How Can Attorneys Collect Client Reviews?

Client reviews and testimonials are particularly important in the legal industry. Word-of-mouth has always been an important tool in marketing, and in a field where clients are often experiencing an extremely uncertain period of life, the reassurance of a positive review can go a long way. Attorney reviews can be posted on Facebook, a law firm’s Google Business Profile, Yelp, and on the law firm’s website. The difficulty for some attorneys and law firms often isn’t earning a review, but figuring out how to encourage clients to post those reviews.

A great way to collect client testimonials is to ask for post-case feedback.

It’s important to remember that asking for feedback before the case is settled could come across as insensitive and tacky. However, after a case has concluded successfully, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask if a client was satisfied with your work, and whether or not they would recommend you to someone else; this can be done over email or over the phone.

If the client was not satisfied, it’s important to take their response into account and address any of their concerns with sincere apologies rather than excuses; the same approach goes for negative reviews. Obviously, if a client did not enjoy working with you, you do not need to ask them to post a review. However, if a client expresses satisfaction with your work, reply to let them know you’re grateful they had a positive experience, and let them know where they can post a review if they feel led to. The more positive their final communications with you, the more likely they are to give you a glowing review.

You can also use an automated approach.

If you are uncomfortable with directly asking your clients to post a review or testimonial about their experience, you may choose an automated approach. Some law firms and other businesses choose to subscribe to an automated review service; in this scenario, all the attorney has to do is enter the client’s email address and the review service will contact them with a quick questionnaire they can fill out.

However, the best way to cover your bases and ensure you’re not missing any valuable reviews is by combining both the one-on-one request approach and the automated approach. Even the most well-meaning clients can forget to post a review, even after assuring you that they intend to do so. Following up a conversation about their experience with an automated and easy-to-fill-out questionnaire is an effective and convenient way to collect a promised review or testimonial, without putting unnecessary pressure on either side.

Remember to reply to negative reviews.

Nobody wants negative reviews, but it’s important to know what to do with them. Inevitably, negative reviews are bound to pop up on one of the many sites your firm should have a presence on. This is why it’s important to regularly check the reviews and testimonials you and your firm are receiving.

When a negative review occurs, it’s important to refrain from the initial instinct to delete the review entirely. Instead, let the reviewer know you are sorry they had a negative experience and that you are happy to work with them toward an agreeable solution. This can actually give other visitors to the site more confidence in your practice. If the review is wildly off-base, reveals confidential information, or revolves around grievances unrelated to law practice, this is when it might be okay to delete the review and contact the client one-on-one to see if there is some way to address their concerns.

Make sure your website includes client reviews and testimonials.

With so many platforms where clients can post about their experiences, it can be easy to forget that these reviews need to be included on your website as well. It’s important to make sure that potential clients visiting your site can quickly and easily locate real reviews and testimonials. This can be done by posting the reviews directly, or by linking an outside review platform such as Yelp or Google to a dedicated page or part of a page on your website.

For more ideas on how to collect client reviews and testimonials, reach out to a legal marketing expert.