Do you manage client complaints as well as you could?

No matter the size of your firm, receiving a complaint from a client can be time consuming, costly, frustrating and stressful. There is also the added worry of the client being unhappy with your investigation and going to the Legal Ombudsman (LeO). This will involve you in yet more lost time and cost.

Getting a complaint is never a pleasant experience. At Esterase, we provide a unique complaints management service for legal practices and so we see many such reactions. However, you have an obligation to deal with any complaint made, so no matter how frivolous you may think it is, time and resources have to be devoted managing it.

Complaints are sometimes thought of as not being as important as fee-earning work. This can be a very costly mistake for your firm. Dealing with complaints in a prompt and appropriate manner is critical as there are consequences from not managing them effectively, not least of which is the flat fee of £400 now imposed by LeO for each complaint if they substantiate it! This is in addition to any compensatory award they may impose for ‘poor service’.

Even if LeO were to conclude that you have not provided a poor service, you could still find yourself paying a flat fee of £400 because your complaint procedure is not effective!

It makes sense therefore to have in place a robust, cost effective, complaints procedure that you can rely on. Is delegating such an important area to a partner, who will have other targets and demands on his or her time (not least fee earning) really the best solution?

As experts in this area, we know what to look for and are typically more efficient in time and cost than an assigned partner who “has much better things to do”.

An expert complaints management service from Esterase:

The use of expert external complaints management support can be a time saving and cost-effective solution. Even for a small matter/file, the saving can still be over £1,000 when compared to the costs of managing it in-house.

There are a number of benefits:

1. Saves on significant lost fee earning time (and therefore lost revenue).

2. Reduces stress and worry for staff and partners.

3. Clients appreciate the independent assessment of their concerns, even when their complaint is not upheld.

4. Provides added experience and expertise in dealing with LeO should the complaint be escalated.

5. Delivers feedback and advice to help firms learn from problems identified.

For many, the cost of managing a complaint themselves in lost fee earning, admin resources and so on will far outweigh the cost of using an external expert service and will deliver poorer results for the firm and the client.

If a client’s complaint is addressed appropriately, even where issues of poor service are not identified, that client will see that their complaint has been given the attention it deserves and can walk away from the experience satisfied that they have been taken seriously. In turn, they are more likely to recommend your firm to others.

Research has shown that a satisfied client can recommend up to 5 new clients whereas a dissatisfied client can lose the firm up to 23 new clients. Makes you think!

For more information please:

Visit: https://www.esterase.co.uk/solicitor_complaints_handling.php

Call: 08455 199 149

Email: enquiries@esterase.co.uk