While you may not have the sway or resources to fully embrace the Ritz-Carlton methodology, you can begin by introducing the language into your employee updates, performance meetings and reviews. You can make it part of the onboarding materials. You can display it in breakrooms or on mousepads so that it becomes a natural response and a natural factor in all decision making. Some companies incorporate it into landing pages for their intranet.
It is critical that all employees, even non-client facing, embrace the client focus model. Even if an employee never interacts directly with clients, he or she still shapes client relationships. A late or inaccurate bill can erode trust. Poorly written emails and substandard work can weaken confidence. A discourteous interaction with reception or copy-center staff can leave a lasting impression. The administrator’s challenge is to translate the firm’s mission into specific, observable standards for every role.
Employees understand their contribution more clearly when leaders connect individual tasks to the broader client experience. Consider a receptionist greeting a client who has arrived for a scheduled meeting. If the conference rooms are double-booked or untidy, the client may conclude that the firm is disorganized or does not value the meeting. Neither impression inspires confidence. Concrete examples like this help employees see how their work affects the firm’s reputation and should be incorporated into onboarding and ongoing training.
Define what excellent client service looks like for each role, communicate that standard and hold employees accountable for meeting it.
When employees demonstrate exceptional client focus, recognize the behavior and share the example. At my firm, teamwork is a core value. During each monthly update meeting, our executive chair highlights an instance in which offices and practice groups collaborated successfully. The practice is simple, but it continually shows employees what the firm values and what those values look like in action.
Client focus should also be measured through performance reviews and included in ongoing performance discussions. Define what excellent client service looks like for each role, communicate that standard and hold employees accountable for meeting it. When service expectations are part of the performance-management process, client focus becomes a responsibility rather than an aspiration.
Employ a Communication Strategy
Keep the communication strategy simple and concrete. Rather than relying on lofty language, ask what you would expect if someone important to you were the client. Most clients want the same fundamentals:
- Clear and frequent communication about the status of the case
- An outline of progress with benchmarks
- Prompt bills without surprises
- Respectful interactions
- Active listening so that they feel heard
- Trustworthy behavior
- Responsiveness to calls and emails
- Honest and upfront discussions about costs
Create a Client Persona
It can also be useful to create an imaginary client persona and use their needs and expectations as a navigational guide. This is a detailed, semi-fictional representation of your typical or ideal client. Describe their position, industry and possible legal issues. Put a figurative face to the generic term, “client.” Giving the client a consistent, recognizable identity can help employees keep service considerations at the center of routine work. The client evolves from an email address or a name on a file into a human with human emotions, expectations and responses.
Establish Service Standards
Establish clear service standards. Often called service-level agreements, these standards define acceptable response and turnaround times in advance. How quickly should an email or telephone call be returned? How often should a client receive a brief status update? What is a reasonable turnaround time for a report or requested information? Agreed-upon standards make expectations visible, measurable and easier to enforce.
Excellent client relationships do not happen by accident. They are the natural result when firms set clear service expectations, train employees to understand the impact of their actions, recognize and reward client-focused behavior, and hold people accountable. Law firm administrators are uniquely positioned to bring those elements together and turn client service from an aspiration into a durable part of the firm’s culture.
