingredient of the training of lawyers require to make such visits.

The delicate question is this: What is the appropriate reaction in a client visitation when it becomes obvious that there is a legal need that your firm is not currently fulfilling. My view is that the primary purpose of the visit must not be abandoned (or appear to be abandoned). At the same time I agree completely with Steven Bell that the doctor must help the patient. I don't believe that Steven is advocating throwing the patient onto the gurney and tossing our note pads into the trash. I used the word "delicate" because there is some judgment to be exercised here.

Tom Kane then followed with an insightful post (here). Tom offered his thoughts on whether you can sell during a client satisfaction meeting:

In my mind, you can't ask a law firm client for feedback on "how the firm/attorneys are doing?" and "what can we do better?", while at the same meeting and in the next breath say, "oh, by the way, can we also take on your employment litigation cases."

Although this is unlikely to be the final word on this topic, my take from the long and terrific exchange on this topic is this: A lawyer or law firm gains from every face to face meeting with the client, and those meetings should be as frequent as possible. Most of those meetings should be directed to providing service or exploring needs that the client has. The client satisfaction meeting, however, is critical and must be treated as distinct, both in form and in substance. It is a chance for the spotlight to be shifted from the client to the firm, and for the client to provide insights that the firm should desperately want to hear about how it can render service in a way that makes the client happier, more satisfied and more committed to the firm. This keeps the client satisfaction meetings separate in the critical spot they deserve.

Hi Pat: As you know, I've been on hundreds of client feedback interviews. Many times, the client does indeed bring up either possible or immediate new business for the law firm in the meeting. Our general advice is that the outside lawyer should address this issue right then and there, schedule follow-up for it and return to the client feedback meeting, if possible. My partner Merry Neitlich and I can recount several stories where we went to client feedback meetings with outside lawyers, and the moment we walk in the door the client says, "I'm so glad you are here. An important matter just crossed my desk and I'd like to discuss it with you." This is the exception, not the rule, but it is awfully nice when it happens.

Anne