Meeting the Amazon-era expectations in the legal sector

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, clients are increasingly expecting a faster service delivery, which can put pressure on SME law firms. However, speed alone is not the secret to nurturing client relationships — this must be combined with excellent communication and a great personal touch, writes Chris Walker, head of remortgage department and partner at Gorvins Residential.

The key challenge for an SME law firm when considering client relationships today is what I like to call the “Amazon culture”.

Today’s clients can quickly and easily order almost anything they need from an app or website and have it delivered the same or the next day. This has completely transformed expectations around how long we are willing to wait on goods and services.

Within the conveyancing sector especially, clients now view the process as a commoditised service and, as a result expect, the same Amazon turnaround times. Clients have also adopted a more hands-off approach when it comes to legal work, and want almost everything to be done for them, including their personal details. They believe we should already know all information about them and their transactions from the point of onboarding, particularly in conveyancing.

Unfortunately, budgets, regulation and risk requirements do not allow for this Amazon-style approach to conveyancing. However, what we are able to do is provide clients with the best customer service possible in their journey with us. Communication — delivered both traditionally and digitally — is a key area in this process.

The more information we can provide a client up front and the more communication channels we can provide, the better, as this keeps clients engaged and assured that their transaction is on track. Ease of communication sounds like a simple approach, but the digital era has brought with it restrictions on some traditional forms of communication which still need consideration.

To support us in strengthening our client relationships we focus on improvements in a number of key areas – this includes:

• Legal technology

Digital onboarding is a big focus, which is why we have invested in a client communications app, which enables quick turnaround times and ID verification, document signing and communication.

• Process improvement/ data management

We are always trying to improve our processes to make them as simple as possible for both the client and staff. However, the key is still to ensure a sound understanding of the process and transaction.

• The human touch

This is a key element for us. We pride ourselves on clients being able to speak to their individual case handler, rather than a call centre or through digital only channels. Combining digital and traditional helps us build trust with our clients.

• Staff and management training

Equipping our people with the necessary skills is the key to success, and the tools and technology we implemented help both staff and clients have a better journey. Training on client service and the technologies we employ is paramount to ensure the best use.

Measuring success and continued improvement

We are working with multiple channels and vendors to get an all-encompassing view of client-related KPIs — ranging from completion times to client contact times.

As we strive to provide the best combination of traditional and digital services, we aim to ensure the best possible experience for our clients. Success is measured by a number of factors — the most relevant being repeat business via clients and brokers who trust our brand and service along with being a profitable business.

We also ensure each case allows clients to supply feedback positive or negative, which is in turn reviewed, monitored and discussed, and forms part of a continual improvement programme. Strict policies and procedures ensure full responses to client feedback are adhered to, and we can ensure that cycle of improvement is always followed.