If your firm’s business engine is not firing on all cylinders (or battery cells), perhaps your client process needs tuning. Here are two ways to improve your client process and create a virtuous circle for new clients. 

Your Process for Success:  Two Ways to Measure and Manage

         NPS Scoring

        Online Reviews

   au·then·tic   adj.     – of undisputed origin; genuine

   in·au·then·tic  adj. – not in fact what it is said to be

How do you ask your clients for feedback? You really don’t know how you are doing unless you ask.

Many larger companies ask a simple question, ‘How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or collegue?’ The answer on a scale of 1-10 allows calculation of NPS, Net Promoter Scoring. The simple number tells you if the client experience is getting better or worse.

Online reviews are a second way to measure client satisfaction. The bottom line, online reviews need to be natural and authentic. Google algorithms monitor and manage review publication. How then can you obtain feedback and reviews that honestly reflect the experience future clients can expect if they select your firm?  How can you best manage, even have removed, that one bad review that sooner or later may be posted against your online reputation?

Some violations cause reviews to be deleted by Google.
Anyone can alert Google and report a business [1] if they see a fake review scheme or offensive review. Here are our tips, followed by sample links to a pdf and web based feedback and survey forms:

Do Not

  1. Do not be passive, that results in your worst client writing your online reputation
  2. Do not get all reviews on a single review platform, that’s not natural and organic.
  3. Do not get reviews from one device at your location
  4. Do not ever pay, in any way, for online reviews
  5. Do not get reviews from anyone that did not directly use your service,

such as from family, friends, employees or peers from outside your area

  1. Do not place a false review onto a competing business site
  2. Do not make a review that violates Google terms of service, such as ‘gating’[2]
  3. Do not go online and post or respond to reviews in a contentious or repetitive manner

 Do

  1. Do ask for feedback and encourage reviews from all clients
    NPS Scoring webform http://bit.ly/Your_Opinion_Counts
    Client Survey pdf  http://bit.ly/Client_Satisfaction_Survey2
  2. Do make it easy to provide feedback and to get to your review pages
  3. Do monitor and respond promptly ‘response by the business owner’, a simple thank you message or offer how can we help
  4. Do tell people ‘ These reviews are to help others, so they can understand the need for expert guidance, and to share the story of their unique experience working with the firm’
  5. Do consider new web based and mobile friendly tools to facilitate and manage reviews

Recently a long-time law firm client had a negative review removed by Google. The review Google removed was from a person involved in an estate dispute, but not a client of the firm. The negative review had been posted many times over several months.  Google suppressed all but one of the redundant reviews and eventually even deleted all seven review postings, all by the same unhappy person (who was not a client).

The negative review was frustrating and annoying, but fortunately, this firm has over 200 very positive reviews and the negative review caused only a momentary blip in their online status.

Actions  to Consider
Use web-based, mobile friendly tools to conduct surveys and acquire and manage online reviews

  • Learn techniques for applying modern tools for maximum online results
  • Start asking the one simple and essential question needed to calculate your NPS[3] score
  • Conduct online client surveys and follow-up with review requests

Our team can assist you in understanding and integrating these digital tools into your client interactions. To learn more about how to activate one or more of these tools or techniques contact us.

 

About Premier
Premier Software provides technology and techniques that enable law firms to become more efficient, manage more effectively and enable a better experience for the law firm and its clients.

Tele 856.429.3010
Website www.premiersoftware.com
Email support@premiersoftware.com
Online appointment https://premiersoftware.com/online-meetings-webinars/

 

[1] GMB: https://twitter.com/googlemybiz or Facebook: https://facebook.com/googlemybusiness e

[2] Gating, refers to pre-checking sentiment before asking for reviews.

[3] NPS score is a calculation of promoters less detractors based on a single question, ‘How likely are you to refer us
to family or friends?’ (scale of 0-10)