In light of the increasing number of lawyers and law firms, having a loyal client base is a critical survival tactic for law practitioners. Things like protection from cyber threats are also of utmost importance. You may have mastered the art of attracting new customers but how do you retain them?
Create legal value
Your business is to practice law. Therefore, your most effective strategy for retaining clients is offering legal value for the compensation you receive. You achieve this by being an expert in your area of practice. Customers pay you for your legal knowledge. Thus, to retain them is to prove that you have an expert understanding of their problem because you cannot be of value to them if you do not have the expert knowledge they need.
Being a lawyer, you can anticipate legal issues that your client may not be aware of. Discuss such issues with your client before they arise. This is to demonstrate your legal command. If the problem arises later, you client will not only trust you but will also believe in your legal capabilities. You save the client’s resources and time that could have been spent dealing with preventable legal issues. Hence, the client will remain loyal.
Do not always ask for payment to offer legal advice to your customers especially when they do not require immediate legal assistance. So, offer your clients periodic and relevant law content that is in line with the problems they are encountering. Clients will feel thought of and legally empowered.
Develop service value
Service value is equally as important as legal value. You may be offering the best legal value, but if your clients feel mishandled, they will seek alternative legal services. So, ensure that you deliver your legal value as a package with robust customer service value. Giving advice on how a client may avoid a data breach can also be valuable.
Everybody feels appreciated when they are listened to and served appropriately. So, create service value by addressing client concerns within the shortest time possible. If you miss a client’s call, always call back, send a message or schedule a meeting. Your clients will call you when they are in need of legal advice. So, if you do not respond, they feel unappreciated and legally unprotected. The fastest way to lose clients is to neglect them.
At your office, your clients will interact with your staff too. So, ensure that you hire friendly staff members. Since they interact with your clients quite often, ensure that they are legally empowered, professional and understand your service-value approach. Keep them motivated and happy to be at work.
Cyber security systems
A law firm receives all sorts of clients with varying legal issues that may be of interest to the wrong people. So, as their lawyer, you have a duty to protect your clients legally and socially. The information they entrust to you should only be used to craft a strong defense for them. As such, you should not disclose personal information and it should never get into the wrong hands. Hence, the need to invest in network security systems. Research on different cyber security companies and choose one that offers the security services you desire.
Bottom line
Nobody will stay in a place if they feel unsafe. All security, including network security, is a must. So, to retain clients, start by protecting your clients, their information, and offer value for their resources.