legal sanity

Through my daily reads, I tapped into an interesting conversation about the commoditization of design services. One point that stood out for me is how the traditional client-provider relationship gets flipped when the service and its offerer are seen as commodities. As one observer puts it: “Suddenly a client can define all aspects of a job from price to design, causing the designer’s role to change from that of a professional to that of a technician.”

This isn’t a wholly client-led phenomenon. It’s been fueled by the advent of online job boards and tournaments as well as a proliferation of designers who are quick to lower their rates in order to book the job.

Of course, this flip isn’t unique to the design world. As I’ve posted here before, a lot of people believe that lawyers are unremarkable and interchangeable. According to a Chicago Lawyer article on law as a commodity, there may be something to this since technology has taken the craft and nuance out of many tasks lawyers routinely undertake.

Some lawyers might not mind being considered commodities. Certainly, you can try to build and sustain a business on a platform of out-pricing the competition. But, my guess is that many more of us bristle at the commodity label. We want to be valued for more than just a competitive rate. We want to be recognized for the high quality of the services we provide our clients. So, what do we do to get the valuing and recognition we want and deserve?

One way is to get a better fix on what the people we help really want from us. Yes, they need fairly priced services. But, according to a range of experts, they’re also looking for service providers who share their interests, needs and concerns – who are part of their tribe. Putting his spin on the issue, marketing expert John Jantsch encourages us to pierce the commodity veil by giving clients what they’re hungry for: Community, experience, information and transformation.

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I think that most people would answer this lead question with a rousing, “There is none!” Or, if prone to sarcasm, they’d say that the only “wow” is the overwhelm they experience every time they open their lawyer’s bill. And, really, this should come as no surprise.

The legal profession has yet to produce the law firm equivalent of Zappos; Southwest Airlines (note: grab a tissue for this one); or Whole Foods. Nor are is there a legal service consumer equivalent of the devoted Fiskateer.

One silver lining in the current economic slump is that some firms are waking up to the need for client service innovation.

They’ll find some solid guidance in a recent study on great retail shopping experiences (pdf) [hat tip Knowledge@Wharton] and Peter Merholz’s recent post describing How Nintendo Delights Its Customers.

Additional insight comes by way of an article on Embracing Your Inner Customer (aptly highlighting Google’s compelling customer service mantra, “Don’t Be Evil”). One of my favorite bloggers, Duct tape Marketing’s John Jantsch, takes it from a different vantage point by asking: What’s Your Signature response to Problems?

Lawyers and law firms might be tempted to shrug off these examples of service innovation as irrelevant to the business and practice of law. But, that's just the easy out. If an airline, shoe retailer and supermarket can offer services that turn customers into raving fans, why can't a law firm?

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