Search receptionist

My post of last week entitled “Everything You Do as a Lawyer is Marketing” came about as a result of an article on "customer service" from a lawyer’s perspective by Wendy Werner in this month’s Law Practice Today. Although I went off on a tangent of my own based on her article, I wanted to come back to her main points, since I thought they were right on.

Accordingly, what she had to say about customer (client) service follows using her headings (with my usual editorial comments):

  • Getting in Your Client’s Shoes – most likely, whether the client is an individual or business, there is “great anxiety” on their part, and a lack of awareness about your services and the costs (Thus, understanding and patience would be key virtues to bring into play here),
  • First Contact – Wendy correctly points out that a firm can’t “overestimate” the importance of the receptionist’s impact on a caller’s first impression (I have addressed the issue of paying your receptionist well before),
  • Setting the Course – spending the time upfront to fully explain the firm’s “practices and procedures” (as well as fully understanding the client’s problems and concerns) is time well spent, even if time consuming. As Wendy accurately states, it is likely to improve client retention in the long run,
  • Managing Client Expectations – clients are unlikely to understand the Army’s motto of “hurry up and wait” also applies to the legal industry, so an explanation would be worthwhile (further, it would be advisable to find out what the client’s expectations are regarding how and how often they want a status report, copies of documents, best method of communications, etc.), and
  • Client Frustrations – high on the client’s list is unreturned phone calls, and unfathomable legalese (talking in English with explanation of legal terms is solution to this common problem, but more important, is making sure that communications – whether by letter, e-mail or phone – are returned promptly).

Thanks again, Wendy.

There was an interesting article last Sunday by William Taylor in the Business section of The New York Times entitled “Your Call Should Be Important to Us, but It’s Not.” It addresses the problem encountered by many callers when they telephone some of the largest corporations – sometimes referred to as voicemail hell. Thanks to Larry Bodine for posting on this article recently.
The reason I picked up on this issue is that I actually spoke to the head of a 10- lawyer firm a couple of years ago in my neck of the woods that doesn’t have a live person answer their phone. Not only would you have to go to a directory to get the extension of the person you wanted to reach (if you even knew a lawyer’s name), but when you get the managing partner’s extension, NO ONE answers his extension either. His message states that he will return your call during a couple of time periods during the day. How kind of him. What dumb legal marketing by him. I suggested strongly to him – free of charge – that he have a live person answer his phone. As of today, he still doesn’t.
It gets worse, the voicemail says what their office hours are, when they are closed for lunch, and what to do if you want their mailing address, fax number, a lawyers extension (if you know it) or how to reach the firm’s directory. After all that, it does tell you how to reach the receptionist. Who would want to at that point?
I know I don’t need to say it, but surely no smart lawyer marketer would allow such a practice at their firm.
P.S. Taylor’s article tells us about a Paul English who was go aggravated by the practice that he created a blog with the steps (including some unpublished codes) on how to get around voicemail hell and actually get a human person in a whole bunch of major corporations. It is DEFINITELY worth your time to look at gethuman.com. It just might save you some aggravation one day.

Folks who read my blog know that I am not a ranter by nature ….(well, maybe when it comes to the failure of law schools to prepare law students for the business side of law here, and here).
But, I visited a doctor’s office (not my regular MD) this week to get the results of a stress test (which was perfect, thank you very much). I was on time, sat in reception area cooling my heels for 40-minutes, to then have the privilege of getting 5 minutes of his time. Receptionist was stone-faced, people who came after me went in first, others came and went. When the nurse/assistant called me in and took my blood pressure, which she informed was a bit high, I responded “no wonder, considering how long I have been waiting.”
Silence …
Not a word. No “sorry”. Nothing!
Mentioned to the doctor (after waiting some more) that I “may” have annoyed his assistant by my comment.
Silence…
Not a word. No “sorry.” Nothing!
I gave up. Good report. I’m out of there. Not likely to speak favorable about the experience or that particular practice….. not that they give a darn. But, why work so hard at bad marketing!! It’s amazing.
So, PLEASE, if you must have a client wait in your reception area for ANY length of time, have someone, anyone (preferably yourself) explain the reason for the delay, when you will be able to see them, and at least render a perfunctory apology. Legal marketing is not rocket science, so why would a lawyer want to hurt him/herself by having clients/prospects getting ready to blast off in their outer office. Just doesn’t make any sense.

Not only should you make your staff part of the marketing team, you should empower them in ways that can increase their effectiveness in assisting clients and improving the image (brand) of your law firm.
Joseph’s Marketing Blog talks about the power of empowerment in a recent post and a couple of points are worthy of consideration in the legal marketing environment.
Clients are no different than Joseph’s “customers”. Clients want immediate answers or at least helpful information when they want it. Depending on the size of your office, allow the staff (receptionist, secretary, paralegal) to act and speak on your behalf within certain parameters. At least your secretary should be so empowered. Yes, I know, that means giving up a certain degree of control. But that is what empowerment is all about.
The best way to empower staff is to make sure they feel appreciated and know that they play a vital role in the ongoing health of the law firm. Then, train your staff to be helpful rather than mere functionaries when clients call. There is nothing worse than passing a caller off to someone else or to voicemail without so much as a word, and it doesn’t improve the firm’s image much when your staff doesn’t inquire as to whether they could help in some way.
An example of empowerment might include allowing a staff person to tell a caller that you will call them back before the end of the day, or otherwise respond to certain requests from clients. This assumes communication between the lawyer and staff as to what those parameters are. So, give some thought to other ways you can empower your staff to help your clients. Remember, the ultimate goal is to make clients happy.

Here are some of my favorite ways to show disrespect to clients (and the likely messages you don’t want to send):
–Read your Blackberry® while carrying on a conversation or in a client meeting (Message: some more “important” matter may need your immediate attention)
–Keep them waiting in lobby beyond scheduled meeting time without explanation (that will really convey how important and busy you are. You can always apologize later)
–Don’t return a client telephone call for several days (other matters are more important. Besides clients realize lawyers are busy, don’t they?)
–Use the speakerphone without requesting their permission to do so (don’t they know that I am too busy, important, lazy or whatever to pick up the phone. They should be lucky to talk with me at all)
–Express disdain at their suggestions or questions (after all they didn’t go to law school)
–Raise billing rates without notifying them (heck, they’ll see it on next invoice anyway)
–Have an associate or paralegal, whose name they have not heard, call with an important, sensitive question (obviously, it wasn’t that important to the partner)
–Have receptionist switch callers within a nanosecond to your voicemail or secretary without her/him acknowledging caller’s existence (always been one of my favorite you-are-not-important-enough for me to say “just a moment, please”)
–Have your secretary call the client, put them on hold, and then notify you the client is on the line (another favorite “I’m just too important and busy” messsage. True story: The chairman of a large law firm where I worked in-house, who happens to be a close friend of and the recipient of bear-hugs from the President of the United States, never ever failed to personally place his own phone call to me – a mere member of his staff – and often he got my voicemail. He would still always place his own call. No kidding on that one. Funny thing is I didn’t have any control over how much money the firm paid him, either.)
Successful rainmakers would do none of these things nor allow junior lawyers who work for them to do so. If, however, you feel a little defensive on one or more of the above, or you know a lawyer in your firm who would be, you may want to suggest a change in behavior before the client changes lawyers.

Most firms do not utilize or consider their staff important to the law firm’s marketing efforts. This is unfortunate, since every employee can be an ambassador for the firm. If staff is aware of the marketing goals, and is considered a valuable part of the team, they can actually help bring in business. Marketing guru Tom Peters comments on a recent Wall Street Journal story on internal marketing, where he emphasized how critical it is for employees to help sell a firm.
On a basic level, staff often have more contact with clients than the lawyers. A receptionist can be vital to how the firm is perceived by the way he/she treats callers. Helpful secretaries who try to assist the client rather than push them into voicemail or simply take a message, can avoid turning off clients. Communications by everyone in the firm can have beneficial effects. Since most client complaints involve the lawyers’ failure to communicate, empower your staff (secretaries, paralegals) to return phone calls and update clients on their matter. Such actions will not replace the need for the lawyer to communicate with clients, but it can supplement it and reap great rewards.