by Andrew Leigh, Featured Contributor
THE MD OF THE legal firm conceded gracefully. Yes, things had gone wrong and lessons would be learned. For the legal practice this was a sorry tale of failure and lost business. She offered some money back and even volunteered to suggest a competitor who might pick up the pieces.
For us the client, it was the end of an infuriating and costly experience. It had all started so well. Earlier when the senior partner first met us she quickly took the lead. Having patiently heard our issue she charted a clear route forward. We were soon in a trusting and hopeful mood. At last our issue would receive the professional expertise required and we could return to the real job of running our business.
What happened next though, is an object lesson for all legal services. It’s all about what we in our own business call “Client Engagement”. This is not just the regular phone calls and sustained contact. It’s a form of connection that inspires, builds trust and leads to long-term client commitment.
The Senior Partner did what all senior partners do—she delegated various tasks to a chosen team of colleagues. It went downhill from there.
First, there was the telephone conference, though without her being present. This group seemed unclear what we were trying to achieve. We explained our brief yet again, sending them away to talk to their boss. Following a prolonged pause we received two lengthy legal documents. These arrived devoid of any covering explanation. There was no guidance on what they really meant or clarification about the issue we wanted to resolve.
Perhaps it’s unfair to complain about receiving arcane legalise that defies amateur translation. After all, surely that’s what you pay lawyers for? In fact, as the Plain English Campaign confirms “It is possible to use plain English in legal documents. It does not mean sacrificing accuracy for clarity. The excuse that legal writing has to be complex to avoid misinterpretations does not stand up.” [1]
What bothered us though, was the evident lack of client care. There seemed no real understanding amongst this legal team as to what it might feel like to receive such dense and baffling material. After the earlier phone conference debacle we had been expecting a re-doubled effort to service us as a client.
Because we claim to be experts at helping professionals develop client engagement, we were keenly aware of how our legal advisers were performing. Not as lawyers knowing about the law. What was missing was a more fundamental ingredient that ultimately could undermine their business.
By the time of the next conference call we had calmed down, though one member of our team refused to participate. This second conference was yet another disaster. It revealed a legal team out of touch with our brief, unclear about a significant part of it and admitting they needed further guidance from their leader. We again sent them away to clarify our instructions but later decided to bring down the curtain down on this miserable performance.
The Exit Meeting
We requested a final exit meeting with the senior partner and the managing director. Judging by her expression we raised some basic issues which clearly landed, For example, we never felt particularly valued by this team of lawyers. The relationship between us always felt entirely transactionary.
We wondered aloud for example, how valued the rest of her clients felt; it was apparent the firm had no such information. Compare this firm’s situation with the actual comments one legal practice garnered when they did the research:
• “I would say I feel quite valued by them… I’d say we’re probably valued beyond our value to them.”
• How valued? They’re very good at that. I feel very valued, like a 5/5”
• “We feel like we will always be first in the queue and always able to get a quick response.”
• “We probably do get ‘Rolls Royce’ service but we really appreciate it, we provide them with interesting and challenging work”
We also noted how uninspired we felt in our relationship with this legal practice. For example, we never experienced them as adding value beyond their basic remit. Elsewhere, we know of legal practices hell-bent on building client engagement and for instance providing pro-active, unsolicited ideas, or making referrals and introductions.
Inspiring your client may sound a big ask, especially if you’re expected to keep hitting your numbers. But the pay off can be invaluable. For example in one study of involvement a client remarked about the practice: “I don’t regard them as a firm of lawyers. They’re just part of the home team”.
Feedback of this kind was clearly something of a revelation to our disconsolate MD. Nor were we entirely surprised, since other legal practices we have encountered can fall short in this important area of growing a business with comments such as
• “I don’t think they ever asked me for specific feedback other than to take part in this study.”
• “Well, I think this is the first time I’ve been asked for feedback”
• “When we’ve worked with them before they’ve never particularly asked us for feedback.
• “They’ve never asked.”
Moving on
The missing ingredient in that practice was what we call “client engagement.” This occurs when clients feel Valued, Involved, Developed and Inspired. When it works, it creates such a strong bond the relationship can withstand all kinds of strains and still lead to more business.
A well-known UK gover
nment sponsored report on employee engagement lists countless case studies, facts and bottom line ROI evidence showing the importance of engagement for business growth. We see engagement though, in a wider context, in which all a firm’s stakeholders become engaged. [2]
The new approach to engagement we are exploring with interested clients is based on generating insights, innovation and inspiration. These are, in our experience, the only sure route to sustainable and responsible growth:
Hopefully, the legal practice we fired as not-fit-for-purpose will eventually join up the dots and improve.
We’re so committed to this more integrated approach to engagement we now offer a free 90-minute Engagement Review Meeting with senior partners of major legal practices in the UK.
From such encounters we normally identify areas of strengths which can be leveraged further to fuel growth, and areas where development can also affect beneficial change. Reduced to raw basics it’s about joining the dots for growth.
Sources:
1 Plain English Campaign
2 Engaging for Success, The MacLeod Report, UK Department for Business
