Do You Know Why Your Clients Chose Your Firm?

Client feedback can help firms strengthen relationships, identify areas for growth, and spot potential problems and address them early. Yet even when firm leaders recognize the benefits of client-feedback programs, they’re usually not a priority.

Firm leaders may hesitate to implement a program given how time consuming it can be to collect, review and act on client feedback. All too often, the result is that law firms look to their competitors to guide how they talk about their services and accomplishments.

But your clients and prospects don’t care about what other firms are doing! They want to know whether you understand what they need and what you can do for them.

Indeed, clients want to share how you can serve them better. Here’s how to implement an effective client-feedback program without taking too much time from everyone’s already busy schedules.

Start small. Begin with your firm’s top five to ten clients. Treat it as a pilot program to demonstrate ROI.

Make it easy to connect. Traditionally, firms scheduled in-person meetings for client feedback. In our hybrid world, everyone is comfortable connecting via Zoom/Teams or conference call. Phone and online meetings lend themselves to shorter, more regular touchpoints rather than longer, formal meetings.

Prepare questions to guide your discussion. Talk with your firm’s attorneys who are working with the client you’re interviewing for background and context. Your lawyers may have specific service delivery or relationship questions to ask. Or you can adapt the questions below for your firm’s needs.

1. What problem did we solve for you?
2. What were you afraid would happen if we hadn’t solved that problem?
3. Which other lawyers did you research, and why didn’t you hire them?
4. When you tried to solve the problem on your own, what roadblocks did you hit?
5. Going forward, what can we improve?
6. What do you value most about working with us?

Share the takeaways. Client feedback is relevant, obviously, for the firm’s relationship with the client. It’s also useful internally. Once you’ve gathered feedback, prioritize any course corrections needed with the client or opportunities for improvement. Then, use client feedback internally to inform everything from performance reviews to deciding how to staff matters going forward. Remember to share positive client feedback firmwide. It’s an opportunity to boost morale, acknowledge key accomplishments and thank individuals for their contributions to the firm.

Overlooking client feedback is a missed opportunity to demonstrate your firm’s client centricity. When you genuinely listen to and act on clients’ feedback, you show your commitment to them — and earn a competitive advantage over firms that are not making the effort.