legal sanity

A couple of months ago, I discussed an emergent business trend called Customer Experience Management (CEM). Evolving in tandem with the new experience economy, the CEM model considers a customer’s relationship with a product or service from the vantage point of the user experience. It asks providers to glean how customers’ lives are enhanced or depleted as a result of consuming their goods or services.

Another way to look at CEM is through the lens of storytelling. People often translate their consumer experiences into stories they readily share with others. A great example of this comes by way of a recent Fast Company article in which some “customer service champions” convey their own “stellar customer experiences.” Here, Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy describes his monthly outings to a local junk store where the proprietor understands that his customers thrill at hunting for buried treasure. There’s also the anecdote about exceptional book store service relayed by Build-A-Bear Workshop founder Maxine Clark. In sharing her story, Clark refers to something she calls the “Cheers facor." She says, “People don't have to know your name, but there has to be that connection and recognition of your value as a customer and a person.”

These stories on peak customer experience reminded me of the importance of creating passionate legal consumers – or client evangelists. But, as Patrick Lamb underscores in a thoughtful post from In Search Of Perfect Client Service, many lawyers and law firms seem to lack the connection to, and recognition of, their consumers that’s prerequisite to fostering such an evangelical clientele.

Those of us interested in turning our clients into raving fans should check out the ongoing series of posts on the subject offered by Jim Hassett of the Legal Business Development blog.