We all know that law is a people business. Clients buy from lawyers whom they like, respect, and trust, and they judge those lawyers and their firms on the quality of service that the firm provides, the results achieved, and whether they receive value for money. This applies to corporate, institutional, and private clients alike. For their business plans to be connected to reality, partners and law firm leaders must learn how they are perceived by their clients and adapt accordingly. They do this by listening to their clients. Historically this was through informal, fireside chats. In recent years, many firms have devised formal client listening programs and in recent years there has been an explosion of review sites and social media channels enabling clients to leave their unfiltered and public feedback, whether solicited or not. Forward-looking firms are adopting multi-channel approaches to taking feedback to maximize the intelligence they gather and to adapt to clients' own preferences. As ever, the most nimble and adaptable will reap the rewards.
The Client Experience: How to Optimize Client Service and Deliver Value looks at the client experience from end-to-end, from client listening programs to journey mapping, from customer audits to how legal tech can help improve the way a client interacts with a law firm throughout its relationship. A client-centric business model is essential for future law firm success and the authors of this far-reaching title utilize their own experience and real-life case studies to drill down into the importance of maintaining the one thing no business can do without: its client.

Executive summary vii

About the authors xiii

Chapter 1: Client feedback has gone stereophonic: are you still listening in mono? 1
By Sally Dyson, director, Firm Sense Ltd
Introduction 1
How firms listen 2
Bringing it all together 13
Conclusion 15

Chapter 2: Client feedback - asking the hard questions to get the best results 17
By Will Taylor, senior client development manager, Wiersholm
Introduction 17
Why have a client feedback program? 17
Have a structured set of questions 19
Ask the hard questions 21
Go "off piste" when given the invitation 23
Ask the "hard" clients 24
Have the right person asking the questions 25
However you do it, make sure you act on the feedback 25
Conclusion 25

Chapter 3: Cultural shift or cultural shove? The challenges of the client journey in the post-pandemic era 27
By Yolanda Cartusciello, partner, PP&C Consulting
Client journeys in the pandemic and beyond 28
What the clients told us 29
The shift versus the shove 30
Client journey management 31
Client journey mapping 31
Inject client thinking into the client journey design process 33
Identify new client needs and services 33
Provide management committees with a powerful governance tool 33
Conclusion 33

Chapter 4: Client journey mapping as a source of sustainable competitive advantage 35
By Andrew Hedley, Hedley Consulting
Setting the strategic context: what client journey mapping is and why it matters 35
Client journey mapping as an integrative process 36
Understanding touchpoints: necessary but not sufficient 39
Stages of the client journey 40
Using Servqual to understand and align brand promise with brand experience 43
Taking things forward 46

Chapter 5: Client loyalty - delivering exceptional client service 49
By David H. Freeman, JD, CEO, David Freeman Consulting Group
Build long-term relationships 49
Be highly responsive 50
The new math 51
Get on their turf 52
Understand the client's business 52
Client feedback 53
Client service teams 54
The feedback process 55
Annual client meetings 55
End-of-matter reviews 56
Mid-matter reviews 56
Act on feedback 56
Deliver added value 57
ACC value challenge 57
Work as a team 58
Other techniques for delivering exceptional service 58

Chapter 6: Defining, measuring, and delivering a stellar client service strategy 61
By Kim Carr, lead partner of the wills, probate, and lifetime planning department, FBC Manby Bowdler LLP
Defining "stellar" 62
Bringing everyone on board 63
Sharpening the tools of our trade 64

Chapter 7: Optimizing client service in the post-COVID legal market 67
By Douglas McPherson, director, Size 10¿ Boots Ltd
How do you provide the best possible client service? 69
How do you put the improvements you want to make into practice? 73
How do you ensure you are delivering the optimal levels of client service while working in a hybrid environment? 75

Chapter 8: Are automated assistants ready to optimize the next chapter of online client care? 77
By James Matthews, UK&I country manager, CM.com
Is LegalTech the springboard to a higher level of client service? 77
Where to start? 79
Virtual assistants - a simple starting point 80
How could a virtual assistant improve your client care? 82
How can virtual assistants be used to improve the way you market and the results your marketing achieves? 83

Chapter 9: Innovation as a business development strategy 87
By Scott Rechtschaffen, chief knowledge officer, Littler Mendelson
Law firm marketing approaches have evolved 87
Why innovation is relevant for today's corporate legal clients 88
Innovation at Littler 89
The beginnings of innovation at Littler - knowledge management 89
Knowledge management as the foundation of a comprehensive content marketing strategy 90
How do we do it? 92
Innovative legal service solutions as a brand differentiator for Littler 93
Conclusion 96

Chapter 10: The LawNet Mark of Excellence - lessons for law firms 97
By Helen Hamilton-Shaw, member engagement and strategy director, LawNet
The LawNet Mark of Excellence 98
Cultural commitment 102
Rates of satisfaction 104
Learning lessons 105
Feedback from LawNet member firms on how they are making use of CX metrics to effect change 107

Chapter 11: Litigation management in a still uncertain world 109
By Paul A. Williams, partner and general liability litigation practice co-chair, Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Pandemic litigation trends so far 109
What still lies ahead? 112
The litigation burden 112
The litigation management solution 113
The practice of successful litigation management 115
An opportunity to take control 117