<b>Sales & Service Strategies:</b> Nine Ways to Provide Superior Client Service

Improving client service is especially important, as general counsels of large companies have revealed to BTI Consulting that more than two-thirds would not recommend their primary law firm, 50% plan to try a new law firm for a substantive matter this year and they plan to cut nearly 40% of their outside firms by 2008. With decreasing client loyalty, firms need to spend more time improving client service as well as building barriers to entries to other outside law firms.

This gap between service capabilities and service delivery can be explained partially by the rapid consolidation of major law firms and partially by the way that client accounts are managed. With the continuing consolidation of major law firms ' the AmLaw 100 represent enterprises with annual revenues between $220 million and $1.6 billion ' there are increasing resources of technology, information and relationships that can be applied to needs and benefits of their clients. Client management, however, has not evolved as quickly. In most law firms attorneys the play dual roles of 'account manager,' the person responsible for the growth and quality of services, and 'primary service provider,' the person responsible for delivery of the services, and these roles are often at odds. Furthermore, the universal measure ' the billable hour ' puts a premium on doing work rather than examining better ways to deliver client service.