Lawyers tend to have a hard time asking their clients what they can do to improve, assuming that if they don’t hear any complaints, everything must be fine.  But unfortunately, this is not always the case.  When it comes to legal services, as in many other service-oriented industries, clients who are unhappy rarely take their complaints to their lawyer or law firm. Instead, they complain – often repeatedly – to their friends and family.  This can hurt your reputation and cost you business in the long run.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could catch problems early and correct them, giving you an opportunity improve your reputation and build your business?

You can… with a little feedback from your clients.

And there are a number of ways to gather that feedback.  Some firms hire a consultant to sit down with their clients in person (or on the phone) to glean details about what the firm does well and what improvements need to be made. Others ask each client to fill out a short questionnaire at the conclusion of a matter.

The method you employ is not as important as what you ask.  You should cover at least these basics:

1. Did the attorney understand the client’s objectives and expectations for the case?
2. How would the client rate the attorney’s professional competence
3. How would the client rate the efficiency with which the matter was handled?
4. Was the client satisfied with the level of communication? Was the attorney/firm responsive to the client’s needs?
5. Were the costs associated with the matter predictable?  How does the client feel about the fee?
6. How would the client rate the results delivered by the attorney/firm?
7. Would the client use the firm again or recommend it to their friends and family?

If you routinely have your clients answer these questions, you’ll catch problems early, and you’ll know what adjustments you need to make in order to improve the services you provide to your clients.

At the Academy we provide our Members with a survey form to be mailed out after every engagement to get immediate feedback on the quality of the client’s experience with the firm.

Robert Armstrong
President & Co-Founder
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
Phone: (800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com