Client Listening for Law Firms
Looking ahead in client relationships. Turn feedback into action - improve value for clients, operations across your business, client retention, referrals and profitability
Client, introducer and business partner expectations have shifted, especially with recent changes in technology and work environments. Carton & Co enable your people to engage in meaningful conversations about these changes, uncovering opportunities to add value to your services and strengthen client relationships.
While recognising the importance of client listening, many law firms struggle to find the time. Recent research indicates that professionals are eager to engage more deeply with clients but face time constraints.
Prioritising client feedback can serve as a catalyst for positive change. If you constantly act on that more effectively than your competitors, your practice will be successful - retaining and winning more instructions from current clients and new prospects.
Our research still confirms that professionals are frustrated by not doing enough. We know that listening to clients and the ammunition it provides is the best catalyst for positive change to support growth, but law firms struggle to find the time.
For example: Most don't ask while the client's case is still live, so there's no option to make changes when they can make most impact. 71% are not collecting feedback from enough of their clients. Only 30% ask more than half of their consumer clients. Only 25% ask more than half of their SME clients. Only 24% ask more than half of their corporate clients. 57% say they are not sharing the feedback they have received.
Carton & Co helps UK law firms design and implement client listening programs that turn feedback into measurable improvements in operations, service, retention and profitability.
What “Client Listening” really means in a law firm
Client listening isn’t just an end-of-matter survey. It’s a structured way to understand:
- Your client's passions and their drivers in business and personal life
- What each client values in legal services (and what irritates them)
- What they need next (before they ask)
- What your firm should stop, start, improve or automate
- What should change in service delivery, communication, pricing, technology and people development
The “voice of the client” becomes a practical input to decisions across the firm - not a BD exercise that gets filed and forgotten.
What clients typically want (and what they rarely say directly)
The research shows that there are common themes when it comes to improving relationships and service but every client is different. Owners and managers of business have their own strategies to make their business and their life successful. Lawyers should be aiming to understand the world their clients live in and their plans going forwards, to then be able to collaborate on those personal and business plans. There is a journey to understand and respond to - where the real value and opportunities in relationships comes to the fore. This is all about looking forwards.
Beneath those drivers there are, of course, also relatively simple priorities and gaps that need to be identified and developed where feedback from clients is the best possible ammunition to help lead new initiatives. Themes here include, for example:
- Proactive communication (clients shouldn’t have to chase)
- Predictability (cost, timelines, next steps)
- Commercial awareness (understanding the client’s world)
- Fewer handoffs / less repetition
- Clearer writing and faster turnaround
- Better use of technology when it improves the experience, not just internal efficiency
Your firm doesn’t need to guess on priorities. Clients will tell you, if you have a structured approach in place to evaluate their feedback.
Why client listening initiatives stall
Even well-intentioned firms get stuck because:
- Lawyers feel they “don’t have time” to do it properly
- Feedback is collected inconsistently (or only after matters close)
- Insight sits in silos (BD/Marketing) instead of informing operations and strategy
- No one owns the “closed loop” of listen → decide → act → measure
The Carton & Co approach
Listening design that fits law firm reality
✅ Define objectives (retention, referrals, reviews, cross-sell, complaints reduction, service redesign)
✅ Choose the right client mix (private, SME, corporate — by practice area)
✅ Create interview guides + question sets that get beyond “satisfaction” into value and future need
✅ Set governance: confidentiality, anonymisation, how results are used and shared
Capture and analysis (including “always-on” options)
✅ Combine qualitative + quantitative: interviews, short pulse surveys, reviews, introductions/referrers, win/loss feedback
✅ Build a central insight repository (so themes are visible across teams)
✅ Use AI where it genuinely helps: clustering themes, summarising verbatims, spotting patterns — with sensible human review
Turning insight into action (the part most firms miss)
✅ Leadership debrief with clear prioritisation (what changes first, what waits)
✅ Team workshops: translate insight into practical changes (service, comms, onboarding, pricing, tech)
✅ Measures: a small set of metrics the firm can actually sustain
A simple maturity ladder (so you know what “good” looks like)
Level 1
— Ad hoc: occasional surveys, inconsistent follow-up
Level 2
— Systematic: defined process, repeatable cadence, shared themes
Level 3
— Embedded: insight informs operational and strategic decisions across departments
Level 4 — Always-on: multiple channels + continuous analysis + regular action cycles
How we Develop a Programme
Stage 1: Foundations (fast, practical)
- Objectives, governance, question sets, pilot with a targeted client group
- Quick wins you can implement immediately
Stage 2: Systematic roll-out
- Expand across practice areas
- Establish internal sharing rhythm (leadership + teams)
- Training/coaching so partners ask better questions and handle feedback confidently
Stage 3: Strategic Adoption
- Broaden channels and automate where it makes sense
- Use insight to shape priorities in technology, pricing, onboarding, and capability-building
How we do independent Listening
The scope, objectives and focus of any projects vary widely, but we will generally:
✅ Agree scope, objectives and focus
✅ Plan a pilot series of interviews, capturing internal feedback and market research to inform these discussions
✅
Interview
a pilot group of your clients (we do the listening, so you get frank, useful feedback) but listen to your lawyers first too. Our independent, objective approach adds a new dimension to every discussion.
✅ Pull out the real themes - and interpret what clients are saying using our experience of how law firms work
✅
Run practical workshops
with your team to explore the issues, opportunities, quick wins and longer term plans
✅ Produce a clear action plan: what to change, who owns it, and what comes first
✅ Help you close the loop with clients - agreeing what you’ll say back, how you’ll say it, and how you’ll communicate progress
✅
Help kick off improvement projects
that come directly from the feedback (service, process, tech, people development, client communications)
Useful reading (supporting content)
Getting started
If you want client listening to drive real change (not just produce a report), book a short call and we’ll map:
- What you’re doing now
- What’s missing
- The quickest route to better results and a sustainable programme
Working with Carton & Co
We understand the unique challenges faced by law firms when it comes to gathering and acting on client feedback. Our team collaborates with you to create tailored strategies that integrate seamlessly into your practice.
Whether it’s developing a structured feedback process or identifying new opportunities to enhance your client relationships, we’re here to support you at every step. By putting client listening at the forefront, we help you strengthen relationships, retain valuable clients, and position your firm for long-term success.
Email: acarton@cartonconsultants.com
Phone: 07779 653105
Carton & Co - Specialist consultants to UK law firms on technology adoption, client relationships, and business development.
_____________________________________________
**Frequently Asked Questions **
Q: How do we get started with client listening if we have nothing in place?
A: Start simple. Choose 10-15 key client relationships and conduct structured conversations. Use what you learn to design a broader program. We help firms move from ad-hoc feedback to systematic approaches incrementally - you don't need to implement everything at once.
Q: What's the difference between client listening and client surveys?
A: Surveys are one component of client listening, but effective programs go much further. They include business review meetings, real-time feedback during matters, online reviews, relationship mapping, and systematic analysis of all client interactions. The goal is comprehensive client intelligence, not just satisfaction scores.
Q: How do we get lawyers to actually do client listening?
A: Make it easy and show results. Automate what can be automated, provide conversation frameworks that give confidence, and demonstrate commercial impact. When lawyers see feedback leading to new instructions or saved relationships, engagement follows. Training in effective questioning techniques - including "Columbo moments" - builds capability and confidence.
Q: Should we use independent interviewers or do it ourselves?
A: Both have value. Your team builds relationships through direct conversations. Independent interviewers often get more candid feedback, particularly on sensitive topics. Many firms use internal conversations for routine feedback and independent reviews for key relationships or specific strategic questions.
Q: How do we measure ROI on client listening?
A: Track client retention rates, share of wallet with key clients, new instructions from existing clients, and client satisfaction scores over time. Also measure leading indicators: response rates, issues identified and resolved, opportunities surfaced. Firms typically see improved retention within 12 months of implementing systematic programs.
Q: What technology do we need for client listening?
A: At minimum, a central place to store and share feedback - often your existing CRM. More sophisticated programs add automated survey tools, review monitoring, and AI analysis. The key is integration: feedback should be visible in context of the full client relationship, not siloed in separate systems.
Q: How often should we be asking clients for feedback?
A: More often than most firms do, but appropriately for the relationship. During live matters, real-time check-ins catch issues early. For key relationships, formal reviews at least annually. For transactional work, feedback at completion. The goal is "always-on" awareness, not periodic snapshots.
Q: What do we do with negative feedback?
A: Negative feedback is valuable - it shows trust and offers improvement opportunities. Respond promptly, acknowledge the issue, and follow up with action. Clients who complain and see response often become stronger advocates than those who never raised concerns. The danger is negative feedback you never hear.