"Is your firm client focused? "

by Mark C. Elliott, Director of Administration
Fuller & Henry

     Client service is the most significant and most persistent issue facing all sectors of business today. In today's competitive marketplace, law firms face an environment where clients are savvier and have higher expectations for superior service. If you don't have an idea where you are going, you probably don't know where you have been, are confused as to where you are, and most certainly won't know it when you get to where you ought to be. A client-focused service strategy clearly adds a competitive edge to any business. Client service is the single most important factor in determining which firms will be the winners and which ones will be the losers in the foreseeable future. Clients appreciate good service and tend to be more loyal to people and firms who treat them with exceptional service.

     Ask yourself about your service.

     What does your service feel like? Are clients walking away from your firm feeling valued and appreciated? Do you respond in a timely manner to phone calls? Voicemail? Email? Does your firm consistently go the extra mile to service your clients? What do your competitors say about your service levels? How do your employees feel about superior client service? What do your vendors say about your service? If your answers to any of these questions have you in doubt about your level of service, then your firm has an opportunity to improve client service. Improving service is not only an opportunity to improve business with existing clients, it may even prompt new business opportunities. Superior client service is not a program; it is an approach to business.

     Top ten reasons why your firm should implement a client-focused service strategy:

1. Clients expect it.
2. Your clients will appreciate that you care about them.
3. Superior service will make the difference between two equals.
4. Set the standard instead of following.
5. Be creative and have fun, it won't even seem like work.
6. Client expectations probably won't decrease.
7. If you don't have service standards now, you can only go up.
8. You may jump start new business opportunities.
9. Repeat clients can substantially increase profits.
10. If you don't… your competition will.

     Most firms want to be known for their superior service, great value and overall cost effectiveness. To consistently achieve these qualities, every person involved with the firm from the front door to the back, from the bottom floor to the top, must have the same goal in mind.

     Communicate the strategy consistently and position a statement of the firm goals in a conspicuous location as a reminder. Measure your level of success consistently through an objective process, which may include a formal survey process, informal client audits, and internal accountability for service expectations.

     The 99.9% Factor

     To demonstrate how important it is to provide perfect client service, the following occurs when client service is perfect 99.9% of the time (or we mess up 0.1% of the time).

• 2 million documents will be lost by the IRS this year.
• 12 babies will be given to the wrong parents each day.
• 18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled in the next hour.
• 291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly this year.
• 20,000 drug prescriptions will be filled incorrectly each year.
• 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong bank accounts each hour.

     The 99.9% factor was originally published in the Trainer Magazine by Natalie Grant.

     A client-focused service strategy may be one of the most important initiatives your firm can take to maintain your current client base. Take this question to the water cooler; is your firm 100% client service focused?