Creating A Better Client Experience: Engagement

Clients are the lifeblood of any law firm, and giving them a stellar experience is a skill along with other aspects of practicing law. The client lifecycle, from initial engagement to wrapping up legal matters, is filled with vital touch points. These touch points can be labeled as Engagement, Management, Delivery, and Retention. Building a better client experience at every stage of the cycle maximizes the chances of building a healthy client-firm relationship. This increases the odds of turning a new client into referring client. Creating a positive client experience is crucial in the initial engagement stage. After all, there will never be a second chance to make a first impression.

Identify the Client's Needs

The first thing any firm needs to do at the start of each new client lifecycle is to listen. The first step is ensuring the firm and the client are a good match. 

• What service can the firm provide the client within its area of expertise? Does this line up with what they're looking for?
• Are there any potential conflicts of interest? 
• Consider the timeline. Does the firm have the capacity to take on the matter? 
• What are the expectations of the client? It may be focused on timeline, communication, pricing, collaboration, and other factors. Be sure the client is informed in advance about what they can potentially expect.

The first step really is about general fit for both the client and the firm. 

Communication Methods

Discuss the best communication option for the client and the firm. Setting expectations from the start, even if they differ throughout the course of the relationship, is key. Perhaps as a lead, phone calls or emails are best for the client. For the firm, to make sure conflict check is accurate, information is stored in one place, and intake forms can be simplified, look for case management software that includes a CRM. 

If the lead becomes a client, consider using a client portal. The client portal not only centralizes all the information, but also gives clients access to their matter, 24/7. The firm should highlight the benefits of the client portal they offer.

But how can a firm tell if they're communicating effectively with their clients? The best way to tell is to ask questions like:

• How often does the client ask the firm for additional information?
• How does the firm's time spent answering the client's questions compared to actually working on the their legal matter?
• Does the firm struggle with setting up effective communication with clients? Or with keeping it going?

With case management software, consistent communication between the firm and their clients suddenly goes from a task in itself to near automation. Optimizing communication with clients shouldn't be hard; if anything, it should be straightforward and simple.

Keep the Client Involved

Clients should be introduced to the law firm workflow. Setting expectations from the start and being consistent is key to improving client satisfaction. Work with your case management software provider to develop a client onboarding guide, specific for how your firm uses the software. Some case management software programs, like SimpleLaw, lets the firm choose on a matter by matter basis whether or not the client portal is available. If it is offered, the client can view and pay invoices, view and add notes, upload files, and more, right through their portal. Giving clients an active role in the resolution of the matter goes a long way to improving satisfaction and gives the firm more time to practice law versus spending time searching for information.

Review and Optimize the Process

Just because the client is now involved with the firm's workflow process doesn't mean it's automatically time to move on the next stage. It's important to iron out and streamline the firm's process at the end of each part of the client lifecycle. Try to identify the weak and strong points of the firm's efforts. In the engagement phase, it helps to ask questions like:

• How much time was spent on-boarding the client into the workflow process?
• What was the client's first impression of the firm? Or if the client has worked with the firm before, then what was their first impression of this new process?
• Did the firm struggle to engage the client, or was it the other way around?

Always be open to feedback from the client themselves. This kind of insight can help improve the client experience in a way that clients can recognize. After all, why shouldn't clients be allowed to offer input on attempts to improve their experiences with the firm?

Guide the Client Towards the Next Steps

Eventually, the client's going to ask the important question of: what now? The transition from onboarding or engagement to managing the matter should be clearly understood by the client. Now the firm needs to focus on building a relationship with said client over the course of the legal workflow process. Ask questions like:

• How can the firm's use of case management software improve the client relationship?
• To what degree will giving the client access to their legal matters foster or reinforce the growth of a client-firm relationship?
• Does the client need more time or information to be satisfied with their decision to work with the firm?

Smoothing the transition from the initial engagement phase to the management phase helps clients feel good about their decision to do business with the firm. This is especially true if they're a first time client. Remember, most people don't have legal issues very often. So while this is part of a typical day for the firm, it may be an exception for the client. 

Conclusion

Building a better client experience through the initial engagement phase of the client lifecycle, law firms can:

• Make a good first impression on potential clients.
• Effectively on-board clients into the workflow, making it easier for them to stay involved.
• Lay the ground work for building a positive firm-client relationship.
• Minimize the time the firm spends on answering client inquiries.

Putting the relationship between the firm and client on the right track right off the bat greatly helps throughout the later stages of the client lifecycle. Setting up a good firm-client partnership sets both parties up for success, regardless of the pain points they may encounter down the line.

SimpleLaw makes it easy with an all-in-one case management solution designed for law firms desiring an easy way to engage both new and recurring clients in the workflow process through legal software—all without the learning curve.

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