Peer Insights: Achieving Law Firm Growth Through CX Best Practices

Join one of the industry’s leading voices on buyer behavior and client experience, ClearlyRated founder Eric Gregg, as he provides a sneak peek into the changing needs of legal buyers and how firms can best position themselves for growth in 2025 and beyond.

The ClearlyRated buyer survey will share key satisfaction benchmarks and drivers, along with the most impactful trends facing your law firm now and in the future.

What you'll learn:

• How buyers of legal services make decisions about which firms to use, and how your firm can stand out
• How economic uncertainty impacts satisfaction and how best to create client loyalty
• What current clients wish their law firm contacts would do differently, and how top firms outperform
• How new and emerging technologies have altered the buying decisions of legal clients

Speaker

Eric Gregg, Co-Founder & CX Strategist

With two decades of research experience in B2B professional services, Eric Gregg and the team at ClearlyRated have analyzed more than 7.2 million surveys with the goal of determining what drives success for professional services firms.

Eric has served as an adjunct faculty member in Portland State University’s marketing program, and has published numerous articles, business cases, and technical notes in the field of marketing, client loyalty and employee satisfaction. His research and consulting have been featured in articles and as a noted industry speaker.

Join ClearlyRated’s CEO Eric Gregg for this quick-hit 30-minute webinar as he reveals brand new research, including the latest NPS® benchmarks for the staffing industry and highlights from our Industry Benchmark Study. Get a sneak preview of our upcoming report, and gain insight into the minds of staffing buyers and candidates.

What you'll learn:

• The latest research on NPS benchmarks for staffing and recruiting agencies
• Key factors influencing staffing buyer decisions
• The drivers of satisfaction for staffing buyers and candidates
• Strategies to elevate client experiences from satisfaction to loyalty
• The evolution of CX to always-on experience management

Empower your firm with actionable insights into client expectations and learn how to craft exceptional client experiences that not only prevent churn but also pave the way for organic growth within your existing accounts.

Presenter

Eric Gregg, Co-Founder & CX Strategist
Connect on LinkedIn

With two decades of research experience in B2B professional services, Eric Gregg and his team at ClearlyRated have analyzed more than 6.7 million surveys with the goal of determining what drives success for professional services firms. Eric has served as an adjunct faculty member in Portland State University’s marketing program, and has published numerous articles, business cases, and technical notes in the field of marketing, client loyalty and employee satisfaction. His research and consulting have been featured in articles and as a noted industry speaker.

Join ClearlyRated’s CEO Eric Gregg for this quick-hit 30-minute webinar as he reveals brand new research, including the latest NPS® benchmarks for the legal industry and highlights from our Industry Benchmark Study. Get a sneak preview of our upcoming report, and gain insight into the minds of legal buyers.

What you'll learn:

• The latest research on NPS benchmarks for law firms
• Key factors influencing legal buyer decisions
  
• The drivers of satisfaction for legal buyers
  
• Strategies to elevate client experiences from satisfaction to loyalty
  
• The evolution of CX to always-on experience management

Empower your firm with actionable insights into client expectations and learn how to craft exceptional client experiences that not only prevent churn but also pave the way for organic growth within your existing accounts.

Presenter

Eric Gregg, Co-Founder & CX Strategist
Connect on LinkedIn

With two decades of research experience in B2B professional services, Eric Gregg and his team at ClearlyRated have analyzed more than 6.7 million surveys with the goal of determining what drives success for professional services firms. Eric has served as an adjunct faculty member in Portland State University’s marketing program, and has published numerous articles, business cases, and technical notes in the field of marketing, client loyalty and employee satisfaction. His research and consulting have been featured in articles and as a noted industry speaker.

Satisfaction Drivers from ClearlyRated's NPS Benchmark Study

We've developed a comprehensive guide that offers valuable insights into the perspectives and attitudes of legal buyers. Learn about the 8 trends that are reshaping the landscape in our new industry report, "Legal Buyers Insights: Satisfaction Drivers from ClearlyRated's NPS Benchmark Study."

Here's what you'll discover inside:

• A comprehensive analysis of the legal industry and client trends.
• Key industry questions, offering you strategic insight that can shape your decision-making process around reputation management, client satisfaction, and business growth strategies.
• The factors influencing your clients' business decisions.

We believe this report can be a catalyst for your strategic development. Explore its valuable content and find the keys to unlock your potential today.

A world-class experience awaits

Get the recognition you deserve and grow your business with ClearlyRated.

Join ClearlyRated’s CEO Eric Gregg for this quick-hit 30-minute webinar as he reveals brand new research, including the latest NPS® benchmarks for the legal industry and highlights from our Industry Benchmark Study. Get a sneak preview of our upcoming report, and gain insight into the minds of legal buyers. 

What you'll learn:

• The latest research on NPS benchmarks for law firms
• Key factors influencing legal buyer decisions
• The drivers of satisfaction for legal buyers
• Strategies to elevate client experiences from satisfaction to loyalty
• The evolution of CX to always-on experience management

Empower your firm with actionable insights into client expectations and learn how to craft exceptional client experiences that not only prevent churn but also pave the way for organic growth within your existing accounts.

Presenter

Eric Gregg, CEO & Founder

With two decades of research experience in B2B professional services, Eric Gregg and his team at ClearlyRated have analyzed more than 6.7 million surveys with the goal of determining what drives success for professional services firms. Eric has served as an adjunct faculty member in Portland State University’s marketing program, and has published numerous articles, business cases, and technical notes in the field of marketing, client loyalty and employee satisfaction. His research and consulting have been featured in articles and as a noted industry speaker.

Discover the latest NPS® benchmarks for the legal industry in ClearlyRated’s annual Industry Benchmark Study, which delves into emerging NPS trends within the legal field.

Law firms, much like other B2B service firms, place significant reliance on client satisfaction and service quality to both retain their clientele and stand out in a competitive landscape. Particularly during economic downturns and industry challenges, the significance of service quality and client satisfaction becomes even more pronounced in determining business success. This partially explains the widespread prioritization of customer experience (CX) by business leaders across various sectors in 2023.To gain a comprehensive understanding of your service's performance year after year, it is imperative to employ a feedback tool that not only collects valuable insights but also simplifies tracking. Moreover, you need a metric that facilitates straightforward comparison with your competitors' performance. This is where the Net Promoter Score® (NPS®) comes into play—a metric that gauges service quality and customer satisfaction. It stands as a leading indicator of revenue retention, growth prospects, and brand distinctiveness.

What is NPS?

Your NPS starts with a single survey question that asks clients how likely they are to recommend your firm to a friend or colleague. The most forward-thinking firms are also asking their employees, hoping to boost their employee experience (EX) too. Responses land on a scale of 0–10, ten being extremely likely and zero being not at all likely. From there, people have the option to offer more specific feedback.To calculate NPS, we subtract the % of detractors (those who respond with a 6 or lower) from the % of promoters (those who respond with 9 or 10).

Why is NPS Uniquely Useful?

NPS offers a standardized measurement to track and report on client satisfaction and service quality—one that can be applied across every level, from the industry as a whole to the brand-level. Each company can also drill down within their organization, including by lines of business, department or account manager. This means that you can compare your firm to others while also pinpointing the shining stars and any areas to improve within your organization. Learn more about how NPS can help drive business growth.

Legal Services NPS in 2023

ClearlyRated’s Annual Industry Benchmark Study includes an industry focus on the legal industry NPS. The 2023 legal industry NPS has increased 5 points from 2022 but decreased 5 points from 2021 landing at 37%. The legal NPS has shifted up and down consistently since 2011, the first year ClearlyRated measured industry satisfaction.

Legal Services Industry Satisfaction – measured as NPS

Year-Over-Year Legal Industry NPS

Insights on 2023 Ratings

The legal industry's NPS is down 5 percentage points from 2022, however it has historically had a higher NPS with the exception of 2016-2018 where the NPS was less than 25%. For reference those wider NPS standards only classify organizations as excellent once they’ve earned a 50% NPS. A 70% NPS would classify them as world-class. What does it look like to have a 70%+ NPS? Consider Starbucks and USAA, recognizable service leaders with an NPS of 77% and 75%, respectively. Then compare them to Comcast, a notorious service laggard, whose clients give them a -25% NPS. While the legal industry increased this year, it is still ripe for further progress. And as firms achieve better service levels, clients’ expectations will rightfully get higher, meaning any firms that don’t keep are likely to flounder. Click here to learn more about the NPS methodology.Firms that manage to deliver an outstanding CX and earn a high NPS as a result will more easily outshine their competition. Get tips on how to improve your CX based on customer feedback.

How Does Your Service Stack Up?

The extent to which your firm feels the effects of a slowing economy may depend on the quality of your CX. An NPS survey program can help you measure, track and improve both.If you’re not already leveraging NPS at your firm, we hope you consider this article a call-to-action. Not only do client satisfaction and service quality represent opportunities to differentiate in an increasingly commodified service industry, they are fuel for firm growth. Remember the adage: “You can’t manage what you don’t measure” – and you certainly won’t be able to improve it either. Up against a reluctant firm culture? Get some tips on how to overcome common objections to survey programs to help build buy-in and get started.

Next steps

• Ready to get started with NPS? Contact the ClearlyRated team for insights, best practices, and a tour of our survey platform (designed specifically to support professional services firms).

The original post was updated in October 2023

As a lawyer or legal practice administrator, you strive to deliver great service to your clients. And in 2023, your clients have come to expect nothing short of an excellent experience with your firm.But, what steps can you take to demonstrate your commitment to your clients and prospects? And how can you leverage the quality of the service you provide to improve firm reputation and accelerate growth?While there's no single answer to these questions, there are resources that your firm can employ to harness client satisfaction for growth. One powerful resource is a single metric known as the Net Promoter® Score, or “NPS®” for short.The concept was created by Fred Reichheld at Bain & Company and Satmetrix, and was later introduced as the Net Promoter® Score methodology in 2003 when Fred published an article in the Harvard Business Review - 'The One Number You Need to Grow'.

What is NPS? A primer for law firms

Even if you're not familiar with the concept of NPS, you've likely participated in an NPS survey.The NPS survey methodology asks your clients how likely they are to recommend your firm to a friend or colleague using a numeric scale of 0 - 10, ten being extremely likely and zero being not likely at all. (Sound familiar?)The true power of the NPS methodology lies in reporting. To calculate NPS, responses to the survey question are divided into three categories:

• Promoters (9-10): Your most loyal, enthusiastic fans. These clients are highly satisfied with your services and are loyal to your firm. Promoters represent your strongest allies and are most likely to promote your firm to their networks.
• Passives (7-8): These clients are happy (for now) but demonstrate an indifference to their experience with your firm, and may consider taking their business to your competitors. While not as immediately concerning as detractors, these clients represent a risk to retention and firm reputation. Put frankly, they cannot be expected to be loyal to your firm or promote your services to their own networks.
• Detractors (0-6): Your most at-risk group of clients. Not only are you at risk of losing the business of detractors, they are also the most likely to share negative feedback to their networks regarding their experience with you.

Your firm's NPS "score" is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. By way of example, ClearlyRated's lifetime NPS score is 84%, which is derived from the 86% of promoters across our company survey history minus the 2% detractors across our company survey history.86% - 2% = 84% NPS. Easy peasy.

What is a 'good' NPS score for a law firm?

When it comes to NPS, you have a few options for determining what constitutes a "good" score for your firm.

1. Look at global NPS standards - which categorize 50% NPS as "excellent" and 70% NPS as "world-class."
2. Compare your firm's NPS against competitors' scores. The 2023 Legal Industry NPS Benchmark is 37%. But service leaders (winners of the 2023 Best of Legal award) averaged 80% NPS this year.
3. Look to service leaders across industries. The chart below shows published NPS scores for brands across industries. You can begin to see how clients of recognizable service leaders like Nordstrom rate their company (75% NPS) versus, say, Comcast - a notorious service laggard - who received a score of -1%.

Why does NPS work?

• It's simple. Because it's a single metric, NPS is easy to measure, track over time, and use to benchmark your firm's client satisfaction and service quality against the rest of the industry.
• NPS is a data-driven approach relying on insights directly from the client. The concise format of the survey allows you to focus in on the information that really matters while taking the guess-work out of assessing how your clients feel about you.
• Time is everything (it's short!). People tend to turn and run when they see long surveys. And as much as your clients are ready and willing to provide you with feedback - they are protective of their time.
• It promotes transparency. By quantifying intangible concepts like client satisfaction and service quality, NPS provides law firms and legal practice administrators with a singular metric to weigh performance, set improvement goals, and to rally the team around. When everyone in the organization has a clear understanding of how their behavior can inform NPS, they'll begin to obsess over client satisfaction and service quality as a practice and a philosophy.

Next Steps with NPS

• Ready to get started with NPS? Contact the ClearlyRated team for insights, best practices, and a tour of our survey platform (designed specifically to support professional services firms).
• Interested in additional data? View current NPS benchmarks for law firms.