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Adapting your law firm to meet changing expectations of clients
As the professional services marketplace continues to evolve, Iolanthe Gabrie and Megan Puszkar discuss one of the most significant shifts: evolving client expectations and demands.
Grace Robbie
Speaking on a recent episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, Iolanthe Gabrie, the director of social media agency Ruby Assembly, and Megan Puszkar, principal lawyer for Macedon Ranges Family Law, explored how the evolving expectations of clients are prompting a shift in how legal services and delivered and marketed. The conversation also delved into strategies for law firms to adapt to their client’s evolving expectations.
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Puszkar underscored that accountability has always been a fundamental aspect when it comes to client relations.
“Accountability has just always been a no-brainer for me. You’ve got to be accountable to your clients and to potential clients in all ways. I don’t think, in some ways, I don’t feel like that’s changed a huge amount,” Puszkar said.
However, she acknowledged that the way in which clients engage with legal services has undergone a significant transformation.
“I think the changes in what we’d call NewLaw has been more about coming to understand how clients directly want to communicate with you these days,” Puszkar said.
Puszkar detailed that the shift towards how clients want to interact with law practices reflects a broader trend where clients are becoming more comfortable using digital tools over traditional methods.
“People are more comfortable with filling in forms online, potentially, than paper forms in your office. People want to have the option of uploading documents,” Puszkar said.
In the face of evolving client expectations, Puszkar discussed the challenges faced by law firms in meeting the evolving digital expectations of clients while considering the preferences of older clients who may be less inclined to embrace technology.
To address such a challenge, Puszkar said: “You’ve got to be really flexible. That’s probably one of the keys to being successful in that space, is being able to adapt the way that you are operating to your clients and to what they actually need from you.”
“You have [to have] that cookie cutter sort of solution to communication [as it] doesn’t fit anymore. We have to adapt, and it’s not that hard to do, you know, you just have to listen to what people want.”
With clients being increasingly more savvy and selective in their choice of businesses to engage with, Gabrie emphasised the importance of establishing a robust brand that is “consistent”, as this strategic approach fosters the trust and loyalty clients seek in a law practice.
Gabrie offers suggestions that law firms can implement to create a well-thought-out brand: “Starting with something as simple as having a suite of logos or colours or fonts that are consistent, it doesn’t sound like something that would influence how people feel about legitimacy, but it genuinely is having a suite of images that aren’t just headshots that represent who you are across a facet of your identities or roles in life.”
As client expectations continue to evolve, Gabrie expressed, so too must how law firms manage and honour their relationships with their clients.
Gabrie underscored the importance of making clients feel valued and appreciated throughout the entirety of their interactions with the firm.
“Whenever we feel special as clients, regardless of whether we’re dealing with an accountant or a hairdresser, our likelihood of using that service again and referring to that service is heightened.
“Honouring all the relationships in as many ways as you can, that feels natural, that’s actually, that’s the busy work or the soft skills that can be kind of derided, but they’re really core to people feeling like they can trust and understand who you are as a branded business,” she said.
