Who among us has not had a bad customer service experience?

We all have. And most of us have Internet access, along with multiple forums for telling others about our negative customer service incidents. If you have not been keeping up with what your clients are saying about your firm online, it is time to take a look. Not doing so can mean the loss of return clients, potential clients and substantial revenue.

Did you know that four out of five people decide against purchasing products or services based on negative reviews they find online? If those people are looking for the legal services you provide, you have just missed out on a significant number of potential cases. The biggest way to avoid this is to look at your current client communication practices and evaluate your standing. Every interaction you have with your clients should make them want to sing your praises.

Here is an overview of the material I cover in a free download called 8 Steps to Client Communication Success!

It Starts With Intake

Good communication starts with your intake process. You know you cannot take every single case, but it is still vital that you handle those calls with care and provide the callers with some form of assistance. Ryan Pitz from the Intake Academy offers some tips in this short instructional video about how to help unqualified intake callers. In general, you want to handle every intake call with the attitude that you are listening to the caller’s concerns and ready to address his or her needs. Even callers you legitimately cannot help can post bad reviews if your firm provides an unpleasant experience.

When Cases Are Slow

Communication is especially important during slow periods in your clients’ cases. Keeping the lines of communication open, even while cases are on hold, tells clients that you care. Reach out to them regularly by:

• Sending emails with relevant information, such as online resources

• Making sure they understand the timeline and the next steps in their case so there are no misunderstandings.

Firms just like yours are hiring client relations specialists or placing existing staff members in this role. This person can oversee all the communications already mentioned, plus tasks such as:

• Tracking all client interactions to record dates of communication and topics discussed

• Sending birthday cards and thank you gifts to clients

• Addressing online reviews and any other feedback, including cleaning up unwarranted reviews

Now, about those bad reviews? We’ll be addressing that issue more in-depth in an upcoming article.

I hope that you have plenty of glowing reviews from your clients already. If you do not, ask your staff members to encourage clients to leave positive feedback on Google, Yelp, Angie’s List, City Search and Insider Pages. You can also get started with this process by asking for reviews from friends that you have helped, companies you do business with, long-time clients and staff members.