The most effective lawyers hit out of the park when it comes to client service. What do they know or do that others do not?
There is lots of good information out there about what clients want – whether it is industry specific, such as this article covering “What clients want from CPAs” or a bit more general, such as this article emphasizing the importance of carting to exactly what clients want.
This post synthesizes those articles and others by providing four must do big picture items to provide extraordinary client service. The steps are: (1) understand the client’s business; (2) solve current problems; (3) anticipate future problems and provide solutions; and (4) accommodate the client’s preferences. Note that the client can be substituted for the partner for associates working in law firms who may not consistently deal with outside clients.
1.) Understand client’s business and industry as well as they do so you can really understand client’s “pain” as they refer to it in the sales and marketing world – the gap between where they are now and where they want to be. Some examples of possible action steps:
2.) Solve current problem (and understand what a win is from the client’s perspective)
3.) Anticipate future potential problems and provide solutions
4.) As part of solving problems, act according to client preferences
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