How to deliver world-class client experiences

  • Agile Working
  • Client Experience
  • Outsourcing
How to deliver world-class client experiences

According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority there are 9,465 solicitors offices in the UK, of which 71% are incorporated companies or LLPs. The UK legal market is one of the largest in the world, with the majority of prominent global law firms maintaining London offices, alongside prestigious Magic Circle firms.

While there are definitely benefits to being part of an ecosystem of world-class firms – from market stability to regulatory relationships to innovation – it’s undeniable that competition is stiff. Since the rapid digital transformations of the pandemic years, law firms must contend with changing client expectations, the demand for higher productivity and growing competition. In a competitive marketplace, client loyalty isn’t a given – so how can companies make sure clients keep coming back, or better still, that they refer your services to their contacts?

Defining outstanding client experiences

Law firms have a commercial imperative to deliver the best client experience possible. Of course, nobody sets out to provide bad customer experiences – so what are the key factors that define excellent service? How do you make sure you’re keeping clients happy and giving them what they’re looking for?

Here’s a few ways you can be sure you’re delivering the best possible service for your clients.

First impressions matter

Great customer service is all about attention. When new clients walk through the door of your offices, they’re often greeted by a receptionist, and subtly reassured by the professionalism of their surroundings. But how can you replicate that experience in a post-pandemic world, when many first impressions will be via telephone or email? Every point of contact could be your client’s first impression of your practice. You wouldn’t dream of leaving a client waiting in your reception area – nor should they be left on hold for long periods, or being passed around between departments, or having their calls ring out. Attention to every client – whether they contact your business in person, via phone, or by another channel – should be prompt, professional and consistent.

Clear communication

People don’t usually turn to law firms unless they have a problem – something that could be affecting their relationship, their livelihood, their business operations, or even their freedom. Whether your client is a legal department or an individual, it’s important that they receive regular updates, and that any potential issues are flagged in advance. Good business communication is both proactive and reactive, of course – as well as providing updates, you need to be ready to receive and return client calls and emails when they ask for an update. That means ensuring you have enough resource to take calls and return messages. Some legal firms even use outsourced switchboard services to make sure there’s always someone there to pick up the phone, even during busy periods or out of hours.

People value the personal touch

There is a time and a place for self-service portals. Few clients prefer to wait on the phone to find information they could access much more quickly online, or to provide a piece of documentation they could easily upload via your website. In other words, self-service is great for efficiency. But many of your potential clients will be seeking assistance for complex, urgent, or personal matters. Your team must be ready to demonstrate understanding, empathy and professionalism when assisting with difficult cases, and that means ensuring clients can always get through to a real human – someone who can instil a sense of confidence and reassure them of your ongoing support. Leaving them chasing an elusive team member when they need an urgent update is unlikely to leave a favourable impression.

Success can – and should – be measured

When a customer calls you, their experience on the phone can be measured in terms of “call quality”. High-quality calls are polite, professional, prompt, personable, and problem-solving (although every business might have its own KPIs). The quality of calls matters. Historical research suggests that 50% of clients consider “poor communication” a key source of dissatisfaction in their working relationship. Research from the 2019 Legal Trends report bears this out, finding that responsiveness has a “strong impact” on a client’s decision to hire a firm, and that while 79% of clients expect a response within 24 hours, most law firms fall “far below” these expectations. Responsiveness has an impact on a firm’s Net Promoter Score, too. In today’s competitive commercial environment, poor communication standards can easily mean losing a referral, or even a client’s business, to a more attentive competitor.

Your firm can benefit from monitoring the quality of your calls and implementing Service Level Agreements to ensure that customers who try to reach you on the phone always have the best possible experience – getting through to you quickly and receiving a high standard of service when they do.

Setting yourself up for success

Using an outsourced switchboard service to unify communications across your business can benefit you in a number of different ways. From ensuring there’s always a human available when they pick up the phone – even out of hours – to helping you communicate case progress to managing high call-loads professionally and empathetically, the right switchboard solution provides the attention to detail that defines truly outstanding service. In a competitive market – where a missed call could mean another client for your competitor – a central switchboard team that understands your business could be the difference between unsatisfactory and outstanding in your client’s eyes.

How ComXo can help

ComXo are industry-leaders in transformational switchboard and business support services, committed to redefining the switchboard for law firms. With a combination of technology and great people, we aim to help you deliver exceptional experiences during every call and communication you receive. Our 24-hour switchboard service offers industry-leading service-level agreements – 95% of our inbound call traffic is answered within 3 rings. We act as an extension of your team to provide knowledegable, empathetic and professional service from a real human. Ideal for making a perfect first impression.

Talk to our team today about how our specialist service can enhance your client experience.

Written by
Amanda

Ask Andrew – Why are we all so curious about ChatGPT?

  • Agile Working
  • Client Experience
  • Productivity
  • Solution
  • The Office
  • Virtual Meetings
Ask Andrew – Why are we all so curious about ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is new. It’s AI, but in a seemingly more accessible format than the ‘artificial intelligence’ of old – think of those strange prototype robots at corporate events that weren’t really helpful at pouring drinks but were certainly talking points.

Since November when it was launched, ChatGPT has already piqued interest in every sector and whilst it has been in our consciousness for just a few months, I suspect more has been written about its potential to transform or adversely destroy our norms, than any other topic since the invention of printing in the 14th century.

The big question is how it will affect our industry. Do we need to worry about it and what should we be doing to maximise the advantages that it may present?

Chat GPT is different.  No question about that.  I tried it out as soon as it was available back in November, and I had a similar epiphany to when I experimented with the internet back in 1995: “This is a game changer”.  But disruptive tech comes with its challenges. Here’s my thoughts on the risks, and potential rewards of using ChatGPT.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an LLM (Large Language Model, which is the term for generative tech that powers chatbots).  It’s simplicity is that it accesses data and then rationalises what appears to be insight from a culmination of data sets.  Data is interesting and on occasions enlightening but it lacks complexity and multi-dimension.  In contrast, the human brain is one of the most complex and extraordinary structures in our known universe. It uses electricity and chemicals (amongst other elements) to create conscious thought. According to google, our brain has more neuron connections than there are stars in our galaxy – sixty million or thereabouts. That surely cannot be replicated. 

And this is where the use of ChatGPT must be strategically planned and implemented.

The brain uses multiple data sources in decision making. Our left brains are logical and rational, right brains creative and emotional.  Human output and decision making is never determined just from data, no matter how rich the source. From my perspective ChatGPT is just surmised data. It is impressive in its speedy and prolific output, but don’t for a second believe it is ‘right’ - it is only reiterating data, and this is not necessarily factual.  ChatGPT is one dimensional. It is an automaton unable to triangulate data with emotion or that very human trait – feeling.  And for that reason, I cannot see it being trusted, and I’m not alone.

What does this mean for our industry?

If all is to be believed, the use of AI is growing exponentially, with benefits to productivity, efficiency, and client experience. So confident are some that this is the next tech revolution, predictions are being made that AI will raise annual global GDP by 7% (Goldman Sachs Research).

Whilst I agree that productivity and some automated processes could no doubt be enhanced in some areas, I challenge the concept that customer experience can be bettered when not using human experience, empathy and feeling.

In fact, if we take the legal industry at present, according to Reuters those in the legal profession “do not fully trust generative AI tools — and particularly the public-facing ChatGPT tool — with confidential client data.” (Reuters)

In service industries, where cases are often complex, high value or emotionally charged, can an organisation risk the loyalty and trust of their customers by putting them in the hands of artificial intelligence?

This leaves law firms in a situation where they are doubling down on client experience, and adding value at a human level, rather than risking tech in a bid to be innovative. My prediction for the future is that legal and consultancy will continue to help individuals and businesses navigate their world with the nuances and strategic insight that only experience can bring. What will likely disappear is the grunt work that they currently charge for, as AI will take over tackling document changes, policy writing and research.

At ComXo, we’re moving towards leveraging AI engines to help us analyse data patterns and enable our people to act quicker and more decisively, but we will not be replacing them.  Our industry is human at its core, and I believe its interactions will continue to be so too.

Andrew Try, Founder & Managing Director

Written by
Harris

How Data is Disrupting the Legal Industry

  • Agile Working
  • Client Experience
  • Company Culture
  • Productivity
  • The Office
How Data is Disrupting the Legal Industry

ComXo were joined by five legal tech experts from various technology providers in a virtual roundtable discussion, moderated by Andrew Lewis, Head of New Business at CTS. The discussion's aim was to examine the importance of data and analytics in the legal sector, as well as how law firms should use them to overcome sector-specific challenges and gain a competitive advantage.

Participants in this roundtable discussed data and legal analytics, law firms and new technology, client service, and the current hot topic in every industry: AI and ChatGPT.

In this roundtable, Andrew Try was accompanied by:

  • Ivan Packer, Consultant, Agilico
  • Rob Lawson, Strategic Sales Manager, Perfect Portal
  • Graham Moore, Founder & Managing Director, Katchr
  • Andy Lewis, Head of New Business, CTS
Disrutpion-in-the-legal-industry-cover

How is data disrupting the Legal Industry?

Complete your details below to download our free e-book.

Written by
Amanda

Ask Andrew: Investing in innovation during uncertain times

  • Agile Working
  • Client Experience
  • Company Culture
  • Productivity
  • Solution
  • The Office
Ask Andrew: Investing in innovation during uncertain times

Andrew Try, Managing Director of ComXo talks about how technology can help through uncertain times.

What is the future of the workplace over the next 5 years? When so much big change is happening in the world and influences such as environment, war, economy and COVID, this is a difficult question to predict. However, there are certain companies who are pioneering people, process and technology that are sign posting where the market is heading.

Technology is an obvious enabler, however poor adoption or platforms that do not achieve traction cause huge friction in organisations and user frustrations cause productivity to drop with time and money wasted.

At ComXo a combination of software platforms, re-engineered processes and the expertise of virtual teams are combined to provide personalized business support services 24 hours a day which support technology adoption and drives productivity and return on investment.

The ComXo mantra of "centralise, optimise and virtualise" your business support services cuts costs typically by 30% and transforms client experience which drives revenue and profitability.

At the heart of these virtualised services, used by 9 of the top 20 law firms and the likes of PWC is the ComXo Gateway.

The Gateway is an client branded app available from the app store that gives a workforce access to client specific services, information and workflows available as a combination of self-serve and as a managed service.

The outcome is that any member of staff at any time can access their organisation business support services to reserve a resource, register a request, use a service or find out information. The apps are branded, personalised and self-serve, however in the event that the user cannot get something done instant access to an expert (who knows who the user is and where they are) can pick up the request and complete it for the user.

This 'Self-serve' as a managed service drives 100% outcomes and enables large complex business to deliver an on-demand culture that enhances workforce satisfaction.

The reporting that accompanies the functions allow super users access to dash-boards that return real time information on services such as space utilisation, ground transport use, help desk tickets and new business enquiries through switchboard.

The Business Services App is able to changed and adapted in real time such that new work flows or reaction to a crisis or event can be delivered into the user interface instantly making it perfect for business continuity or highly bespoke set piece occasions.

ComXo integrate into 3rd party software and API to enable easy outsourcing and virtualisation of existing services such as IT and Facilities Help Desk, Meeting Room booking, desk management, ground transport, concierge service, switchboard and business continuity management.

ComXo's Business Services Mobile App is a client branded "Super App" that combines Software as a Service capability with an on-demand 'expert layer' that enables any user to get things done without fuss or friction.

Book a demo with our consultants today.

Andrew Try, Founder & Managing Director

Written by
Amanda

Are legal chat bots ready to chat?

  • Agile Working
  • Business Continuity
  • Client Experience
  • Company Culture
  • Productivity
  • The Office
  • Virtual Meetings
Are legal chat bots ready to chat?

With talk of "post-pandemic challenges" now feeling passé , and businesses re-focusing on the longer term future, legal firms are looking to build efficiencies into sustainable hybrid work processes, and ways to further enhance and develop their client experience for competitive advantage.

The use of "lawtech" including AI and chatbots has been hyped over recent years as the solution to all problems, with chatbots in particular seen as the "quick fix, easy to scale, friendly face of Artificial Intelligence".

Some predictions have estimated that more than 85% of customer interactions will NOT include a human being in the legal sector. But we ask the question:

"Are you ready to hand over your valued customers to a client experience which is totally hands-off?"

Are legal chatbots ready to chat e-book cover

Are you ready to hand over your valued customers to a client experience which is totally hands-off?

This insight, written by conversational intelligence expert Andrew Moorhouse, takes a look at balancing the risk of losing human interaction, alongside the reward of combining better tech and processes for a highly personalised managed service.

In this insight you'll find:

  • Insights from over 10,000 conversations across sectors
  • Analysis of call volumes and qualified leads for the legal sector
  • How to balance risk and reward when introducing AI technology
Written by
Amanda

Hybrid Working-Making it a success for your law firm

  • Agile Working
  • Business Continuity
  • Client Experience
  • Company Culture
  • Productivity
  • The Office
  • Virtual Meetings
Hybrid Working-Making it a success for your law firm

The change-averse legal sector has slowly been moving towards digitisation for years. However, since the global pandemic and the accompanying government-enforced lockdowns, the sector has been forced to review their working habits and embrace remote working.

As the world enters "the new normal", and Freedom Day in the UK seems a long way behind us, offices are reopening, and businesses are accommodating a blend of home and office working: the hybrid-working model.

Research has found that a large proportion of employees expect a level of "hybrid" working in the future - with just under half wanting to work from the office for 3 days or fewer each week. Additionally, results also found that over half of employees now believe the office to be unnecessary, with these numbers increasing since the first lockdown.

The legal sector needs to understand what's happening on the ground to ensure they are attracting new talent, providing a competitive working environment for staff, and proactively identifying concerns or issues amongst their employees - to provide the best experience to their teams.

Working in partnership with CBRE and CTS, we've provided a guide to help you do just that.

In this guide, we cover:

  • Why you should embrace hybrid working
  • The benefits of a hybrid working model
  • What employees want from hybrid working
  • What you should consider when developing your hybrid working strategy
Designing-a-Successful-Hybrid-Working-Strategy

Designing a successful hybrid working strategy: The best of both worlds

Complete your details below to download our free Hybrid Working e-book, with access to our ‘Finger on the pulse’ webinar on how to measure success.

Written by
Amanda

Why your firm needs a Business Concierge Service right now.

  • Client Experience
  • Outsourcing
  • Productivity
Why your firm needs a Business Concierge Service right now.

If you haven't already thought about outsourcing some, or all of your day-to-day operations within your firm then the current work environment may be the biggest reason to change that right now. Allowing a trusted expert to consolidate and merge your firm's client experience as well as handle your internal employee's tasks can increase brand image as well as productivity. Business or corporate concierge services could include things like virtual support with space booking, management of your diary or human assistance regarding the firm's knowledge based queries.

What do business concierge services entail?

These services include:

  • Instant access to staff directory where the confidential data is managed securely and kept up to date.
  • A knowledge base of policies and your firm's information that employees can remotely access at any time.
  • IT & Facilities helpdesk services where employees can create tickets for issues or requests.
  • Virtual Assistants: Human support at any time to help with the tasks and features mentioned above
  • Client Experience (CX): Services like outsourced switchboard can dramatically increase your brand image as well as the experience your clients receive. In the agile work world of today, this may be a vital cost saving and brand improving option.

Benefits of business concierge Service

  • Employee productivity increases
  • Focus on business growth can increase with more new business opportunities captured
  • Services like secure audio conferencing and desk booking are organised and maintained for you, giving you time to focus on other business aspect
  • Dramatic reduction of costs
  • Specialised mobile device apps help tackle the widely spread out workforce combine and collaborate easily

If you want to find out more about how Business Concierge Services can help your business, contact us now.

Written by
Amanda

Can you focus on revenue whilst still delivering great client experience?

  • Client Experience
Can you focus on revenue whilst still delivering great client experience?

Client Experience (CX) is considered one of the key brand differentiators in the legal sector, along with price and product. We know that getting hold of the right person to help is the biggest improvement organisations need to make (UK satisfaction index 2018). However, achieving this within large and complex organisations is a huge challenge.

Today we receive communication through so many channels - desk phone, mobile, Skype for business, voice mail, email, WhatsApp... Determining which is a potential new business opportunity or 'value' call, and which is another salesman selling a coffee machine, is becoming increasingly difficult. With organisations receiving so many calls that are deemed 'productivity-sapping' or a distraction, voicemail is being used more and more to screen and gate-keep all incoming calls.

Our research from tagging over 1 million calls into professional service firms, suggests that that up to 26% of all calls through switchboard are client-related, 'value calls'. If you miss even one of these calls by screening or letting it go to voicemail, you may be missing new business that was coming your way.

With over 30 years' experience working with professional service firms, and a diverse, sophisticated Switchboard solution, we understand that delivering exceptional client experience is more than just a friendly welcome or answering your calls around the clock. It's about satisfying the caller during the 1st encounter.

Through the combination of highly trained switchboard operators, enabled with an extraordinary technology, we ensure that every call is qualified, and correctly navigated into your organisation. That way, you know you won't be distracted by the non-value calls, but will be able to address each and every value call that could mean the difference between landing multi-million pound deals, and losing to a competitor.

We enable our clients to capture all revenue opportunities whilst delivering exceptional client experience. Interested to know more? Contact our team today.

Written by
Amanda