Control Your Client Journey

Every client that interacts with your law firm is on a journey, but you have to consider whether that will be an intentional journey or an unintentional one. Establishing a signature client journey will separate you from the competition because it shows that you have thought about their representation and care about their success. So, it’s crucial to have a client journey. Let’s talk about why a customer journey is essential and how to implement it into your law firm.

What is a client journey?

At its bare bones, a client journey is a customer’s experience when communicating with a brand. When referring to law firms, a client journey is the communication that a client has with your firm from intake to closing. 

There are three reasons that a client journey works: information, reassurance, and reviews. We’ll go in-depth on these three benefits, but first, let’s talk about why you should care. A client journey will increase your revenue – and there are statistics to back that fact. 86% of customers are willing to pay more money for a better customer experience, so when you improve your journey, you increase the value you bring to clients.

Here are two examples of what a customer journey could look like, followed by how the scenario either gives or lacks information, reassurance, and requests for reviews.

Scenario One: A client calls your firm and gets scheduled with an attorney or legal assistant. They don’t hear back from the firm until they receive confirmation that their case is going to court or settling, and then they get a paycheck or bill.

Scenario Two: A client calls your law firm and speaks with the intake team. The intake team takes their information and sets up a discovery appointment. Once they finish this first call, the intake team will send a swag box to the client. From the first call, the intake team continues to send them updates as their case progresses, either by text or email and reassures the client that their case is being taken care of. The intake team then lets the client know when they pass the case to the legal team.

When the intake team contacts the client at this stage, they ask for a review. After passing the case to legal, the legal team introduces themselves to the client. This team then communicates with the client every other week. They will either give updates or reassurance that their case is still being taken care of even though there are no updates. Once their case reaches its final stage, the law firm will communicate all the information to the client, along with billing or payment information. They will then ask the client to leave a review of the firm.

Information

A client journey is vital for giving information to your client throughout the life of their case. This information prevents your client from becoming confused with the legal process and prevents them from feeling like you’re just taking their money without giving them any benefits. 

In the first scenario, notice how little information the firm gives to the client. They only receive information when their case has gone through court and when they should receive a bill. The firm doesn’t say when they’re going to court, the attorney’s plan, or even who is working the case.

When looking at the second scenario, there are multiple communication points with the client. The intake team gives them information in their discovery call, updates on their case, and lets the client know when the case moves forward with the legal team. Then, the client gets to meet the legal team and speak with them. The client receives updates on their case, knows the plan, and gets to ask questions along the way.

When you communicate with your clients, you should give them as much information as possible. The information helps them understand what is going on with their case – this is important because many people are not well-versed in how the legal world works. Giving the client information and the ability to ask questions increases the trust that the client has with your law firm.

Reassurance

Reassuring your client is vital. Everyone can get buyer’s remorse, especially after a large purchase. When you communicate with your client, you’re reassuring them that they made the right choice by choosing to work with your law firm. 

The first example of a client journey has no reassurance because there is little communication at all. Now, keep in mind that reassuring a client doesn’t always have to be a direct statement of “you made the right choice,” but can be just as simple as providing an update on their case.

The second scenario checks in with the client multiple times throughout the process. The intake and legal teams reach out to the client to provide updates and to allow them to ask questions. 

Reassuring clients can be simple. By staying in touch, using positive language, and setting reasonable expectations, clients feel that they are in safe hands. The client journey reinforces the reassurance you offer them by giving your teams multiple touchpoints to check in with clients.

Reviews

A client journey also allows you to ask your client to leave a review. Reviews are vital for helping others find your law firm and encouraging potential clients to work with your firm. After all, 60% of customers say that they trust reviews from friends, family, and other customers. 

The first example does not ask for the client to leave a review. Since communication is limited in the first customer journey, the client will likely not remember to leave a review. Customers are more likely to leave reviews when they have an extremely positive or extremely negative experience. They will probably not leave a review because the experience with this law firm doesn’t stand out.

The second scenario asks for reviews and will likely receive them. This study found that 70% of consumers will leave a review when businesses ask for them. Because the law firm asked for a review at multiple points in the client journey and provided a positive experience, they are more likely to receive reviews from satisfied clients.

When you ask a client for a review, you’re telling them that you care about what they have to say. Asking for reviews is just another way for you to show your clients that they made the right choice when they hired your law firm.

How do you implement a client journey?

There are many benefits to implementing a client journey from the client’s perspective – clients receive information, reassurance, and share reviews. However, many law firms have yet to implement the client journey.

The first step to creating a client journey is to figure out what works best for you and your law firm. You can get this information from your employees, reviews, or even by calling previous clients. In particular, ask your intake team and client success specialists. They will have the best idea of what clients need. And if you don’t have these teams – it might be time to set that up!

Once you have an idea of where to start, begin training your team. Help align the team’s mindset so that they can guide the client through the legal world throughout the process. When all of your teams are on the same page, it will present a unified front to the client.

Impact Your Clients

A client journey is vital for ensuring that your law firm scales to hit eight figures in predictable yearly revenue. Why? Because clients who enjoy working with your law firm are more likely to leave positive reviews, refer others to your firm, and come back to work with your firm again should they need it. All three of these outcomes lead to more clients (and more revenue!) for your firm. 

Starting, creating, and implementing a client journey will help you grow your law firm. However, it can be a complex process. If you’re ready to implement the journey but you’re unsure where to start, reach out to us. We offer ONE.Client Journey, a program meant to help you create a client journey that will continue to grow your firm.

Take control of your client’s journey – and see how your law firm grows.