Tim Morris, Managing Director of communications provider Cymphony, gives his tips on providing an omnichannel experience to help practices meet ever-growing customer service demands.
The most critical role of the solicitor is to focus on the legal side of the business. But that does not mean customer service should take a back seat. Law practices can no longer afford to rely on old-school customer service systems in 'the new normal'. In fact, only 56% of practices say they understand the customer journey and have mapped out all their interactions with the customer[1], with a communications plan for each stage. So, practices should now be looking to take their customer service experience to the next level by investing in technology and digital avenues to ensure they offer an omnichannel service to meet their customer service needs.
Ensuring your firm has multiple channels for interacting with clients is now a requirement in 2022. This is because clients now want to communicate through their 'channel of choice' - for example, web chat, form fills, social media posts, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, email and, of course, the phone. When given their 'channel of choice', prospects are more likely to convert into clients. So, linking all these touchpoints to create an omnichannel customer experience can improve your firm's interaction rates and increase clients. So, here is my advice on how law practices can deliver exceptional customer service through the omnichannel experience:
1) Know Your Clients
Your client should be at the core of everything you do, so creating the perfect omnichannel experience depends on you understanding what your clients want, as well as how and when they want it. Whether your firm specialises in family law, criminal law, commercial law or something else, it is essential for you to know your audience. By understanding the people who make up your audience and targeting specific media depending on your clients' preferences, you will form a much better relationship with prospects and clients alike.
However, remember that the balance to strike between online and offline channels will differ considerably depending on the demographic you target. For example, the younger generation will prefer to use online channels to interact with your business. In contrast, older generations prefer to use the phone and branded websites. As legal practices speak to people of all ages, you must develop several personas to appeal to every age group.
Remember that the balance to strike between online and offline channels will differ considerably depending on the demographic you target.
2) Assess your clients’ journeys
Once you have identified your audience and your consumers’ channels of choice, the next step is to map out your consumers' journeys to hiring your services. Doing this will identify areas where an omnichannel experience can be implemented or enhanced. The benefits of mapping your customers’ journeys will highlight where people require the most help or get frustrated with your services.
For example, if your firm offers a range of legal services, but they are not clearly highlighted on your website and a prospect cannot quickly find what they were looking for, they will move on to the next firm on their Google search list. A solution to this could be to install a webchat option on the page to help guide your clients through difficult parts of the process. This way, if clients encounter difficulties, they can quickly contact an agent for assistance and resolve their problems immediately.
3) Apply omnichannel support services
As clients interact with your practice across different channels, you must provide an omnichannel customer support strategy to run alongside it. Not only this, but practices should also answer their emails and calls promptly, maintaining reliable and honest terms with the client. To do this, you should provide your clients with access to communicate directly with someone immediately on the channel which they are currently using.
Live web chat, for example, is a popular rapid-contact channel for companies and clients to use. Web chat enables you to keep consumers on your site, allowing them to ask questions and gain insights. This benefits lawyers because webchat operators can take preliminary information ahead of time, asking specific questions to better prepare for meetings and book introductory meetings. Also, if your client wants to ask a question, your webchat operator can book them in for a call or consultation with one of the lawyers at your practice. This not only means your client is happy because they received a quick answer, but so are you because you are allowed to focus on the bigger picture without any disruption to your day.
As clients interact with your practice across different channels, you must provide an omnichannel customer support strategy to run alongside it.
In today’s fast-paced world, where you can order consumer products or watch the news 24/7, it makes sense to ensure your practice can be reached at any time too. To do this, I would recommend using a 24/7 call answering service. This way, if a customer wants to speak to someone directly, they simply have to pick up the phone.
4) Provide an Omnichannel Experience Throughout the Process
You must be attentive to your clients' needs throughout the entire process of working with them. Even if you are already representing a client, they will still expect a good level of customer service. When practices get bigger, people may think it is just an institutional relationship, but clients still want personal care. They also want dialogue between matters, and lawyers must not disappear because their transaction has ended. So, ensuring that you remain responsive and transparent throughout the process is incredibly important. If clients feel they are being left in the dark, they will understandably begin to feel frustrated, leading to complaints on social media and ultimately a stain on your firm's reputation. This scenario can be avoided by ensuring a fluid omnichannel experience is in place throughout the whole proceeding and beyond.
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5) Do not forget about your in-person customer services
You can have the best online customer service going. However, if you neglect your in-person customer service, you will pay the price. Remember, for an effective omnichannel strategy to work, you must understand that your clients are very rarely just online or offline. Integrating your online channels is all well and good, but if your clients are not satisfied with how your firm treats them face to face, the omnichannel customer experience will not be complete.
Tim Morris, Managing Director
Hall Farm Buildings, The Dovecote, Old Park Rd, Crewe CW1 5UE
Tel: +44 0333-800-2829
Tim Morris is the MD of Cymphony, a communications provider helping thousands of clients to build customer relationships from the first interaction. Cymphony's vision is to provide an exceptional inbound customer experience for all businesses in the UK.
[1] First 4 Lawyers, 2021, White Paper: Making Your Customers Happy.
