Long-time readers know I believe the answer is "of course." Seth Godin lays out both sides of the argument is a recent post and urges people to choose one approach or the other. Actually, you choose to invite criticism or you automatically default to the option of not doing so. While the reasons for not… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Client Surveys and Audits
Subscribe to Client Surveys and Audits RSS FeedClient Satisfaction: Is everything really fine?
Posted in Client Surveys and AuditsIn August 2009, I wrote that hearing the word "fine" from a client was a bad thing: if you hear the word "fine" (as in, "everything is fine"), understand that you’ve just been sentenced to death. And if you doubt me, remember this post the next time you’re out at a restaurant having a mediocre… Continue Reading
Year End Client Satisfaction Evaluations
Posted in Client Surveys and AuditsIt is year end. Have the senior managers of your firm visited your firm’s most important clients this month? Has there at least been a phone call to each of the primary personnel you deal with at key clients? If not, what on earth are you waiting for? You should be looking for opportunities to… Continue Reading
A Formula For Client Satisfaction
Posted in Client Service, Client Surveys and AuditsJohn DiJulius writes that the customer experience can be viewed through this formula: Reality – Experience = Customer Experience. I would change this a bit, to Reality – Expectation = Customer Experience. Clearly, this formula can lead to a negative number. The nice thing about this formula is that it forces the person employing it,… Continue Reading
Some Reflections On Client Service
Posted in Client Service, Client Surveys and Audits, CommentaryOver the weekend, I was cleaning out some old files on my computer and I ran across a slide show I had put together for a presentation on client service. I thought I would post them here. There were two over-arching points to the presentation that are worth reminding yourself of everyday: 1. You need… Continue Reading
The Unique Relationship Between Clients and Lawyers: The Lawyer’s View
Posted in Client Communications, Client Surveys and AuditsTrust me, for a moment at least, that all of the following points eventually will come together. Every time I have the opportunity, I ask in-house counsel about whether their lawyers conduct formal or informal satisfaction meetings. Almost invariably, the answer is no. I always follow up by asking whether the client would find such… Continue Reading
Noted Bloggers Build On Lake Wobegon Post
Posted in Client Service, Client Surveys and Audits, CommentaryI recently posted (again) on the Lake Wobegon effect, the phenomenon that results in law firms chronically overestimating the quality of the relationship the firms have with their clients. (See This Just In: General Counsel Less Than Thrilled With Their Outside Counsel.) I am honored that two noted bloggers have picked up on the… Continue Reading
Are There Definite Rights And Wrongs For Client Satisfaction Surveys?
Posted in Client Surveys and AuditsOver 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… Continue Reading
A Time To Sell? No Way!
Posted in Client Surveys and AuditsIn late January, I was one of several bloggers posting about who should be conducting client surveys and whether the surveys should be a disguised or blantant selling vehicle. Check this post for background. Jim Hassett continues this dialogue today with his post at Law Firm Business Development. Its a very interesting post. The Director… Continue Reading
Sill More on Client Service Interviews
Posted in Client Surveys and AuditsTom Kane of Legal Marketing Blog weighs in here. His post’s title aside, Tom most certainly is not part of the “peanut gallery.” Its a strong post. Please read it.
Client Satisfaction Surveys–Still More To Think About
Posted in Client Surveys and AuditsLatest in the series–Jim Hassert at Law Firm Business Development with Part 5 of his series on this most important topic.
Client Satisfaction Surveys: The Team Conducting The Survey
Posted in Client Surveys and AuditsFour posts today follow up on a conversation among Jim Hassert, Dan Hull and me. For a summary, see this post. The issue we discussed was whether the person conducting the satisfaction survey should be associated with the firm. Jim followed up with some further thoughts today, reaching the conclusion that he was comfortable with… Continue Reading
The One Question To Ask Clients When Doing Satisfaction Surveys
Posted in Client Surveys and AuditsI’ve written several times about client surveys. For example, here and here. The case for conducting client surveys is so compelling that its hard to believe that there are firms that don’t do them, let alone that the majority of firms don’t do them. I saw from this post by Dan Hull that his firm… Continue Reading
I No Longer Advocate Client Interviews
Posted in Client Surveys and AuditsI was reading the latest issue of Law Firm Inc. (one of my “must reads”) and stopped at the “On Management” column about client interviews. I started reading, but had to stop. The article made too much sense. Every article about client interviews makes too much sense. We’ve been doing client interviews for nearly five… Continue Reading
Client Service: Separating Fact from Fiction (Part II)
Posted in Client Surveys and Audits, CommentaryYesterday, I began a discussion of questions a client could ask a prospective (or current) firm to determine whether the firm is truly committed to providing outstanding client service. Today, three addition questions. 4. How many client satisfaction surveys does the firm conduct each year? If the answer is few or none, how can a… Continue Reading