Client Feedback ' The 12 Essential Steps

In the September issue, Part One of this article listed the 12 steps that are essential for a well planned and well executed Client Feedback program. Part One then went on to describe steps 1 through 4a. Steps 5 through 12 will be described herein.

The 12 Essential Steps

For background, the following repeats the listing of the 12 steps ' those that precede and follow the interviews, as well as those pertaining to the interviews themselves. While all are crucial in attaining the desired end-result, how each step is implemented and by whom will obviously have a distinct effect on the outcome.

1. Orientation I ' Interviewer and Firm Management
3. Designation of a Firm Sponsor
4. Methodology and Selection of Interview Candidates
5. Orientation II ' Interviewer, Firm Sponsor (optional), with each Designated Lead Partner. 4a. (Optional) Pre-Interview Client Meeting with the Interviewer and Firm Sponsor
6. Invitation to the Interviewees to Participate
7. Scheduling the Interviews
8. Development of Interview Guide
9. Conducting the Interviews
10. Interview Debriefings
11. Client Feedback Report
12. Follow-Up Activity
13. Post-Follow-Up-Activity Feedback

Following the description of Step 12, below, there is a discussion of Periodic Summary Reports to be prepared for firm Management after a number of individual Client Feedback Reports have been completed.

For purposes of the descriptions that follow, I have assumed that the intent is to obtain feedback from the senior executives of a firm's most important clients, hereinafter referred to as “Key” clients. Accordingly, the focus will be on interviews as opposed to written or online surveys. That's not meant to discourage consideration of surveys as part of an overall Client Feedback program when and where appropriate.

5. Invitation to the Interviewees to Participate

The invitation can come from either the Lead Partner or the Client Sponsor (if there is one). As indicated in the description of Step 4a in Part One, the Client Sponsor will often be the General Counsel and s/he may prefer to act as the sponsor of the Client Feedback interviews. The invitation can be oral or written. We often provide talking points that briefly describe the Client Feedback process and the reasons for it, as well as introduce the interviewer and his or her relevant background and experience.

Regardless of whom the invitation comes from, it should be made evident that the Lead Partner, the Client Sponsor and the firm endorse and strongly support the process. Accordingly, each prospective interviewee should be encouraged to participate. We strive for and normally obtain 100% participation.

6. Scheduling the Interviews

The invitation should conclude with an indication of the period during which the interviews are to be conducted and mention who will be contacting the prospective inter-
viewees to schedule the interview dates and times. We usually recommend that the contact person be the assistant to the Lead Partner or the assistant to the Client Sponsor.

In-person interviews require 40 minutes to an hour. In terms of efficiency, particularly for out-of-town assignments at a single location, it is advisable to conduct no fewer that three interviews nor more than five or six interviews a day. This will allow the interviewer to schedule 15 to 30 minutes between interviews to review notes from the prior interview and also accommodate any slippage in interview starting times.

7. Development of Interview Guide

Based on the two Orientation sessions discussed in Part One (see Steps 1 and 4), separate interview guides are developed for each of the clients at which interviews are to be conducted. These guides should not only conform to the firm's objectives for the Client Feedback program, but also be tailored, as necessary, to each interviewee.

The interview guide is not a static document nor is it a questionnaire. Rather, it is a list of the key issues that are uniquely relevant to each client and each interviewee. The objective of the guide is not to get the answers to a specific set of predetermined questions, but rather to promote an unprompted dialogue (or, better yet, a monologue) about what each interviewee judges to be the most vital and relevant issues. Accordingly, each interview will be distinct based on not only the issues raised but also each individual interviewee's personal point of view as pertains to those issues.

8. Conducting the Interviews

The interviews are informal and consist primarily of open-ended probes that require no advance preparation on the part of the interviewees. In fact, we prefer the interviewees' comments to be as spontaneous as possible with the intent that they focus primarily on those issues that are of most importance to them in terms of the relationship with the firm and its assigned personnel.

It is preferable to conduct the interviews in the interviewee's own office on a one-on-one basis. We strongly advise against having the Lead Partner, or any other representative of the firm, present at the interviews. We also discourage group interviews.

9. Interview Debriefings

Because a period of time will elapse between the interviews and the delivery of our Client Feedback Report (see Step 10, below), we attempt to orally debrief the Responsible Partner ' and others, as appropriate, such as the Firm Sponsor ' within 24 hours after each interview or after each group of interviews where several may be conducted on the same day. Prompt debriefings are particularly important if comments of the interviewee(s) indicate areas where immediate follow-up activity by the client service team and/or the firm may be necessary.

10. Client Feedback Report

Normally, within ten business days after the completion of the final interview for a specific client, we provide the Lead Partner ' and other designated recipients within the firm, such as the Firm Sponsor ' with our Client Feedback Report.

While our Interview Debriefings (see 9, above) are communicated on an interviewee-by-interviewee basis, our report is segmented by topics. Generally, the contents include the following: an executive summary; the interviewees' qualitative and quantitative assessments of the client service team's/firm's performance; whether or not the interviewees would recommend the firm to others; key expectations going forward (where appropriate); recommended actions; positive findings; negative findings; competitive comparisons; and how well the firm is positioned for new or additional work.

Our Client Feedback Reports contain attribution of the client executives' frank and candid comments. Accordingly, we discourage disseminating the report beyond key members of the client service team and firm Management. Furthermore, because many interviewees have told us they do not want their comments made known to their colleagues, we obtain agreement from the firm not to provide copies of our reports to its clients. However, summaries of the report's relevant findings and recommended actions should be discussed with appropriate client personnel, including some ' if not all ' of the interviewees.

11. Follow-Up Activity

This is the payoff that gives value to all that has gone before. In fact, if a Lead Partner is not committed from the outset to undertaking all follow-up activity subsequently determined to be necessary, the Client Feedback process should not be initiated for that Lead Partner's client or clients.

Therefore, to optimize the benefit of the Client Feedback process, the Lead Partner, her or his client service team and, if appropriate, the Firm Sponsor should promptly develop a Client Service Plan for the necessary steps to be taken to address the issues the interviewees have raised. The Plan should assign responsibility and a time frame for carrying out each of the various steps. This is obviously a necessary requirement for every client for which Client Feedback interviews have been conducted.

The Client Feedback Report is often the starting point for developing the Client Service Plan, particularly the sections of the report containing the interviewees' key expectations going forward and the various recommended actions. In this regard, the interviewer should be able to provide useful assistance.

12. Post-Follow-Up-Activity Feedback

The need and timing for this would depend on the nature of the interviewees' comments and the type of follow-up activity required. Generally, where such follow-up is deemed to be appropriate, the interviewer would contact designated interviewees ' but not necessarily all ' six to 12 months after completion of the initial set of Client Interviews to determine whether the appropriate follow-up actions were taken by the client service team and/or the firm, and whether the results were satisfactory in terms of resolving the issues that had been raised and ameliorating any other concerns.

These follow-up interviews would be particularly advisable where there were critical issues raised by the client's executives during the initial set of interviews that required immediate attention and fairly prompt resolution. Normally, follow-up interviews will be briefer than the initial interviews and, in the proper circumstances, can be completed by phone rather than in person.

Periodic Summary Reports

From time to time ' for example, after the executives at the first five to ten clients have been interviewed and the Client Feedback Reports submitted ' we prepare a report that summarizes the results from all the preceding client interviews. These Periodic Summary Reports focus on overarching themes, such as: evolving perceptions of the firm and the competition; recurring topics of client concern; impressions of planned or executed strategic and marketing initiatives; and new areas of opportunity. In other words, the issues covered will be those that are primarily of relevance to the leadership of the firm and/or a specific practice group as opposed to the individual client service teams, as well as those issues that may not be so readily apparent from reviewing the contents of individual Client Feedback Reports. It would be unusual for Periodic Summary Reports to include names of clients or specific firm personnel.

Periodic Summary Reports can also include numerical analyses of quantitative performance evaluations, frequency analyses of various positive and negative perceptions, and insights and observations regarding interviewees' views of the firm's relationship management practices.

In addition, Periodic Summary Reports provide valuable insight as to a firm's perceived market position and brand. These reports may thus obviate the need for any substantive additional research for that purpose.

Conclusion

“So what's the big deal with Client Feedback? Anyone can conduct interviews. All you need is a few good questions, which you can probably get from the Internet.” Well, I respond, it's admittedly not atomic science. But, if you take that attitude to one of your firm's Key clients in an attempt to conduct Client Feedback interviews, you're liable to fail and possibly jeopardize an otherwise good relationship. Because you weren't adequately prepared for your assignment, that will very quickly become apparent to an experienced and perceptive client executive.

Don't forget that your law firm has certain standards that it wants to be known for. One of which is undoubtedly quality work. Therefore, every client interaction must live up to that standard ' including Client Feedback interviews.

I trust that this two-part article will provide you with the necessary background to live up to your firm's high standards either when you attempt to conduct such interviews on your own or when you are responsible for assessing another's capabilities to do so. And, for that, I wish you the best.

Donald E. Aronson is CEO of D. E. Aronson Associates LLC and a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors. Don's firm conducts market research by interviewing executives of professional services firms' Key clients with a primary focus on Client Feedback. Located in New York City, he can be reached at 212-874-4181 or [email protected]. Copyright ' by D. E. Aronson Associates LLC.

In the September issue, Part One of this article listed the 12 steps that are essential for a well planned and well executed Client Feedback program. Part One then went on to describe steps 1 through 4a. Steps 5 through 12 will be described herein.

The 12 Essential Steps

For background, the following repeats the listing of the 12 steps ' those that precede and follow the interviews, as well as those pertaining to the interviews themselves. While all are crucial in attaining the desired end-result, how each step is implemented and by whom will obviously have a distinct effect on the outcome.

1. Orientation I ' Interviewer and Firm Management
3. Designation of a Firm Sponsor
4. Methodology and Selection of Interview Candidates
5. Orientation II ' Interviewer, Firm Sponsor (optional), with each Designated Lead Partner. 4a. (Optional) Pre-Interview Client Meeting with the Interviewer and Firm Sponsor
6. Invitation to the Interviewees to Participate
7. Scheduling the Interviews
8. Development of Interview Guide
9. Conducting the Interviews
10. Interview Debriefings
11. Client Feedback Report
12. Follow-Up Activity
13. Post-Follow-Up-Activity Feedback

Following the description of Step 12, below, there is a discussion of Periodic Summary Reports to be prepared for firm Management after a number of individual Client Feedback Reports have been completed.

For purposes of the descriptions that follow, I have assumed that the intent is to obtain feedback from the senior executives of a firm's most important clients, hereinafter referred to as “Key” clients. Accordingly, the focus will be on interviews as opposed to written or online surveys. That's not meant to discourage consideration of surveys as part of an overall Client Feedback program when and where appropriate.

5. Invitation to the Interviewees to Participate

The invitation can come from either the Lead Partner or the Client Sponsor (if there is one). As indicated in the description of Step 4a in Part One, the Client Sponsor will often be the General Counsel and s/he may prefer to act as the sponsor of the Client Feedback interviews. The invitation can be oral or written. We often provide talking points that briefly describe the Client Feedback process and the reasons for it, as well as introduce the interviewer and his or her relevant background and experience.

Regardless of whom the invitation comes from, it should be made evident that the Lead Partner, the Client Sponsor and the firm endorse and strongly support the process. Accordingly, each prospective interviewee should be encouraged to participate. We strive for and normally obtain 100% participation.

6. Scheduling the Interviews

The invitation should conclude with an indication of the period during which the interviews are to be conducted and mention who will be contacting the prospective inter-
viewees to schedule the interview dates and times. We usually recommend that the contact person be the assistant to the Lead Partner or the assistant to the Client Sponsor.

In-person interviews require 40 minutes to an hour. In terms of efficiency, particularly for out-of-town assignments at a single location, it is advisable to conduct no fewer that three interviews nor more than five or six interviews a day. This will allow the interviewer to schedule 15 to 30 minutes between interviews to review notes from the prior interview and also accommodate any slippage in interview starting times.

7. Development of Interview Guide

Based on the two Orientation sessions discussed in Part One (see Steps 1 and 4), separate interview guides are developed for each of the clients at which interviews are to be conducted. These guides should not only conform to the firm's objectives for the Client Feedback program, but also be tailored, as necessary, to each interviewee.

The interview guide is not a static document nor is it a questionnaire. Rather, it is a list of the key issues that are uniquely relevant to each client and each interviewee. The objective of the guide is not to get the answers to a specific set of predetermined questions, but rather to promote an unprompted dialogue (or, better yet, a monologue) about what each interviewee judges to be the most vital and relevant issues. Accordingly, each interview will be distinct based on not only the issues raised but also each individual interviewee's personal point of view as pertains to those issues.

8. Conducting the Interviews

The interviews are informal and consist primarily of open-ended probes that require no advance preparation on the part of the interviewees. In fact, we prefer the interviewees' comments to be as spontaneous as possible with the intent that they focus primarily on those issues that are of most importance to them in terms of the relationship with the firm and its assigned personnel.

It is preferable to conduct the interviews in the interviewee's own office on a one-on-one basis. We strongly advise against having the Lead Partner, or any other representative of the firm, present at the interviews. We also discourage group interviews.

9. Interview Debriefings

Because a period of time will elapse between the interviews and the delivery of our Client Feedback Report (see Step 10, below), we attempt to orally debrief the Responsible Partner ' and others, as appropriate, such as the Firm Sponsor ' within 24 hours after each interview or after each group of interviews where several may be conducted on the same day. Prompt debriefings are particularly important if comments of the interviewee(s) indicate areas where immediate follow-up activity by the client service team and/or the firm may be necessary.

10. Client Feedback Report

Normally, within ten business days after the completion of the final interview for a specific client, we provide the Lead Partner ' and other designated recipients within the firm, such as the Firm Sponsor ' with our Client Feedback Report.

While our Interview Debriefings (see 9, above) are communicated on an interviewee-by-interviewee basis, our report is segmented by topics. Generally, the contents include the following: an executive summary; the interviewees' qualitative and quantitative assessments of the client service team's/firm's performance; whether or not the interviewees would recommend the firm to others; key expectations going forward (where appropriate); recommended actions; positive findings; negative findings; competitive comparisons; and how well the firm is positioned for new or additional work.

Our Client Feedback Reports contain attribution of the client executives' frank and candid comments. Accordingly, we discourage disseminating the report beyond key members of the client service team and firm Management. Furthermore, because many interviewees have told us they do not want their comments made known to their colleagues, we obtain agreement from the firm not to provide copies of our reports to its clients. However, summaries of the report's relevant findings and recommended actions should be discussed with appropriate client personnel, including some ' if not all ' of the interviewees.

11. Follow-Up Activity

This is the payoff that gives value to all that has gone before. In fact, if a Lead Partner is not committed from the outset to undertaking all follow-up activity subsequently determined to be necessary, the Client Feedback process should not be initiated for that Lead Partner's client or clients.

Therefore, to optimize the benefit of the Client Feedback process, the Lead Partner, her or his client service team and, if appropriate, the Firm Sponsor should promptly develop a Client Service Plan for the necessary steps to be taken to address the issues the interviewees have raised. The Plan should assign responsibility and a time frame for carrying out each of the various steps. This is obviously a necessary requirement for every client for which Client Feedback interviews have been conducted.

The Client Feedback Report is often the starting point for developing the Client Service Plan, particularly the sections of the report containing the interviewees' key expectations going forward and the various recommended actions. In this regard, the interviewer should be able to provide useful assistance.

12. Post-Follow-Up-Activity Feedback

The need and timing for this would depend on the nature of the interviewees' comments and the type of follow-up activity required. Generally, where such follow-up is deemed to be appropriate, the interviewer would contact designated interviewees ' but not necessarily all ' six to 12 months after completion of the initial set of Client Interviews to determine whether the appropriate follow-up actions were taken by the client service team and/or the firm, and whether the results were satisfactory in terms of resolving the issues that had been raised and ameliorating any other concerns.

These follow-up interviews would be particularly advisable where there were critical issues raised by the client's executives during the initial set of interviews that required immediate attention and fairly prompt resolution. Normally, follow-up interviews will be briefer than the initial interviews and, in the proper circumstances, can be completed by phone rather than in person.

Periodic Summary Reports

From time to time ' for example, after the executives at the first five to ten clients have been interviewed and the Client Feedback Reports submitted ' we prepare a report that summarizes the results from all the preceding client interviews. These Periodic Summary Reports focus on overarching themes, such as: evolving perceptions of the firm and the competition; recurring topics of client concern; impressions of planned or executed strategic and marketing initiatives; and new areas of opportunity. In other words, the issues covered will be those that are primarily of relevance to the leadership of the firm and/or a specific practice group as opposed to the individual client service teams, as well as those issues that may not be so readily apparent from reviewing the contents of individual Client Feedback Reports. It would be unusual for Periodic Summary Reports to include names of clients or specific firm personnel.

Periodic Summary Reports can also include numerical analyses of quantitative performance evaluations, frequency analyses of various positive and negative perceptions, and insights and observations regarding interviewees' views of the firm's relationship management practices.

In addition, Periodic Summary Reports provide valuable insight as to a firm's perceived market position and brand. These reports may thus obviate the need for any substantive additional research for that purpose.

Conclusion

“So what's the big deal with Client Feedback? Anyone can conduct interviews. All you need is a few good questions, which you can probably get from the Internet.” Well, I respond, it's admittedly not atomic science. But, if you take that attitude to one of your firm's Key clients in an attempt to conduct Client Feedback interviews, you're liable to fail and possibly jeopardize an otherwise good relationship. Because you weren't adequately prepared for your assignment, that will very quickly become apparent to an experienced and perceptive client executive.

Don't forget that your law firm has certain standards that it wants to be known for. One of which is undoubtedly quality work. Therefore, every client interaction must live up to that standard ' including Client Feedback interviews.

I trust that this two-part article will provide you with the necessary background to live up to your firm's high standards either when you attempt to conduct such interviews on your own or when you are responsible for assessing another's capabilities to do so. And, for that, I wish you the best.

Donald E. Aronson is CEO of D. E. Aronson Associates LLC and a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors. Don's firm conducts market research by interviewing executives of professional services firms' Key clients with a primary focus on Client Feedback. Located in New York City, he can be reached at 212-874-4181 or [email protected]. Copyright ' by D. E. Aronson Associates LLC.