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Front Stage vs. Back Stage: How to Create the Ultimate Client Experience for Your Law Firm

10 minutes to read

Customer service is not just for retail shops, restaurant servers, and bank tellers.

You, as a committed law firm owner, are also in the customer service field.

Your duty is to serve your clients well, keep them happy and satisfied, and differentiate your practice with an exceptional client experience.

The unfortunate reality is that most law firms don’t put enough effort into their client experience. If your law firm is one of them, it’s time to rethink the service and experience you provide to your clients.

In this article, we’re going to go over:

1. The Importance of Client Experience
2. The Difference Between Front and Back Stage
3. How to Take Inventory of Your Law Firm’s Front and Back Stages
4. How to Transform Your Law Firm’s Front Stage Experience

1. The Importance of Client Experience

Without clients, you have no law firm. There’s no way to overstate just how important it is for each client to have a phenomenal experience with your firm from the first point of contact.

When you invest in your client experience, it pays off in huge ways, both instantly and in the long run. Here are just a few of the benefits:

• Increased Revenue: The better client experience you provide, the more cases — and thus more money — you will bring in.
• Greater Team Morale: The happier your clients are with the experience you provide, the happier your team will be to serve them, and the more committed they will be to your law firm’s vision.
• Brand Advocates: A brand advocate is someone who elevates your brand through word-of-mouth marketing. Brand advocates leave positive reviews about your firm and refer new clients and create content on your behalf. If you provide world-class service to your clients, they will become these brand advocates.
• More Premium Offerings: The brands that are known for being the best and delivering the best service are the ones who are able to charge more for their services — and people will be glad to pay a premium for that premium experience.
• Lower Cost of Acquisition: The better your brand’s reputation is, the less you’ll have to spend to acquire new clients. If your target audience has already made up their mind that you’re the firm they want representing them, your marketing won’t have to work as hard to convince them.
• Brand Credibility: Companies that are known for providing excellent client experience are viewed as more trustworthy in the eyes of their target audience. Why do most people think Delta is more credible than Spirit, the Ritz-Carlton is more credible than Super 8 Motel, and Chick-fil-A is more credible than Popeyes? Replicate their success in your law firm by prioritizing client experience.
• Referrals: Consumers love to recommend brands and organizations that create an unforgettable client experience for them. Become that kind of organization, and you will generate more direct referrals over time.
• Stronger Marketing: Marketing your law firm is easy when the service you promise is a cut above the rest of your competition. Live up to that marketing and the results will only accelerate.
• Higher Margins: If you’re ready to get the most out of your law firm, it starts with prioritizing excellent client experience. Once you do, everything will fall into place, and the revenue coming in will greatly exceed the investments you make in growing your business.

Providing a world-class client experience gives your business the opportunity to step back and let your work speak for itself. When the clients you serve choose independently to leave positive reviews, share their experience on social media, and tell their friends about your brand — that provides all the evidence that client experience is a competitive advantage.

Don’t take our word for it. Game Changers Summit 2022 attendees demonstrate these principles firsthand:

If you’re able to ensure everyone who experiences your law firm has that level of enthusiasm about their experience, you’ll be on the right track.

Now that we’ve gone over how a positive client experience can affect your law firm, what exactly must you do to provide one in your law firm? What do clients look for? How can you make sure you follow through with the same routine every time?

The first step is to assess the difference between front stage and back stage in your law firm.

2. The Difference Between Front and Back Stage

Front stage and back stage behavior is actually a sociological concept developed by Erving Goffman. He posits that front stage behavior is how we act when we’re on “stage” and presenting to others, while back stage behavior is how we act when we think no one is watching.

This same concept applies in your law firm.

When your clients are interacting with any part of your organization, they’re experiencing the front stage. This goes for all facets of communication, including but not limited to:

• When a client calls your office or personal cell phone
• When a client texts your firm’s number
• When a client emails any one of your staff members
• When a clients chats with the chat bot on your website
• Anytime a client walks through the doors of your office — and everywhere inside they visit

Consider all of the places where you might run into your clients and potential clients: the entryway to your building, the front lobby, the reception desk, any waiting spaces, meeting rooms, and more. Don’t forget that bathrooms and hallways are always front stage as well (if they’re open to clients).

Your back stage behavior must be reserved only for areas where there are absolutely no client or potential client eyes. These are team-members-only sections of your office, such as the kitchen, private offices, breakrooms, and so on.

In today’s consumer-focused market, it has never been more important to keep front stage behavior front stage and back stage behavior truly back stage. If not, it can lead to confusion, embarrassment, and worst of all, controversy for you, your team, and your law firm as a whole.

Be mindful of your front stage behaviors — and require your team to do the same — no matter where you are. It’s easier than you think to jeopardize your law firm’s success or reputation, and more crucial than ever to guard it vigilantly.

3. How to Take Inventory of Your Law Firm’s Front and Back Stages

Now that you understand what areas are considered front and back stage in your law firm, it’s time to assess each step of your clients’ journey through this powerful client experience lens.

The buyer’s journey is not as simple as it used to be. Today, you’ve got to meet every potential client where they are. Each client’s journey is full of twists and turns, multiple touchpoints, and opportunities for meaningful messaging. Here’s what it looks like:

1. Awareness: Your potential clients have never heard of you. Get their attention and make a meaningful impression!
2. Interest: You have piqued your potential client’s interest, and they are looking to learn more about you. Deepen that relationship?
3. Evaluation: Your potential client is seriously considering working with you, but is likely also considering a few other options as well. Prove that you’re the best option!
4. Decision: Your potential client is ready to hire you to represent them — unless you give them a final reason not to. Tread carefully, and prioritize client experience more than ever!
5. Loyalty: Your client has worked with you and joined your law firm’s community. If you want to make them supporters of your brand for life, you’ve got to keep up with them and continue to show them you care!

Go over each step of your client journey and take inventory of your law firm’s current front and back stage experience.

Awareness

• What are you doing to make sure potential clients notice you?
• How are you getting their attention and making emotional connections?
• Is all of your marketing suitable for front stage behavior?
• Important: What needs to happen back stage to ensure the front stage experience is excellent at this step?

Interest

• What do your prospects experience when they first contact your law firm?
• Does your website, social media profiles, and online presence represent your law firm in a positive light?
• Do they receive prompt, courteous responses from your staff answering the phones, responding to emails, and so on?
• Important: What needs to happen back stage to ensure the front stage experience is excellent at this step?

Evaluation

• Now that the potential client is considering working with you, what are you doing to make sure they follow through with that decision?
• Are you following up with them? Are you making that communication about them and their needs, or do they feel you are only focused on closing a deal?
• Does your law firm provide professional, logical evidence to make potential clients feel confident you are the right choice?
• Important: What needs to happen back stage to ensure the front stage experience is excellent at this step?

Decision

• Are you and your team smoothing any friction points and avoiding inefficiencies in the intake process?
• Are you preventing new clients from seeing any back stage behavior that could turn them off from your representation?
• Do you continue to support new clients through the onboarding process to help them feel heard, prioritized, and valued?
• Important: What needs to happen back stage to ensure the front stage experience is excellent at this step?

Loyalty

• Do your current and past clients feel part of something positive, even after their cases closes?
• Are you sending them birthday cards, thoughtful gifts, and additional resources to continue the relationship?
• Are you ensuring that whenever they contact you or return to your office, you and your team are presenting them with the same front stage behavior that attracted them to your firm in the first place?
• Important: What needs to happen back stage to ensure the front stage experience is excellent at this step?

Though the new buyer’s journey might seem long, diving deep into every single step is well worth it if you can continue to convert new clients, generate new referrals, and establish your law firm as an organization that provides an excellent client experience.

4. How to Transform Your Law Firm’s Front Stage Experience

If you find that your law firm isn’t up to front stage standards at any step of your client journey, it could be time for an overhaul. Consider what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong, and what needs to be improved.

Here’s what the ideal front stage experience looks like to a client:

• Their calls are answered quickly and 100 percent of the time
• When they call, they never hear chaotic background noises or unfriendly, rushed greetings
• Every human they speak to is warm, friendly, helpful, and professional
• Any online paperwork they need to fill out is easily accessible and understandable
• Their questions are answered clearly and precisely
• When they visit your office, they aren’t privy to any conversations amongst your team that would be considered back stage discussions
• All interactions with you or your team members are seamless and even enjoyable

Sounds simple to achieve, right? It can be — as long as you have the right people putting in the work behind the scenes to make sure your law firm achieves that ideal experience for every client.

This is where accountability comes in.

Accountability is crucial for fostering a successful growth-oriented culture at your law firm. When everyone understands their place in the organization and is committed to contributing positively, they can help provide an excellent client experience every time.

A final factor in ensuring your law firm provides excellent client experience is by putting strong operations in place. The operations of your law firm encompasses managing the business’s inner workings so it runs as efficiently as possible. There are many aspects that could fall under this umbrella, but the main idea is constantly improving your processes to keep your firm running smoothly every step of the way.

With the right people, the right processes, and a strong understanding of the front stage experience your law firm must provide — you’ll be on the right track.

Final Thoughts

Your law firm cannot exist without clients. You can only attract the best clients if you provide them world-class service every step of the way. And the only way you can provide impeccable service is by making sure every team member in your law firm understands the difference between front and back stage behavior — and more importantly, is prepared and committed to practice it daily.

If you’re looking to prioritize client experience in your law firm, we can help. Crisp Coach is a closed-door community of the highest-performing law firms, and yours could join them.

Ensure that 2023 is your best year yet with the happiest clients, most accountable team members, and most streamlined operations. Apply today!