One of our current and important areas of focus at RTM Law is to optimize and streamline the day-to-day operations so all our focus can be on clients. By that I mean, evaluating a client's experience life cycle to improve every touchpoint.
When I set out to start my law firm, the way I wanted to stand out was to ensure clients that they're in good hands, even before engagement. With that goal in mind, our Business Operations Manager, Azin Montakab, conducted a customer experience study. She targeted Southern California Residents and received 200 survey responses. The results have become our guiding light. Here are the top 3 takeaways.
First and foremost, I learned that even in an industry that traditionally doesn't do consumer insights research, there is something extremely valuable to be found in deeply understanding the client's needs and expectations.
Our first finding was that above cost, the initial call with the attorney is the most important factor in making their decision. Hiring a trial attorney like Ramin usually means a highly stressful matter has happened to a client, and the cost is always an important factor. But, my research uncovered that cost concerns are not as important as the first impression an attorney makes. This was my favorite piece of insight because it aligns with every research I've done and studied about customers' experience. The legal industry is no different.
Expectations: We also uncovered what clients expect from their attorney. These are qualities and skills that many successful attorneys already demonstrate but it's great to have data confirming best practices.
Referrals are very important in the legal industry and our research participants confirm that they rely on that more than other options. This proves why a positive reputation and past reviews are important (above). In addition to referrals, digital marketing and a solid SEO strategy will fuel the growth of a law firm. Though we didn't see many results about social media presence, based on industry trends and best practices, we're finding that a strategic social media presence is a competitive advantage, on platforms I would have never thought would work such as TikTok, Instagram reels, etc.
We're using these insights to put a client experience in place (and software that supports it) that stands out, is personalized, and gains the trust of clients even before they sign with RTM Law.
I share these results to show that even in an industry that traditionally doesn't do market analysis or customer experience research, there is something valuable to be gained from collecting up-to-date customer data. In fact, when we ran the idea by some attorneys, they didn't feel excited about it. We're so glad we gave this project a shot and can't wait to do more. It doesn't matter if a customer is buying a pair of running shoes, a house or acquiring an attorney, they want the experience to be right just as much as or more than the product.
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