It probably won’t surprise you to know that the UK legal services market represents a genuine growth entity, and one that was valued at £35.1 billion in 2018 (up by 6.3% on the previous year’s figures).
When dealing with legal experts, there are a number of things that you’re likely to expect from your service provider. More specifically, you’ll expect informed advice and a swift resolution to your legal issue, while in some cases you may also demand your representatives to be competitively priced and contactable.
While good customer service may not be immediately synonymous with legal firms, this can tie everything together and help companies to go above and beyond when meeting client expectations. Here are some of the ways in which lawyers can provide great customer service to their customers:
- Showcase Emotional Intelligence
Let’s face facts; most solicitors will have been educated to a high level, and in this respect, intelligence is a key driver of successful law firms.
However, the desire of lawyers to gather information and achieve results can prevent them from connecting with their clients during difficult times, and it’s with this in mind that solicitors must showcase emotional intelligence at all times.
Make no mistake; clients are often going through an emotionally challenging and draining time when they hire a lawyer, whether they’re going through a divorce or a custody battle or simply battling with the stigma of a criminal charge.
You therefore need to provide an empathetic ear at times, while providing a safe and relaxing environment where clients feel comfortable and able to open up to you and your colleagues.
- Display the Means and the Desire to Solve the Problem
On a similar note, good customer service also helps clients to feel supported by providing quick and efficient solutions to precise legal issues.
This type of service should also see lawyers communicate openly and be capable of delivering concise by insightful answers to client questions, as this provides reassurance during the most difficult times.
This is particularly important in the digital age, where clients can already access huge swathes of data online and even calculate potential compensation levels in relation to specific claims.
This requires staff members and colleagues to be fully informed, of course, while they must also be careful to communicate all data in an easy to understand manner.
- Keep Your Clients Informed Throughout the Case
We’ve already touched on the importance of communication, particularly as clients are often anxious to reach a viable resolution and will regularly chase updates from you and your team.
It’s absolutely imperative that you and your colleagues are able to provide such updates on a frequent basis, in order to provide a high level of customer service and ensure that individual clients are completely satisfied at all times.
The key to this is the ability to share information clearly and concisely, initially within the business. By ensuring that legal secretaries and administrators have access to key case data in real-time, your clients can remain informed even in instances where you’re out of the office.
