enhancing client service and experience

July 1, 2026|Accountants, Kim's Blog, Lawyers, Management Skills, Marketing, Relationship Management, Strategy|

I am often asked by clients to assist in enhancing their client service and client experience. Recently, I facilitated workshops for senior leadership teams where they wanted a) a briefing on the range of client service initiatives in professional services and b) help with deciding their priorities and strategy for enhancing client service and experience. Enhancing client service (CEM) and experience (CX) is a growth and differentiation strategy. Leadership briefing: A strategic approach to enhancing client service and experience.

I adopt a three-phase approach to strategic client service and experience initiatives:

Understand client service context and goals for a firm
Measure client service and satisfaction (and identify opportunities and threats)
Create and implement appropriate client service initiatives

Different perspectives on client service and experience

I talk about client service and client experience for a reason. Client service is the internal perspective – what we intend to provide, consistently. It’s the aim. Experience is the external perspective – what the client perceives and experiences. It’s the reality.

Enhancing client service is a simple concept that, in practice, gets complex quickly.

Subsequently, there’s a risk we embark on multiple initiatives that barely scratch the surface. Initiatives that involve a lot of time and money but fail to promote change or deliver tangible results for the firm or its clients. A study showed that only 10% of US law firms managed to improve client service performance in 2024 – according to corporate counsel.

So we need to adopt a strategic approach to enhancing client service and experience. By considering: Where we are now, where we want to be and how we will get there. We have to make choices – based on evidence-based analysis and diagnosis and a shared view on the best and most feasible solutions.

A strategic approach to client service and experience

Client service potentially spans so many parts of a firm it can be difficult to get a handle on it. For example, the Board, marketing and business development, branding, human resources, compliance, risk management, learning and development, infrastructure and technology teams can be involved.

Client service is complex – with aspects touching numerous processes, systems and interactions across the firm. You can view client services through various lenses – the firm overall, different technical teams, different offices, seniority of staff, business functions and even different clients.

Be clear about what you are trying to achieve and why. You need strategic focus. You need to assess and manage operations. You need to measure progress and impact. A strategic approach is required:

Diagnosis – Where are we now? Understand the needs of different client segments. Assess client service across the firm and different dimensions.

Aims – Where do we want to be? What demands a greater focus on the moments that matter? How do we prioritise areas of focus?

Strategy – How will we get there? Articulate best practice, increase communication and provide training to improve consistency, reduce inefficiency, increase client preference and enhance financial performance

Tactics – What do we actually need to do? What programmes and projects are needed? How will we communicate, engage and implement them across the firm?

Resources – How much will it cost and who is involved? How will we measure return on investment?

What is client service?

Client service is the strategic, proactive management of client interactions to meet or exceed expectations through high-quality, specialized support. It focuses on long-term value, trust, relationships and tailored solutions, rather than just transactional support.

Service is usually a main driver of success. It is the way your firm differentiates and positions itself against competitors. Service (particularly the way firms manage relationships) usually underpins a firm’s brand values.

Client service standards support consistency and quality management standards. And enable a firm to scale up. A vital aspect in attracting private equity investment.

Yet client expectations are constantly changing. And client loyalty continues to decline.

Client service expectations may vary through the client journey or lifecycle (see Mapping the client journey in professional services – Kim Tasso). Service may mean different things to different types of clients – and within different types of work. Key clients – those who use your firm the most or have detailed service level agreements – may have different service expectations and needs than other clients.

There are both tangible, rational aspects to client service – as well as an emotional perspective.

Client service can drive innovation. This is especially important in our transformation and experience economy. New models for professional service firms – whether lawyers, accountants or surveyors – mean experimenting with different service delivery models. And AI is transforming the landscape.

Early 2026 research results show that client service is the top priority (40%) for MBD teams in professional service firms (see Annual Strategy and Marketing Benchmark Meridian West February 2026)

Client service jargon buster

There are so many different client service initiatives – and firms often adopt different terminology.

Client-centric – Putting client focus at the heart of everything you do, in order to achieve client satisfaction and loyalty.

Client Experience (CX) – “The sum of all experiences a customer has with a supplier of goods and services over the duration of their relationship with that supplier. This can include awareness, discovery, attraction, interaction, purchase, use, cultivation and advocacy”

Client Care – All interactions (touch points and moments of truth) between the firm and its clients. Nearly everyone in the firm may have an impact – whether delivering front line advice or supporting those who do or managing back-office processes such as finance, administration or marketing.

Client Charter – A formal, public statement of promises that outline exactly what a client can expect, while also defining what is expected from them in return. It serves as a shared blueprint to build trust, increase transparency, and establish mutual accountability. Sometimes, these are part of an accreditation scheme. See, for example, CQS client charter | The Law Society

Client Life Cycle – The progression of steps a client goes through when aware of, discovering, considering, purchasing, using and advocating a service.

Client Experience Management (CEM) – The overall process that aims to optimise the client experience through gaining the loyalty of clients in a multi-channel environment

Client Journey Mapping – Analysing all the interactions experienced by the client and the back-office processes supporting them (see Mapping the client journey in professional services – Kim Tasso)

Client relationship management (CRM) – How everyone (front line fee-earners and support staff) manage client relationships. These are behaviours observed by staff. Most firms have a CRM system supporting these processes: “a technology-driven strategy combining software, processes, and data analysis to manage all interactions with clients and prospects”

Critical incident – A critical incident refers to an event or situation that significantly impacts the perceived quality of a product, service or process – whether positive or negative

Key Account Management (KAM) or Account Based Marketing (ABM) – How a firm manages the largest and/or most valuable client (or referrer) relationships or accounts. Often the service experience will be different for critical or key clients – and this may be intuitive, established through practice or part of a contract or service level agreement (SLA).

Moment of truth – Instance of contact or interaction between a client and firm that gives the client an opportunity to form (or change) an impression about the firm

Pillars of Client Experience (KPMG Nunwood)

Personalisation (individualised attention to drive an emotional connection)
Integrity (being trustworthy)
Expectations (managing, meeting and exceeding client expectations)
Resolution (turning a poor experience into a good one)
Time and effort (minimising customer effort and creating frictionless processes)
Empathy (achieving an understanding of the client’s circumstances to drive deep rapport)

Quality

Clients see two quality dimensions (Gronroos): Technical quality and functional quality
Five determinants used to judge quality (Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry): Reliability, Assurance, Tangibles, Empathy and Responsiveness

Some firms will have specific quality programmes, systems and accreditations that aim to ensure minimum standards and consistency.

Service encounters – Unprompted and unsolicited actions by employees, ideally that delight the client but can lead to a poor service experience. Some firms provide training and systems to empower employees to take the initiative to improve client experience in individual situations.

Touchpoint – Any encounter where clients and the firm engage to exchange information, provide or use services or handle transactions. It is where the stated service levels interact with what actually happens in the moment.

Trust – There are various definitions – importantly:

Calculus-based trust (CBT) – A form of trust rooted in rational calculations of costs and rewards, where individuals trust others based in the belief that the benefits of maintaining a relationship outweigh the costs of breaking it
Identification-Based Trust (IBT) is the highest stage of interpersonal or organizational trust, where parties fully internalize and share each other’s desires, intentions, and values.

Client Experience strategy and systems

Forrester Research showed there are numerous disciplines involved in client experience programmes: strategy, client understanding, design, measurement, governance and organisational culture. Jeananne Ray described it as “a complex enterprise involving: strategy, integration of technology, orchestrating business models, brand management and CEO commitment”.

Sometimes, the importance of client experience in your competitive advantage may be revealed within a McKinsey 7S analysis:

Strategy
Structure
Systems
Shared values
Style
Skills

Ian Golding offered an early client experience framework involving strategy, people and measurement addressing functional, emotional and accessible elements. I propose a model that integrates two components: great culture and systems as well as great people.

You might also find it helpful to look at The Ultimate Guide to the Customer Experience Pyramid | Leat (October 2025)

Communication level
Responsive level
Commitment level
Proactive level
Evolution level

There is an inherent paradox in client experience initiatives – on the one hand, a desire to create consistency across a firm and on the other, the need to tailor the service experience to each client’s needs.

Client service data, research and measurement

A core component of any client service initiative is the need for data and research. At the outset – to identify issues and obtain baselines. And as initiatives progress, to measure performance and impact. Many firms struggle to access relevant and accurate client service data.

We need both qualitative research – to hear from clients in their own words what the service experience feels like. And quantitative research – to see the numbers that enable us to measure levels of client service. I recommend this excellent book for research in professional services: client feedback playbook – How professional services firms

We are fortunate that there are vast amounts of data produced by commercial organisations and specialists in client service excellence – whether for general counsel, finance directors, C-level, other functional leaders or even private individuals. It’s interesting to compare how value drivers differ across the professions (e.g. commerciality, ease, reliability, care, communication, cost, documentation, understanding of business, expertise, responsiveness and access).

There are links below to some of popular data sources on client experience for professional services firms.

Business Buyers Barometer – B2B Buyer Research | Meridian West (and also CLIMB – Client Listening Benchmark | Meridian West)
Bellwether 2026: Lean, focused, profitable | LexisNexis (note: 84% of small and medium sized firms rate their client experience as good or excellent)
A barristers guide to innovating the client experience | LexisNexis
Beaton Benchmarks Client Feedback Benchmarking
Client Experience Management (CEM) – Research into the client journey (Insight6 mystery shopping)

Net Promoter Score (NPS) has become a standard measure of client satisfaction – and we see many professional services firms promoting their scores on social media (see Client satisfaction benchmarks – How do you measure up?). Others have developed measurement scores tailored to the issues within professional services (e.g. PVI from Client Experience Feedback | Nisus Consulting Limited)

There are case studies of how firms use client feedback programmes, for example:

BDO (BDO – Meridian West (March 2024)
Grant Thornton (The rise and power of AI and automation (November 2024)
Mills & Reeve (Fearless feedback at Mills & Reeve – Meridian West (October 2022)
LawNet Case studies: Marketing and Business Development at law (November 2023)
Michelmores Michelmores | Nisus Consulting (2024)

A key component of data and research process is client journey mapping (see Mapping the client journey in professional services – Kim Tasso). The client journey is analysed in both digital and in person interactions at each stage of the buying cycle (i.e. choosing, using, paying and staying). And sometimes for different sectors, personas and services. These maps consider touchpoints, priorities and elements (e.g. empathy, expectations, integrity, personalisation, resolution and time/effort). And at each stage there might be an analysis of “what good looks like” and the required actions to achieve it.

Some client mapping tools measure expectation, ease and emotion. Optimising the client journey was central to Ashurst’s business development strategy (see Marketing and Business Development (MBD) law firm case studies). There’s another example at First4Lawyers (How to keep your business on track? Map out the perfect customer journey – PSM – The Professionals).

Constant client and peer feedback is integrated into a transaction-based performance management system such as Performance management in the professions. There are many other CEM metrics – for example, see this McKinsey article The CEO guide to customer experience | McKinsey

A wide range of client service initiatives

Your business aims and strategy – and your available client listening and research resources – will determine which of the many possible client service initiatives you embark upon. The challenge of client service initiatives is that there are potentially so many of them with implications for a variety of systems, people, training and finances across the firm. Cross-firm collaboration is key.

Some initiatives will be at firm wide level, some for specific teams and others to engage individuals. Some of the more common client service initiatives – many of which are inter-connected include:

Compliance and complaints

Professional bodies require their members to adhere to regulations about compliance – and particularly how they manage complaints. Complaints can have a significant impact on professional indemnity insurance and reputation.

Many firms will have Board members or partners with specific responsibility for dealing with client dissatisfaction and complaints – whether from general service levels or critical incidents.

Client feedback, listening and research

As mentioned above, most client service initiatives will involve some level of client feedback, listening and research to obtain insights and base lines and to monitor progress.

Often, these initiatives will require the use of external research consultancies (there is a list of those specialising in professional services here: Client satisfaction benchmarks – How do you measure up? and some provide training, see, for example: turn feedback into strategic advantage (Research))

Some firms will use integrated data and measurement systems such as Qualtrics XM: The Leading Experience Management Software – Qualtrics

This book provides a comprehensive review of client feedback approaches in professional services: client feedback playbook – How professional services firms

Brand management

Many professional service firms use their approach to service and relationship management as part of their core value proposition or brand differentiators. This will involve comparing the service provided by your firm with those of competitors. Firm will aim to create a branded client experience.

These programmes can be far reaching – from internal engagement to significant real estate investments to align the office facilities to the branded client experience.

Many firms use their client data as evidence that client voice matters. A brilliant example is Mishcon de Reya Strategic marketing case study – Brand at Mishcon de Reya

Build your brand advantage with PM Forum and Sholto

Book review – Managing Brands

Nick Hughes talks about brands in real estate

How to create and promote your personal brand – Kim Tasso

Marketing Communications

Modern marketing is reliant on data and digital communication. And great data means that you can personalise communications (e.g. alerts, newsletters, invitations) according to client and individual preferences. This extends to selecting the appropriate channels and adjusting messages accordingly.

There might also be significant work involved in collecting and promoting evidence of client service such as client testimonies and case studies and promoting industry standard service monitors (e.g. Trustpilot and Google Reviews).

Marketing professionals will also be focused on maintaining a database of client projects, policies and data that can be used in tenders and pitches to showcase evidence of the firm’s client service record.

Digital marketing professionals will employ specialists to ensure that the user experience (UX) is optimised on web sites and digital channels.

There may be specialists within the marketing and business development team who take the lead on client experience management. (Professional marketing qualification often include modules on client experience management).

Planning Digital Marketing Campaigns and Content Strategy

Email marketing and automation with TBD and PM Forum

Executive Engagement Strategies by Bev Burgess

Client Relationship Management (CRM and KAM)

This may be as simple as providing standards, guidelines and training on how employees provide a consistent level of service to clients.

Many firms will have Key Account Management (KAM) programmes or use Account Based Marketing (ABM) to tailor the service experience to the particular needs of a client. These programmes usually involve a variety of activities – research, planning and activities – incorporated into a plan for each major client.

Client Experience Management (CEM) – Nine takeaways

CRM – Applications, systems and fee-earner engagement

Key Account Management (KAM) – Start small, Be strategic

Key Account Management (KAM) – An integrated approach – Kim Tasso

A practitioner’s guide to Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Cross-selling and referrer management

Many firms will look for ways to up sell and cross sell their services. Encouraging existing clients to buy services from other teams. Cross-selling may also be tackled within KAM or ABM programmes. A key stumbling block is often perceived service differences between different teams affecting client satisfaction and risk.

Likewise, some teams will be reliant on introductions and referrals from external intermediaries. These will be affected by how the service of your firm – and key experts – is perceived by third parties.

Cross-selling and referrer management – Past, present and future

Cross-Selling and Referrer Management Strategies

New product or service development

A focus on client service and experience can lead to new service or product development. For example, if one client requests a change in the way that a service is delivered, this can be extended to other clients. An example here might be the development of an integrated and secure online system to allow clients to access information that is important to them. I recall facilitating a client feedback roundtable of leaders from small and medium sized businesses for an accountancy firm. One client mentioned a challenge with the reports service and another client explained how the firm had addressed a similar issue for them. The other client expressed an interest in adopting the approach. The firm packaged up the enhanced service and promoted it to similar clients – it was successfully adopted by others and generated a new income and profit stream for the firm.

Other service changes might lead the way to developing entirely new systems (and profit streams) for a firm. For example, an AI interrogation tool for clients to manipulate data or research produced by a firm.

Future Marketing Manager – New product development

Marketing and Business Development (MBD) accountancy firm case studies

Internal engagement and training

Typically in a service business, there will be a variety of internal communication, engagement, training and other initiatives to encourage all staff to be mindful of their contribution to delivering good, on brand client service.

Some will be focused on promoting a client-first mindset for the whole firm and some will be on developing the necessary skills to achieve optimum interactions with clients at all stages of the client lifecycle. There might be specific training for specialist teams – for example, those focused on responding to web, email and telephone enquiries. (see, for example, Telephone skills – Provide the human touch (with AI assistance) – Kim Tasso)

This will often include regular internal communications relating to progress against targets, briefings from senior management, highlights of exceptional client service from individuals, standard items on team meeting agendas, roundtable discussions to address specific client service issues, workstreams to adjust service delivery within particular teams and offices and projects to address and/or automate processes.

Change management and Employee engagement

Book review: Influential Internal Communication by Jenni Field

Internal Communications – Employee listening – Kim Tasso

Automation and transformation

AI has the potential to transform client service in many ways. It can be used to increase efficiency of behind-the-scenes work so that staff are freed up to spend more time interacting with clients. But care must be taken that the use of AI does not detract from the service on which your firm’s reputation is based. For example, the use of AI chatbots on web sites has been known to reduce client satisfaction with communication.

Leadership and change management

The Board and senior leadership will select and develop client service programmes as part of the firm’s overall vision and strategy. There may be senior champions and sponsors of client service.

Many of the programmes are likely to require significant cross-firm collaboration. Often, there will be pilot projects limited to particular parts of the firm before full rollout. And significant time and resources might be directed at achieving the desired client service changes. Project planning and change management will require scarce resources and larger firms will have specialists and teams to focus on such transformations.

Change fatigue, change process and change communication

Change management – Change Catalyst book review by Kim Tasso

In January 2026, LawNet and Insight6 argued the CX trends are that clients are demanding:

Effective enquiry follow up
Seamless digital-human blend
Value beyond the matter (including proactive updates and ESG partnerships)

What will you be doing to improve client service and the client experience this year?

Different perspectives on client service and experience