Law firms can learn a lot from fine hotels about client service

By Linda Julian, Director, Julian Midwinter & Associates 

Each time I stay in a fine hotel, I’m struck by how different my guest experience is from client experiences at many law firms. If fine hotels can produce excellent service experiences at every level of the organisation with staff who are not all highly educated and paid, then it must be possible for law firms to go a long way down this path.

Fine hotels build cultures and traditions around client service and then gain great advantages in terms of reputation and status, word-of-mouth, attractiveness to first-choice staff, consumer demand and ultimately the prices they command.

Focus on client experience

So, how do fine hotels differ from law firms in the client experience they offer?

• Every guest is greeted warmly by every staff member, every time. Wouldn’t this be a nice start for contact with firm clients?

• Frequent guests are made to feel that the value of their business is noticed. The hotel general manager recognises frequent guests with a hand-signed note, card or gift, and adds his welcome on their arrival or soon after. Contrast this with how firm clients too often feel taken for granted or underappreciated.

• In a host of small ways, guests are noticed and treated as important. Too often, the preferences, foibles and idiosyncrasies of firm clients are overlooked or unnoticed.

• Fine hotels always welcome guest comments and make it easy for them to offer feedback. Contrast this with some firms that don’t want, let alone seek, frank client feedback. These same firms say “we know the clients are happy” or “if we send a survey, the clients might make an adverse comment or complain”.

This analogy goes only so far: when a client goes to a professional service firm, it is for expert advice; when he’s a guest at a fine hotel, it’s both for accommodation and the entire guest experience. Service is no substitute for professional substance, but technical prowess is rarely sufficient.

Focus on teamwork

We can also learn much from the teamwork strongly in evidence at fine hotels, luxury resorts and cruise lines.

• Fine hotels give a strong sense that every team member is respected by his colleagues (at least in guests’ presence).

• Everyone understands that the whole team must operate as a well-oiled machine in order to deliver outstanding service. Contrast this with the widespread law firm vibe that it’s all about the partners.

• Hotels recognise and reward exemplary service delivery by team members, particularly support staff.

• The employee honour board is displayed conspicuously and proudly. All too often in law firms, it’s only the partners who take the bows.

• Hotel staff are discreet and don’t divulge details of other guests or tell tales of unreasonable guest requests or expectations.

• Staff always look perfectly composed and give a sense that they have time and attention for guests. They don’t complain to guests that they’re frazzled or boast that they’re overworked; never do they cite as an excuse how late they finished last night.

• Service rituals are so consistent and seamless that they appear natural. The fact is that they aren’t: hotel staff are trained and coached until the right responses become second nature. Too often, law firms limit their training to technical competence.

• Exemplary behaviours are always modelled by supervisors and managers.

Lessons for law firms

Lawyers can draw dozens of lessons from fine hotels, including the following.

• Fine hotels think less about differentiating themselves from others than about being truly excellent in all they do.

• They aim to be perfect in every detail and not just in getting the substance right.

• Every client interaction with every function and each touch point is important, every time.

• Every link in the chain is treated as important.

• Every member of the team knows that he is there to do his own specific set of tasks plus provide service that will build reputation and bring return business.

• Often, it’s the little (and perhaps not so clever) things which count.

• The best hotels constantly maintain, renew, finesse, update and refurbish their offerings – before they are overdue.

• When things go wrong, staff provide immediate attention and are empowered to resolve a problem to the guest’s satisfaction.

• When there has been a problem, staff go the extra mile and provide extra attention to make amends and restore goodwill.

• Unlike some firms, a fine hotel doesn’t take the bill being paid as a signal that there’s no problem and all is well.

• Fine hotels know that word gets out about their establishment.

• They know the markets and clientele they want to attract and keep.