My husband likes to tell people I serve as a “marriage counselor” for law firms and their clients. While it seems like an oversimplification, it is a pretty accurate description. When I reflect on the secrets of the many successful long-term marriages I’ve witnessed, including my parents’ 65-year marriage, they are the same things clients […]
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend an inspiring conference focused on innovation in the law profession hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Many sessions focused on the concept of human-centric design: a design framework based on empathy—really understanding the customer—through observation, testing, failing, getting feedback, and iterating to deliver […]
A recent WSJ article lamented customer service is getting worse. While the article cited Forrester Research Inc.’s latest study noting a slight decrease in consumer customer experience scores, it is easy to see the same declining trend in positive sentiment towards customer experience in the client/law firm world as well. In our research we shared […]
In recent interviews, I have noticed a common thread around the value of practical advice. While excellent legal counsel and niche expertise are important (and expected), clients often highlight when outside counsel deliver practical advice. Clients rave and value lawyers who can take complex legal issues and offer succinct, practical business advice. A recent client […]
In recent months, we at Wicker Park Group have heard from some firms about the challenges posed by the significant number of RFPs being sent out from current and potential clients. While that can be a good problem to have, it can also be overwhelming. Follow these six tips before your respond, as you put […]
Spring is here, and while you take care of household chores, don’t forget to “spring clean” your client relationships. In the spirit of taking a step back and setting yourself up for a successful year, here are a few recommendations: Revisit your yearend plans. Every year in Q4, law firms develop their strategy plans, both […]
At the upcoming CXps (Client Experience in Professional Services) Conference in Durham, North Carolina, on May 10-12, I’ll be facilitating a panel discussion with three very impressive CX (client experience) leaders in the accounting and consulting realm. The focus of our conversation will be to explore how three very different professional services firms approach the […]
In 2020, Wicker Park Group launched ClienTELL. Law firms on the platform are creating robust customization to analyze their own client feedback and using sentiment analysis to identify what drives firm, industry and practice loyalty. They are also tracking key components of client service from their own client perspective. As we look at the broader […]
2021 was a banner year for most law firms. Billable hours were at an all-time high, lawyers did not lose time traveling or commuting, and client demand was off the charts for most practice groups. Lawyers worked intense, long hours, and many were heavily rewarded because of it. But the practice of law today is […]
We have often written in this space strategies and best practices for launching a client feedback program, including how to select clients, when to interview your clients, how to follow up and act on feedback, how to start a client feedback program and why clients value these interactions. And whenever we work with lawyers and […]
In September we wrote a post encouraging everyone to conduct a Client Service Report Card by stepping back from key relationships to assess the health and status from the client’s perspective. As covered in that post, the first step should be a self-assessment, candidly grading the firm’s strength in areas of importance such as: Understanding […]
Wicker Park Group periodically revisits some of its most popular blog posts. This post, first published in October 2020, still offers worthwhile insights into innovation. Last week, I cohosted a workshop with Elevate founder, chairman and CEO Liam Brown at the 2020 College of Law Practice Management annual Futures Conference on “Breaking Away from Tradition to Become […]
September often marks the time for new beginnings: a change in the weather, back to school, new routines and football. With my kids starting a new school year, the conversation in our home has turned to homework, new teachers, expectations and goals. The discussions have reminded me of our work with current and new clients, […]
In our last post, we discussed types of clients to consider when launching a client feedback program. One of those potential feedback sources, alumni, offer a valuable and often overlooked voice that can be critically important to a client feedback program. Over the last several years, there has been significant movement of talent within law […]
When firms are contemplating launching (or recommitting to) a client feedback program, we often get asked where they should begin. We are champions of starting small or running a pilot around a select group to ensure you have processes, systems and support for client feedback. While lawyers can be skeptical on the value of client […]
We have been asking clients for feedback on behalf of law firms and professional service firms for almost 20 years now. It is some of the most valuable and rewarding work we do. Clients continuously praise firms for taking the time to learn what they value most, where they can improve and how they can […]
Last week, I cohosted a workshop with Elevate founder, chairman and CEO Liam Brown at the 2020 College of Law Practice Management annual Futures Conference on “Breaking Away from Tradition to Become a Forward-Thinking, Client/Customer-Oriented Organization.” The setup for our session was a deep dive on innovation in the legal ecosystem, and we wanted to focus […]
Wicker Park Group Partner Nat Slavin recently had the opportunity to talk with Chase Williams and Ryan Klein about client feedback and loyalty on the Legal Mastermind podcast. They discussed several topics including: What leads a firm to seek client feedback How to approach client feedback, including in today’s challenging environment Actionable tips for attorneys […]
We have been closely reviewing and analyzing the responses to the recent Impact of COVID-19 on Corporate Legal Departments survey we conducted in partnership with ALM Intelligence. More than 130 in-house counsel from a wide array of industries, departments and company sizes provided feedback on their law firm service experience during COVID-19. Most all agree […]
Last week we launched a survey in partnership with ALM Intelligence to uncover how U.S. legal departments and, more importantly, individual in-house lawyers are being impacted by COVID-19. For those of you who are reading this blog as it comes out and are in house, the survey is still open and can be taken by […]
As we enter the new decade, our society has incorporated feedback into almost every aspect of daily life from informal comments on social media to online reviews of products and services. And while Wicker Park Group now works with more law firms than ever on feedback programs, we still see resistance to the idea of […]
In last week’s blog post, Tara wrote about the outcomes of client feedback interviews and even shared recent recommendations we have made to our law firm clients after talking to their clients. We make those recommendations based on our experiences interviewing thousands of clients on behalf of firms. The themes in those actions map directly […]
Lawyers and firms considering a client feedback program typically want to hear about the type of feedback we solicit from clients. But they are often more interested in the activities or results that come directly from client interviews. We believe some of the best value we provide to our law firm clients is taking the […]
Wicker Park Group periodically revisits some of our most popular blog posts. This post, one of the most read last year, was originally posted in April 2018. There is a recurring theme among our client interviews and electronic feedback surveys these days, and acting on it is a win/win for clients and lawyers. Clients want their […]
I’ve worked with about 100 firms in the last 12 years, primarily around client feedback, and there is one most important element to the entire feedback process: what the firm does to act on the feedback. In order to effectively act on the feedback, firms must: Engage the client Involve other parties as needed Clearly […]
We are entering the final months of the year, which is often a time of reflection (and collection). At WPG, we’ve been reminded of the valuable year-end actions that will show your clients you are listening and are focused on providing the best client service possible. No matter the stage of your career or your […]
Wicker Park Group periodically revisits some of our most popular blog posts. This post originally appeared in April 2017. When clients take the time to offer feedback, they give their lawyers and firms a gift. It is the gift of their time—a gift demonstrating they care about the relationship. But with that gift comes great […]
Tara Weintritt, Partner, Wicker Park Group Daniel H. Weintraub, Managing Director and General Counsel, Audax Group Here at Wicker Park Group, we have been interviewing clients on behalf of law firms for over a decade. The feedback has evolved after more than 3,000 interviews, but the core messages are similar. Clients want you to spend […]
There is a recurring theme among our client interviews and electronic feedback surveys these days, and acting on it is a win/win for clients and lawyers. Clients want their lawyers to be more proactive and routinely tell us they wish their lawyers would take the time to pick up the phone, schedule a visit or […]
If feedback was easy, then it would happen every day, in real time, and there would never be a single doubt about any of the themes most critical to every client-law firm relationship: Do you understand your clients’ needs? Do you know how to make their lives easier? Do you know what is important to […]
In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, I decided to take a look at WPG client feedback reports from the past few months to see what clients say they really love about their law firm relationships. Clients really feel the love when their outside counsel are generous, insightful, adaptable, consistent, collaborative, fun to be around, thoughtful gift […]
We’ve written countless blog posts about the importance of talking with clients “off the clock” to seek feedback and gain a better understanding of their businesses, strategic goals, preferences, priorities and pressures. The attorneys doing this well have seen the simple effort make a dramatic difference in the strength of their client relationships as well […]
As firms plan for 2018, we spend a lot of time talking with existing law firm clients as well as those that are (finally) prepared to launch a formal client feedback program. As part of that conversation (and even in formal RFPs), we are asked to share our philosophy on client feedback. Our philosophy can […]
The two most frequently asked questions we answer when working with our clients at the beginning of any engagement are: How do we handle difficult feedback? What happens if we don’t have a formalized system to act and follow up on the feedback we get from our clients? Those two questions are more connected than […]
Interview With Rich Cohen, President and General Counsel Corporate Creations Corporate Creations is the third largest provider of registered agent and compliance services nationwide for Fortune 1000 companies, Global 2000 companies and private companies. It also provides registered agent services for many law firms and their clients. Corporate Creations is a privately held company. It […]
The following article, written by Susan Kostal, was posted June 1 as part of JD Supra’s Perspectives series. I’ve attended many panels where in-house counsel share their likes and dislikes, but in the last year the tone has changed. In-house attorneys are increasingly dissatisfied, they tell us, because they can’t have the kind of conversations they […]
Wicker Park Group is revisiting some of the processes around Client Feedback Interviews in a new series of blog posts called “Back to Basics.” This is the fifth article in the series. You can find the first article about how to choose clients for feedback here, the second article about the importance of preparation here, the third article about who […]
For the last decade, we have worked with firms to launch, lead, develop and support client feedback interviews. And in almost every firm, the managing partner or chair is either already conducting relationship visits or planning to do them as soon as possible. They often come to us to discuss how to both train the […]
Albeit unplanned and a bit happenstance, I have been interviewing quite a few alumni of our law firm clients. Alumni are great interview candidates for many reasons. They have insights and perceptions that go beyond the average firm client. They have “experienced both sides” and have an appreciation of what they would do differently. They […]
Wicker Park Group is revisiting some of the processes around Client Feedback Interviews in a new series of blog posts called “Back to Basics.” This is the fourth article in the series. You can find the first article about how to choose clients for feedback here, the second article about the importance of preparation here and the third […]
When clients take the time to offer feedback, they give their lawyers and firms a gift. It is the gift of their time—a gift demonstrating they care about the relationship. But with that gift comes great responsibility. And unlike a traditional gift, you have to do much more than just send a thank you note […]
Wicker Park Group is revisiting some of the processes around Client Feedback Interviews in a new series of blog posts called “Back to Basics.” This is the third article in the series. You can find the first article about how to choose clients for feedback here and the second article about the importance of preparation here. Most […]
At the end of a client feedback interview last week, the senior in-house counsel I was speaking with summed up the relationship by saying, “At the end of the day, they get all my work because they make me look good.” It is that simple. In an era where competition is greater than ever and […]
Wicker Park Group is revisiting some of the processes around Client Feedback Interviews in a new series of blog posts called “Back to Basics.” This is the second article in the series. You can find the first article about how to choose clients for feedback here. Whether conducting interviews face to face or via telephone, we recommend […]
Wicker Park Group is revisiting some of the essential processes around Client Feedback Interviews in a new series of blog posts called “Back to Basics.” This is the first article in the series. Check back regularly for updated entries. Unless you have unlimited time and resources, it is impossible to visit or call every single firm client […]
Many law firms understand how to meet their client’s biggest and most obvious client service preferences. We’ve all laughed about (and learned from) the story of the firm that FedExed its RFP response to UPS and was summarily dismissed from the process as well as the firm that forgot to remove competitor products from the […]
Fall is one of our busiest interview seasons at Wicker Park Group. Just last month, I conducted over 30 individual interviews. The companies ranged in size, revenue, region, complexity and legal department sophistication, yet the feedback themes were very consistent and tended to focus on communication. Firms received praise and appreciation for frequent, collaborative, consumable […]
I was recently challenged to explore what client service will look like in 2026. The good news is the conversation has already started, but the bad news is law firms have a long way to go. It is great that the idea of “client service” is authentically being explored within law firms, but what many […]
We will periodically revisit some of Wicker Park Group’s most popular blog posts. This one, from November 2015, was one of last year’s most read posts. “While our attorney conveys knowledge and supervises other attorneys, we don’t see a successor. But we don’t see one in any law firm. There is no incentive to do […]
Bloomberg recently published an article on the exhaustion many consumers are feeling about the plethora of customer satisfaction surveys they face. The piece attributes the steady increase in quick surveys to a number of factors including a growing interest in utilizing customer feedback to improve services and the ease of reaching customers via email and […]
“When I select attorneys to handle a matter, I really look for a team. I want the leader to be familiar with the case and giving people direction. I don’t expect him to get in the nitty-gritty from day one, but you do really need a very smart guy to be in the details and […]
The single greatest truth in any client feedback effort is simple: If you are not prepared to act on the feedback, don’t ask for it. In every client feedback program—whether we are conducting the interviews ourselves or training the firm on how to conduct them—managing the clients’ expectations is critical to the program’s success. We […]
In a recent client feedback interview, a deputy general counsel told a common story. He had all but forgotten the Thursday deadline for a filing in a litigation matter of medium importance. His regular outside litigation counsel had a conflict, and he was trying a new firm on the recommendation of a colleague. The firm […]
In my annual year-end scramble to obtain the required Continuing Legal Education credits, I attended a GC panel hosted by our local Legal Marketing Association. As the moderator asked the panel members questions about how they purchase legal services, the same response came up over and over: Relationships are the key. Early in the discussion […]
Rare is the in-house counsel who will swiftly and directly confront outside counsel about minor annoyances or even major frustrations. While there are exceptions, most clients just don’t have the time, bandwidth or interest to proactively offer course corrections. Many attorneys are by nature conflict averse and indirect. So if you aren’t picking up on […]
“While our attorney conveys knowledge and supervises other attorneys, we don’t see a successor. But we don’t see one in any law firm. There is no incentive to do it.” Succession planning is one of those recurring issues that Wicker Park Group hears about regularly while conducting client feedback interviews. Whether due to a […]
The following was posted October 26 by Lindsay Griffiths on her blog, Zen and the Art of Legal Networking. Griffiths is the International Lawyers Network’s Director of Global Relationship Management. If you’re a regular reader of Zen, you’ll know that I love in-house counsel panels. During the recent Legal Marketing Association’s Technology Conference, we had one […]
It is a rare gift for a lawyer who has spent an entire career solving clients’ problems to be able to sit down with a client, truly listen to the client’s assessment of the relationship, get feedback and—most importantly—act on the feedback. As a consequence, law firms often confuse client feedback interviews with “thank you” […]
Remember this saying? “Don’t ASSUME. It makes an ass out of you and me.” It’s a little childish and possibly not appropriate for a business blog, but it seems to be a consistent theme of our work lately and one worth considering. After almost 20 years in this industry, I am still shocked at how […]
“That lawyer does not take on each problem by rote but brings a renewed activism and discipline to the need to find the solution. That lawyer ‘listens’ rather than just ‘hears.’” –Client interviewed by Wicker Park Group While hearing and listening both require using our ears, the words have very different meanings. Listening […]
If you ask most legal marketing professionals about their top pain point and/or worst use of resources, lawyer rankings and awards always rise to the top. They are growing in popularity and awareness, and the time demands to do them well are considerable. However, despite the thousands of interviews Wicker Park Group has conducted over […]
Great lawyers—the ones who have the highest client loyalty, extraordinary business acumen and an innate understanding of what it truly means to be successful—all share one common trait: They listen. They listen to their clients, they listen to their teams, they listen to ideas and they act on what they hear. But even the best […]
“You are not talking to my client.” “My clients will tell me if they have a concern or problem.” “Clients are too busy.” “We don’t know how to respond to negative news.” “I have already talked to them about how we can grow the relationship.” “Where do we start?” The list of reasons to […]
Interview with James Koutras, Senior Corporate Counsel & Secretary Cristal USA Inc. Cristal USA Inc. is a Hunt Valley, Maryland-based manufacturer of titanium dioxide. The company has operations in Illinois, Maryland and Ohio. The parent company, Cristal, operates on five continents and is one of the largest producers of titanium dioxide and a leading producer […]
In our conversations with in-house counsel about what law firms can do to strengthen and deepen their relationships, we often seek a short and sweet answer to the question. The answer is easy, but following through is very, very hard. The answer: Understand what it means to differentiate from the competition in the eyes of […]
As a former general counsel, I’ve been on the other side of the outside counsel/client relationship and learned a lot about what works and what really doesn’t work. While it should come as no surprise that effective communication is essential to that relationship, it is easy to forget how differently lawyers and C-suite executives tend […]
We all love to walk out of a client interview with a zinger: a big relationship problem, a previously hidden opportunity in a new area or a major client challenge we can solve. In fact, some clients don’t think their client feedback programs are effective unless there are big surprises at every turn. The reality […]
The majority of clients interviewed by Wicker Park Group have significantly more praise for their outside counsel than criticism. In fact, most complaints about law firm relationships typically result from failing to manage client expectations or other common communication breakdowns. On those rare occasions when you do receive surprising negative feedback, it is always better […]
Knowing that word of mouth referrals dominate attorney and law firm hiring decisions, Stinson Leonard Street decided to accelerate their understanding of the firm’s referability. Adding to their already robust client feedback efforts which include regular leadership visits, internal and third party conducted in-person and telephone client interviews, and a client advisory panel; the firm […]
Article By: Janet Ellen Raasch – Strategic Writing And Ghostwriting Lawyers are always interested in getting more work and better work from their existing clients. If you ask a lawyer what his or her client really wants, the lawyer is likely to say “good legal work.” If you ask the client, you’ll get a far different answer. […]
The most important part of the client feedback process is being prepared to act on the feedback you receive. When we advise our law firm and professional service firms on best practices in client feedback there are several “rules” to follow, but the number one rule is: You are making a promise. You are making a […]
Most law firms do not seek client feedback despite the proven benefits, a new study finds. The study, conducted by Wicker Park Group in conjunction with LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, finds that 52% of firms globally do not conduct client feedback programs even though 83% of the respondents believe that their clients value the opportunity to provide […]
In the January/February Issue of the ABA’s Law Practice magazine (pp. 11-15) Bob Denneyexplores what’s hot and what’s not hot in the legal profession. Among the marketing and business development trends, Denney lists Client Interviews in his top four along with Growth Strategies, the creation of the Chief Value Officer and filling long-vacant Chief Marketing Officer positions. As […]
There’s an interesting conversation happening on the LinkedIn Legal Marketing group (membership required). Here’s my post to the question on whether firms should eliminate client alerts and generally how to ascertain the value of client alerts: — The answer to the question is: One size fits one. Every client is different and has different needs. […]
In the October 2010 Smock Sterling update on the legal marketplace the firm reports that in addition to lateral hiring firms are more actively engaging in client feedback: “Based on talking to our clients and friends in the legal market, both increased lateral hiringand regular formal client feedback have been widely addressed. Lateral hiring is clearly up and most healthy […]
My friend and in-house marketing professional extraordinaire Heather Milligan of Barger & Wollen has an excellent post at The Legal Watercooler on how to counteract the not uncommon lawyer stance that they are “too busy to market.” She offers great advice on how to overcome the failure’s of lawyers to understand the value of networking, and I am privileged to be mentioned in […]
In a letter to law firm leadership, Association of Corporate Counsel General Counsel Susan Hackett explains how law firms can access the “satisfaction” survey in-house counsel have been participating in since ACC’s announcement of the initiative last October. The initiative, dubbed “Value Index” is part of the broader ACC Value Challenge. An evolving initiative for in-house counsel and law firm’s […]
Last week, I accompanied one of our client’s managing partner and marketing director teams on a client feedback interview. The first thing the managing partner said after leaving the client’s office was, “That was really fun! We should be doing this every month. It should be part of my job description as managing partner.” And […]
My friend Pat Lamb just shared this reminder in his In Search of Perfect Client Service blog (via Dan Hull) Client service is hard. We always remind law firm attorneys to do the following three things when learning how to best serve your clients: 1. Ask how you are doing.2. Respond to the answer to that question.3. […]
At the 2009 Legal Marketing Association Annual Conference, Laura Meherg of Wicker Park Group and law firm CMO Erin Meszaros presented a workshop on client feedback. Billed as a “live” client feedback interview, the highly interactive program had the underlying goal of spreading the message that while the interview is important, the key components of […]
Using Client Feedback and Opinions to Develop Winning Service Strategies April 23, 2009University of Chicago Gleacher CenterChicago, IL The most successful law firms have the deepest relationships with their clients. Most often those relationships are based on in-depth feedback programs and are tied to higher client retention and increased profitability. This unique master class is […]
Law firms can benefit greatly by systematically and consistently seeking client feedback. At the LMA Philadelphia Chapter meeting on February 19, 2009, Laura Meherg and Nancy Mangan from Wicker Park Group outlined many of those benefits plus tips for creating and sustaining a successful client feedback initiative in law firms. Benefits One of the most important […]