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Client Surveys

Bearing in mind that in most general practices the 60:20 rule applies (ie. that 60% of the revenue comes from 20% of the clients) the loss of a major client can make a serious dent in a firm’s profits.  As few will take the trouble to conduct exit interviews with departing clients, the real reason for their defection may never become apparent. 

Although it will not save the business, an exit interview will at least reveal any shortcomings in the firm’s standards or services that caused dissatisfaction.  But why wait until it is too late before finding out what your clients think of you?  Losing business can be caused by a host of preventable reasons and if the problems are discovered and remedial action taken quickly enough then the client can be saved. Conversely, a happy client should be encouraged to recommend new clients to the firm. 

For some reason many practitioners are extremely reluctant to ask clients for an honest opinion about the firm, its people and the services they provide.  It is almost as though they are afraid of receiving bad news.  But if the news is bad then surely it is better to find out when there is a chance of doing something about it?  This is why some firms are now sending out client satisfaction questionnaires as a matter of course.  Often they are simply included with the client’s annual report and accounts so that it is easy for the client to return them with their signed-off copy.  Using this tactic, the return rate is usually well in excess of 75%. 

There will always be some clients who, either because of the nature of the work the firm undertakes for them, or because they have a particularly close relationship with individual partners, will need to be approached differently.  One would hope that where a close relationship exists the client would not hesitate to comment on the firm’s performance, but this should not be taken for granted.  There can often be little niggles that could seem petty if considered in isolation, but which can be addressed as part of a general discussion on standards of work and service.  Thus partners need to make a conscious effort to discuss the firm’s performance with their most important clients on at last an annual basis. 

Where the work involved is project based then a discussion regarding the firm’s performance should take place at the end of the project.  If this is not possible then a questionnaire should be sent to the client as soon as possible.

So what is it that the firm needs to know?  Some send out questionnaires that run to several pages, but in fact the relevant points can easily be covered in a dozen questions confined to a single A4 sheet which make it a quick and easy process for the client.

You need to know how the firm performs in the following key areas:

  • The attitude, skill and efficiency of professional and back office staff
  • The reliability and timeliness of all aspects of the firm’s operations
  • The availability and proactivity of partners
  • The quality and range of services provided
  • The client’s confidence in the firm and its staff
  • The value for money perceived by the client

Finally, the all important question:  “Would you recommend our services to friends or business colleagues?”  Here is an invaluable opportunity to open the door to new business referrals; the lifeblood of any practice.

There really is no downside to client surveys:  they give clients the impression that the firm really cares about them, their business and their opinions; they give the firm an opportunity to address problems, and they help to generate new business.  Everybody wins.