Client experience and why it matters

Carl White, Director and Chief Experience Officer – CXINLAW

Client experience is any moment where an impression of the firm and its service is perceived by clients. In a consumer-focused market, client experience (CX) now separates the best providers from the rest and is arguably the only differentiator that law firms can leverage.

No client is saying “there are not enough lawyers to choose from” and most would tell you that excellent legal advice is expected. What matters today is making the goal of turning clients into promoters of your firm something that every member of your organisation understands, enthuses about and is empowered to deliver.

The CX business case and results

Quite simply, firms that invest in uplifting the clients’ experience separate themselves from the rest in a crowded marketplace. Here are some of the results tracked by firms with whom we work:

20% ↑ client instructions

50% ↑ referral rates

25% ↑ fees billed

57% ↑ growth in lawyer no’s

35% ↑ retained clients

57% ↑ client growth

56p ↑ Net Promoter Score

33% ↑ increase in profits

Focusing on the clients’ experience is one of the most overlooked yet cost-effective and high-impact ways to grow your firm, embed a service culture and outperform in the marketplace.

The challenge for most law firms

Most law firms recognise the importance of being client-focused in today’s servicedriven legal environment, and they certainly do not set out to make their own clients go “ouch!”. However, creating an enviable reputation for ‘Client Experience Excellence’ takes more than good intentions. The issue is that many law firms lack the required insight and knowhow to meet the new levels of service that clients now demand.

Realising a client experience advantage

Realising an advantage for your firm in its market with a focus on CX means:

Activating CX

Developing a CX program with the firm’s leaders, engaging your teams and creating a CX action plan that all staff feel invested in and excited about delivering.

Designing CX

Using service design techniques to enable your teams to improve workflow and delight clients at every touch-point in the relationship.

Embedding CX

Formulating new service KPIs and establishing a scorecard that can be coached and monitored in order to embed CX as a powerful differentiator for the firm.

CX Insight

Adopt the right perspective with client feedback and staff insights that help the firm to continually improve, impress clients and create promoters.

Becoming digitally ready as a law firm must be seen from the perspective of the broader CX goals and requirements of your firm. The word ‘service’ needs to be reinforced and championed at every level, with everyone passionate about delivery. It can never just be a marketing or digital strategy. Apple calls this an ‘all around mandate’.

What client experience success looks like

Imagine a firm that understands its clients are looking for more than the expected standards of legal advice — every good firm can deliver upon that goal, but it’s not what sets them apart. This firm knows that clients make decisions to instruct, pay bills and wholeheartedly refer services based on their positive legal experience.

Service is led and role-modelled by its leaders and championed at every level, from the ‘Directors of First Impressions’ at reception to outstanding legal assistants and lawyers. Team members appreciate their role in delivering care beyond the legal advice. The firm has created opportunities to develop the service skills of its people and design the clients’ experience as a team.

The team has created a Service Promise that everybody can enthusiastically stand behind and bring to life consistently with internal and external clients. Every role and function has taken ownership of uplifting the clients’ journey to improve operator efficiencies and delight the firm’s service users.

Staff are motivated, capable and happy - and that’s something clients notice and reward. This firm has earned an enviable reputation as a provider of choice for clients and as a great place to work for employees. Imagine a firm that invests in client and employee experience with such profitable results.

CXINLAW helped this firm build a picture of what success looks like for them and guided their team through the CX transformation, from concept to implementation and ongoing ‘Client Experience Success’.