Customer loyalty begins with good staff, efficient processes

A strong support staff and staying on top of technological advances are two ways law firms can increase customer loyalty and maintain long-term relationships with clients, Toronto critical injury lawyer Patrick Brown tells Lawyers Weekly.

Spending money on necessary technology and competent associates, law clerks, legal assistants and receptionists will increase efficiency across the board and keep clients happy, Brown tells the legal trade publication.

“If you scrimp on that you will find that you will lose files,” says Brown, a partner with McLeish Orlando LLP.

“You can’t do everything yourself, nor is it efficient for you to do that,” he says. “So, if you make sure you have a strong support staff then you really can get that increased quality of service.”

The right technology

The right technology, says Brown, can go a long way towards client satisfaction.

McLeish Orlando, for example, has a document management system where paperwork is scanned and can be accessed from anywhere.

“I could be at home, I could be on vacation, I could be anywhere and if I have to deal with something in the file it’s literally only a click away,” says Brown.

The firm also sends correspondence to clients at each stage of litigation to keep them updated, says Brown.

“If you do that on a regular basis and (notices) go out the phone stops ringing,” says Brown. “People don’t call. They know exactly what’s coming up and it reduces all that time you spend on the phone.”

What practices should lawyers avoid?

“The one way you can lose a client is to get greedy and try to work on volume and not be able to deal with that client in a way that you ought to,” advises Brown.