Tips for a Client Service Manager in Your Firm

Last week we did a recap at the end of our discussion of the third thing out of five things that makes up every business in the world. You will remember the first thing that makes up every business in the world is "clients or customers," the second thing is "administrative procedures," and the third thing is "procedures for getting the work done." The last two things are "a method to bill," and "a way to collect the bill." In trying to bring this third area of "procedures for getting the work done," I jumped the gun a little bit and did not actually talk about something I have added to the list. Before we get on to the fourth thing that makes up every business in the world, "a method to bill," I want to be sure to discuss this new concept. This new concept is the utilization of a staff member as a "client service manager."

Before we actually get into the fourth thing that makes up every business in the world, "a method to bill," I want to be sure to give you some details about this concept.

For years I have been struggling to stay up with all of the tasks that need to be done with regard to trying to run an efficient, profitable and professional law practice and law office. I wish I could tell you that I was able to read some books or went to a seminar to learn all of the things I have learned, but you will not be surprised to find out that the way I have learned things is the same as almost everybody else and that is by "trial and error." I still feel that I have some "scars" from some of the trials and errors, but at least I am not in active therapy to try to get over any of them.

Some time ago, I reminded you about a book called Who Moved My Cheese. In that book there are two characters who are named "Sniff" and "Scurry." These two mice are the successful mice. The other two mice are the unsuccessful mice, and their names are "Hem" and "Haw." The concept is that life is constantly changing; you can either sniff out change and scurry after the changes you need to make to stay up with the crowd, or you can "hem and haw" and complain about "who moved your cheese" and lose out. Luckily, I have been a person who I think has learned from the "trial and error," and have constantly been sniffing out change and scurrying after ways to keep up with the crowd.

I find that if you are a successful "business-getter," you are way busier than people who are simply just doing the legal work. The constant pressures of trying to stay on top of returning phone calls, interviewing clients, opening files, getting the work done, getting it billed and getting it collected are often times overwhelming. I have tried many different systems and many different staff members to help me get this done. I have utilized secretaries, paralegals, receptionists, law clerks, and just about anybody else whom I could enlist to help me get everything done. For some reason, it always seems to be difficult to have people, who perceive themselves to be in one niche, work in other niches within the law firm. A secretary often views her role only as a typist. Administrative assistants want to help, but maybe they are not good typists. Paralegals want to work on substantive matters and not on the mundane administrative matters.

Sometimes I have even resorted to simply just doing nothing but hiring a person to do only administrative work so that I do not have to constantly battle with that person feeling that they should be doing something besides administrative work.

Eventually, it dawned on me that I was either "working at cross-purposes" or "swimming upstream," and I needed to do something to try to break through the problem of people feeling that their role in the law firm was unclear, clouded or that I was sending mixed messages at best. I even thought that getting an office manager would solve the problem, but I found out that I did not need a full-time office manager. When I had the bookkeeper and the comptroller also act as the office manager, there simply was not enough time left in that person's job to be able to do all the things that a "client services manager's" job would entail.

I wish I could tell you that I had some stroke of genius that allowed me to affirmatively go forward with this idea of a "client services manager," but as is usually the case, I stumbled into an opportunity and backed into a person who was available to fill this role in my law firm.

I have a brother-in-law who is very bright and who has worked in various businesses over the years. For a long time, he was in the car business, and was also a finance manager, so he clearly knew people and numbers. Additionally, the guy is an absolute "whiz" on the telephone. He can make his living on the phone doing just about anything. Recently, he successfully passed a whole series of exams to become a licensed insurance agent for life, property and casualty. Needless to say, this guy is talented. One of the difficulties that he had been having with regard to trying to find steady employment was he simply could not stomach some of the business ethics that he encountered in the various businesses he was involved in. As he and I began to discuss what business opportunities there might be for him, a "light bulb" went on in my head; I said to myself, "self, you may have just stumbled onto the very person you have been looking for as your "client services manager."

I immediately sat down and discussed this matter with my brother-in-law and asked him if he would have an interest in trying this job out. After describing to him what the job would be about, he enthusiastically embraced the concept and began working as our firm's "client services manager" approximately six months ago. To say that this experiment has been a success is a gross understatement. Not only has this person flourished in the job, but our firm has never operated as smoothly as it has since this person came on board. Literally, every day this person gets better at the job he is doing, and every day he comes closer to being able to pay his way by billing time to client's files that the client subsequently pays for, and so it becomes a non-expense item for the firm. In the meantime, it has made my life dramatically easier. The amount of money it has cost me to pay this person, has been worth every dime. Simply put, my life and the life of the law firm is a lot better because of this person filling this role.

The duties of the "client services manager" are all encompassing. The "client services manager" is responsible for helping return phone calls, setting up conferences with clients, opening new files, ensuring that all clients have a contract, ensuring that files get opened, ensuring that all dates get properly calendared, ensuring that all dates on the calendar are met, helping ensure that all time is put in properly, helping to ensure that all bills are out, and helping to collect the accounts receivable. The truth of the matter is that even if this person did nothing but help return phone calls and help collect account receivables, he would be worth his weight in gold. The foregoing list is just a short list of the major categories that a "client services manager" can help you with. Suffice it to say that every nuance of every one of those areas is something that the "client services manager" can help you with.

One of the interesting phenomena's that has occurred, is that naming this person the "client services manager" not only has created a position with a title, but created a position to whom people in the law firm look to for help to get things done, and that clients look to for help in getting their legal matters properly taken care of. In the case of the particular individual who filled our job as the "client services manager," the fact that this person was older than everyone in the law firm except for myself and the office manager, has turned out to be incredibly helpful. This person has the maturity and the experience to handle the job, but also brings an incredible sense of humor to the position. God only knows, it is important to have a sense of humor in a law firm. The moral of the staff seems to be better; we seem to have less angst with regard to getting our legal work done on a day-to-day basis, and quite literally, every aspect of the law firm seems to function better because of this person being assigned to look at each and every one of the areas of the law firm and to do everything he can to be sure that the clients are being properly served.

There is probably someone in your law firm who you could designate as a "client services manager" and simply give them the job of being sure that everything in the law firm that needs to be done on a day-to-day basis, gets properly done on a timely basis and in a very professional manner. Even if you had somebody play this role on a part time basis, I think you would be incredibly pleased with regard to the outcome of the work that they do, not only with your staff, but in particular with your clients. Some of the clients have even begun to give this person cookies, tamales and candy because of how thankful they are that he is available to them and can be responsive to them even if I or the other lawyers in the office are not available to talk to them on a moments notice. This is another one of those concepts about which should say to you: "try it, I think you'll like it."

Next week we are going to dive into the fourth thing that makes up every business in the world - "a method to bill." We have lots and lots of things to talk about in that area, and I think that will take us through the spring and maybe even into early summer. I look forward to talking to you about this fourth area that makes up every business in the world because it is important that you have clients; it is important that you have administrative procedures; it is important that you get the work done, but it is most important that you bill for that work and eventually collect that bill. Each one of these areas that we are discussing is interconnected, and unless you are fairly good at all five of them, you are going to be out of business relatively quickly.

Talk to you next week.

Jim Wirken is a civil trial attorney and the Chairman of the Board of The Wirken Law Group in Kansas City.