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Six things every Law firm can implement to improve their CX and increase their bottom line… Jim Smith
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ustomer experience (CX) is the new business battleground for the Legal sector, yet a recent research study by CX specialists insight6 showed that many legal firms are failing to get the basics consistently right – and this could be affecting their bottom line. In fact, out of all the professions analysed (Legal, Accountancy, Financial Services and Property), the legal sector was found to be performing worst when comparing NPS’s (Net Promotor Score) – with a sobering score of -54, and a sharp decline from 2019 when it scored -15. Accountancy firms scored marginally better with -47, whereas insurance and finance and property firms fared best, although still poor, with scores of –32 and –30 respectively. For comparison, Amazon’s NPS is 53, Netflix is 55 and Apple is 56. This is especially worrying as research by the London School of Economics shows that for every 7% increase in a brand’s NPS, their revenue will grow by 1% as a direct result – that’s a whole lot of untapped revenue to gain from some basic dayto-day improvements. By surveying over 250 professional services firms in the UK, The Professional Services Customer Journey Report carried out a comprehensive analysis of the full customer journey when making a new enquiry to firms. The findings delve beyond the NPS figures and provide a benchmark for improving the customer experience at every stage. “Legal firms, along with the whole professional services industry, have a huge opportunity to improve CX, deliver a superior experience to both new and existing clients, and reap significant business benefits in doing so. “The Professional Services Customer Journey Report has not only highlighted what is at stake but has raised some common ‘red flags’ that are quick and easy to fix but will do a lot of harm if left.” says Jim Smith, CX Director, insight6 Surrey & Hampshire. insight6 has pulled together a simple checklist that every Law firm can implement to immediately improve their CX: 1. Offer a human touch. Make sure that all employees offer their name to callers when they answer the phone. It sounds so basic, but our research revealed that 22% of reception staff did not answer initial calls with their name, and when put through to a law expert, an astonishing 60% of these people did not offer their name. 2. Regularly test your messaging services to ensure they are working correctly. Technology is great, until it fails! Our research found that 43% of messages left (including personal voicemails) did not get a response. 3. Develop your team’s emotional intelligence. When clients or potential clients are facing stressful situations, it is critical to establish a positive connection with understanding and compassion for their situation. 34 | SURREYLAWYER
4. Check website contact forms and web-chat services work correctly and that they are treated in the same way as phone or email enquiries. Implementing new technology is a great way to improve CX – but only if it is done with care and consideration. Our research found that over a third of web enquiries were left completely unanswered. 5. Follow up! We were astounded to find that only 8% of companies bothered to follow up a potential new client lead, and where more information had been requested, 38% of the time it never arrived. 6. Make it personal! People want a personal service more than ever, but our researchers found that only 53% of email exchanges were personalised and more worryingly, 57% were poorly written with grammatical errors. Overall, insight6 researchers were underwhelmed by how the firms handled their enquiries. Just 23% felt the team member attempted to add value or go further to help them, and only 43% said that they would recommend the business to others. Jim added: “What we do know to be true, is that underlying problems within a firm’s culture can often be found behind poor CX. Issues such as short-term targets, disengaged teams or siloed working – effective CX is often about empowering staff and providing them with the skills, tools, and authority they need.” LawNet understands the benefits of delivering great customer experience and has partnered with insight6 to help its members put CX at the heart of their businesses. “LawNet believes a customer-centric business model is one of the most important ways in which law firms can add value to what they already do,” says Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Member Engagement and Strategy Director at LawNet. Helen added: “The network encourages its member law firms to put client experience at the heart of their business through its Mark of Excellence programme and independently monitors and measures how firms engage with clients as part of LawNet’s mandatory ISO quality standard.” Jim concluded, “Legal firms are missing the most cost-effective solution for improving their bottom-line. Put simply, a wellmapped customer journey and a positive customer experience is the surest pathway to sales.” ■
