Client ‘service’ stories that will make your hair stand on end

Welcome to The Happy Client! Written by our Director, Anna Lake, this monthly newsletter shares insights, ideas and inspiration to help you build stronger client relationships and create move value for your business. If you're not already subscribed, click here to never miss an issue! Given that this edition of The Happy Client comes out on Halloween, I’ve gone all in on sharing some client service horror stories that I’ve heard about either in the course of my work or from friends.

So, to avoid being haunted by mistakes and missteps, these are a good reminder of how not to treat your clients:

A close friend is in the process of moving house. She knew the conveyancer she wanted to use, having had a previous positive experience with them. Although that particular solicitor had recently moved firms and was now based in another part of the country, this didn’t, given the nature of the work, present an issue. At a crunch point in the transaction, my friend received an auto-response saying that that particular individual no longer worked at the firm. She and her husband then had to contact the firm themselves to find out how to move forward, discovering in the process, that they had to complete all the ID and other checks again. They’re currently waiting to find out if they’ll now be charged twice for the work. Even if the departure of the solicitor in question was sudden, the firm should have made proactive contact with its clients to ensure a smooth transition, introducing them to the person taking over their affairs and, in this way, offering reassurance that their matters would continue to be in safe hands.

Lesson learnt – be proactive in your communication. Consider how internal changes in your organisation impact clients. Be upfront and timely in informing and reassuring them,  to ensure that the client experience remains as seamless as possible.

Making helpful and well-thought through introductions is an excellent way to strengthen client relationships, be proactive in your community, build your network and benefit all involved. However, those which are ill-considered can have the opposite effect. I recently heard from a client who is the GC of an organisation which drives large-scale land conservation projects across the UK. Taking account of his position, it would be fair to assume that he wouldn’t be interested in meeting lawyers who represent the water companies that are responsible for waterway pollution. However, that’s exactly who one firm suggested he meet (face palm!). Of course clients want to build their networks and discuss pertinent issues, but decisions on who constitutes a good fit have to be thought through on a case-by-case basis. In this particular situation it should have meant connecting with organisations and individuals with shared values, not those who represent the antithesis of what they’re trying to achieve.

Lesson learnt – be thoughtful in who you choose to introduce and also how you go about making those introductions.

Responding promptly and appropriately to your clients may be one of the foundation stones of good service but it’s also something that can get overlooked. Clients need to know their query is being dealt with. They don’t necessarily expect an immediate answer or resolution, but a holding response to say the matter is being dealt with and a timescale for providing a more substantive response goes a long way. At a recent client panel I co-hosted, all the speakers referred to how vital it is to get the basics right. Many companies focus on added extras such as hospitality to grease the wheels of relationship development but if the basics aren’t in place, no number of lunches can make up for a lack of responsiveness and, without timely responses, clients will look elsewhere.

Lesson learnt – being responsive demonstrates that you care and is a non-negotiable, first step in building client loyalty. 

I hope these examples have provided food for thought. After all, nobody wants to be giving their clients nightmares!