There are many take-aways from the story of Longenbach , Potter and the bag of bad chips. I don’t profess to know them all, but let’s look at just a few ways in which this story can help a law firm turn client complaints or bad experiences into a selling and solidifying opportunity.
Bad client experiences, if handled properly, are a blessing in disguise, and a golden opportunity to sell.
What would you prefer as a lawyer: a dissatisfied client who says nothing and takes his or her business elsewhere, or one who speaks up? The second variety is far more valuable because the client who cares enough to speak up is one who: a) wants to be saved; and b) is loyal, and therefore, worth saving.
Every client likes to believe he makes smart choices, and doesn’t quickly or easily face the possibility that he made the wrong choice in picking a law firm. Bending over backwards to apologize and to make things right with a dissatisfied client reassures the client that his choice was the right one, and the firm he chose was good enough to rectify things and then do a little bit more in the name of solidifying the relationship. By apologizing, giving a token of appreciation, a concession on a bill, or any number of other accommodations, a lawyer can turn a client’s nightmare into a dream, and lock in the client’s business well into the future.
In a way, a bad client experience is like a flare-up of buyer’s remorse for the client, and can be fixed by reassuring the client he made the right choice. How do you do that? By demonstrating to the client that you and your firm are the exact type of client-oriented lawyers he wanted in the first place, and by saying that you are sorry, shunning excuses and scapegoating, and above all, making things right.
Never delegate client contact when it comes to troubleshooting the relationship or apologizing.
There is no substitute for talking to a top dog when a problem crops up. Putting the company president out front to field Longenbach’s chip complaint was probably 75 percent of what Martin’s needed to do to keep the business.
Clients do not want to hear from associates, paralegals, or secretaries when things go awry. They want the lawyer responsible for the entire account to explain the problem, and how he or she will fix it. If you, as a lawyer, were smart enough and good enough to land the account in the first place, be smart enough and good enough to give it TLC when needed, and to turn a crisis into more business.
A handwritten note of apology after speaking to the client is a great way to seal the experience.
In today’s digital age, handwritten notes stand out when they hit a client’s desk, especially if it comes on the heels of a phone call of apology and promise to fix the client’s complaint. E-mail apologies do not have near the impact of a handwritten note, largely because clients are barraged with e-mails, and a quick e-mail shows much less effort.
In any given day, how many handwritten notes, especially notes of apology, will hit your client’s desk, compared with the e-mails in his In Box?
Consider also going above and beyond by sending a small token of appreciation, making a concession on the bill, or throwing some other consideration, perk, or bonus the way of the client. For example, promising a few hours gratis on the next matter increases the chances of there being a “next matter,” and a chance to convince the client again that he is with the right lawyer and firm.
Account-responsible attorneys, especially lead ones, should stay close to their clients regularly, so that when a “bad bag of chips” turns up, you’ve built up relationship capital, and an apology doesn’t look like “too little, too late.” It also differentiates you from 98 percent of your competition.
Don’t misunderstand, an apology and prompt follow-up to fix a bad situation are vital even in the absence of regular contact, but a long prior history of regular courtesy phone calls and contacts to say, “thanks for your business,” or, “is there anything we can do to improve our service to you?” will boost the impact of the apology.
While it takes a little time, I place four or five calls per week to various clients to say thanks for their business, and ask if there is anything we can do to improve our service. I recently called a long-time insurance adjuster to do this, and she ended the call by thanking me for calling, and telling me that in 30 years of handling claims she’s received calls like that from exactly two lawyers — two. Can you imagine how many lawyers she’s been on the phone with during those many years, and the opportunities they’ve missed to set themselves apart?
You cannot buy market differentiation like that at any price. What’s more, if you call to apologize to a client for a mistake when you’ve regularly spoken to him or her to ask for suggestions on how to improve service, your apology will be received as genuine, and simply as a part of your ongoing efforts to upgrade service to the client.
Customer Service Equals Client Service
In her column on Martin’s chips, Jaffe reported that Ken Potter regularly receives letters from customers with whom he’s spoken. They write comments such as, “there’s no one like you left on this earth.” Sadly, that is true enough. While it may take Mr. Potter time to field customer service calls, the revenue the calls generate in terms of saved relationships and new business make the investment of time well worth it.
Potter sums up his view on sales and marketing in his business like this: “I just want to make my customers happy, and make the best potato chip.”
While lawyers and others sometimes feel that selling service is different and more complicated, are the basics that much different than how Potter sees his chips?
