Poor customer service can ruin your law firm’s reputation. Without the right systems and tools in place, you could find that your business has a bad reputation. What? You don’t want to end up on Ripoff Report’s list of Outrageous & Popular Ripoff Lawyers? Keep Reading.
The Not-So Secret to Happy Customers: Great Customer Service!
As Matt Spiegel, VP and GM of MyCase, wrote recently on Lawyerist.com, “It is, in fact, quite simple: a new direction that can help firms rise above the competition while improving the legal profession overall. Stellar customer service.”
Clients love an exceptional customer experience. In fact, studies show that customers are often willing to pay more for a better customer experience. They appreciate it when lawyers and other service professionals go out of their way to solve their problems. Law firms that deliver superior customer experiences, outperform their competition, and have great customers because they have built a connection with their customers.
Yes! It is amazing customer service that separates the really successful lawyers from the rest, because they are the ones who have what Ken Blanchard calls, “Raving Fans”. But it takes a lot of dedication and the right systems to deliver great customer service on a consistent basis. The right infrastructure is the foundation to Ruby Receptionists’ “knock-your-socks-off-service”.
It is important to remember that great customer service isn’t only about putting out fires quickly. More importantly, it’s about knowing your customer so well that you are giving them what they don’t even know they want and make meaningful connections, what Ruby Receptionists CEO Jill Nelson calls, “Practicing WOWism”. Wouldn’t you like to Wow! your customers?
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Three Customer Service Tools to Help You Turn Clients Into Raving Fans
Now that you know you need great customer service to turn clients into raving fans, the question is, “How do you do it? And how much is it going to cost?” The answer is, “With built for scale web-based customer support tools.”
It may seem cost-prohibitive to invest in a customer service system when you have a solo or small-firm practice. However, these programs are relatively inexpensive and used effectively, will help you turn satisfied customers to raving fans, grow your business and reduce your marketing expenses.
There are hundreds of customer service software available online, which can make selecting the right one for your practice very challenging. Here are three of the most popular customer support programs:
Why ZenDesk? ZenDesk makes your business look great to potential customers. ZenDesk is web-based software that offers help desk ticketing, issue tracking, and customer service support. The Starter Plan will cost you $1 per agent/month and gives you access to their ticketing portal. However multi-lingual content management starts with their $59 per agent/per month plan that also offers complete phone support as well as email, Facebook, Twitter and Chat support.
ZenDesk easily integrates with many content management systems and CRM tools. Other features include hosted support email-ticket integration and online forums support. ZenDesk offers a 30-day free trial on their Plus Plan. (ZenDesk Pricing)
Why Desk.com? Desk was designed especially for small and medium businesses and may just be perfect for your law practice. The different pricing plans are also geared towards the changing needs of a small business making them more scalable and affordable then its counterparts, starting at $3 per month/agent. The Plus Plan starts at $29 per month/agent. Desk.com presents a smaller learning curve thanks to an intuitive UI that is fast and easy to use and backed by SalesForce.com. (Desk.com Pricing)
The $29 Plus Plan promises to deliver “epic customer service” and supports 45 + languages. Other features include Desk.com API Access, Community Support, Email Support, Phone Support, Email, Widgets as well as a Branded Domain SSL Hosting.
Why HelpScout.net? HelpScout offers a free service for up to three users and a $15 user/month plan for unlimited mailboxes and storage as well as the HelpScout apps to ensure a better customer service experience for your clients. However, it only supports English right now. But the low pricing can help you get your feet wet and more accustomed to providing a better service experience. (HelpScout Pricing)
The Last Word: Give your customers a T-Party!
Before I let you go, let me just show you one example of someone who is creating raving fans. If you are a fan of Taylor Swift (you should be), then you may know that her fans at her concerts are the craziest, most enthusiastic people on this planet. Why? It’s not only because she has great music that everyone loves. It’s because anyone there has the opportunity to meet Taylor after the show for pizza and photos at the T-Party Room. During the concert, Taylor has her staff searching the crowd for her Raving Fans, the ones that stand out, never stop dancing, and are having fun. Of course, everybody wants to go to the T-Party (see Get Into Taylor Swift’s T-Party). By doing this small little thing for her fans, Taylor is creating an incredible connection with her fans. These will be fans for life. That’s what you want for your practice.
For an in-depth comparison and guide to the top customer support software programs for better customer service management read, Software Advice’s “Customer Service Comparison”.
Take Action: Try one of these programs, dedicate yourself to creating raving fans, and do comeback to let us know how you turned your clients into raving fans.
All opinions, advice, and experiences of guest bloggers/columnists are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, practices or experiences of Solo Practice University®.
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