Member Article

The art of listening sometimes escapes even the most intelligent people. A person who does not listen often brings an uncomfortable feeling to a relationship – whether professional or personal. Listening is a vital piece of excellent client service delivery. It requires you to be silent but very aware of what the client says are his or her needs. If a lawyer simply barrels through a conversation and makes assumptions about the clients’ needs then key nuances and fine points may be ignored, overlooked or never even articulated.

More and more, our clients recognize that listening to what the client needs and getting the results they want are two of our most effective client service practices.

For example, after a successful close on a hectic and expedited re-financing transaction, a client recently shared the company’s warm appreciation by saying: “Thanks to a great team effort, we were able to close the Atlanta refinancing today. Everyone did a wonderful job responding to an endless parade of documents and review points. Daryll (Marshall) and Brian (Colao), thanks for making our problem, your problem, and really stepping-up …” This demonstrated our Client Service Standard No. 2: We will plan and manage work together with the client from the outset of the engagement.

In another example, on Friday afternoon a client asked Bill Finkelstein whether (1) a liquor license issued by the Texas Alcoholic Beverages Commission can serve as the subject of a security interest and be levied upon or attached and (2) whether a liquor license can be transferred as an asset in the event a debtor goes into bankruptcy. By mid-day the following Monday — with the help and work product of Zachary Hoard — Bill was able to provide the client detailed and meaningful responses to those questions.

The client said: “Bill – thank you so much for this information. I appreciate your speedy turnaround on key elements of the laws and changing landscape.” This demonstrated Client Service Standard No. 4: We will be highly responsive and consistently proactive in our client communications.

Both examples show the importance of using our listening skills to help the client and demonstrate the firm’s commitment to client service.

Legal Productivity provided some interesting points about how lawyers can learn to listen better and thus improve client service. A few of those tips are: stay quiet; refrain from “thinking ahead” while someone is speaking to you; wait for the speaker to explicitly note he’s finished making his point or ask if he’s finished; and explain the speaker’s point back to the speaker. Now, while this article geared these tips specifically to lawyers, they could apply to any businessperson in any industry when it comes to dealing with clients or customers.

ClearAction, which mentors executives for sustainable customer profitability, offered similar customer service tips related to listening. But the company also talked about in-person meetings and recommended that a person focus on the customer or client’s body language as much as his or her words. It also recommended clearing the clutter out of your mind before you sit down to chat with a client. And you should verify the interpretation of what you’re hearing before jumping to conclusions.

A Forbes article talks about how companies often focus too much on the product or service and not enough on listening to their customers’ needs.

“The goal of any business is to make money, but that objective is easier to reach when we listen to customers and understand their needs,” the article says. “The best way to do this is by listening to what they tell us. Actively seek their point of view. Ask questions, conduct surveys, and get specific. More often than not, in the course of a conversation, a customer will divulge information that is vital to your overall success.”