The pandemic may or may not have shifted what law firms do, but it undoubtedly shifted how they do it. From transitioning employees to home offices to virtual court appearances and trials, for most firms it was a build-the-plane-while-flying moment. While we are still navigating some uncertainty, I believe there is one thing we can be certain about – client service and the workplaces where that service happens will be different. Strict adherence to the pre-2020 models will put firms at a disadvantage while firms that are nimble enough and ready to adapt quickly and effectively will thrive.
If you want to position your business for success, you need to start with people. Businesses have been given a rare opportunity to fundamentally change how business is done. Not only does this include pandemic-related shifts; it also includes embracing the diversity of both the people you serve and the people who provide that service. Businesses need an approach that considers all these and other stakeholders and is viable, sustainable, and feasible. Enter: Service Design.

What is Service Design?

Lawyers often assume they know what their clients’ problems are, and that they best know how to solve them – after all, that is why they hire us, right? Service design challenges these assumptions and replaces them with a deep understanding of the needs, preferences, pain points, and desires of every person who interacts with the service – from the receptionist who answers the call to the executive who signs the close-out letter, and of course, the client. It is this holistic, human-centered viewpoint that sets service design apart from traditional business models.

In a nutshell, service design starts with understanding the client’s experience and then designs the systems and processes that are needed to create that experience – both client-facing and behind the scenes.  It is a conceptual framework that is lends itself to finding solutions to thorny, open-ended problems by adhering to five core principles:

1. Client services should be experienced through the clients’ eyes;
2. All stakeholders should be included in the design;
3. Service should be visualized as a sequence of related actions;
4. Intangible services should be visualized in physical materials (e.g., deliverables); and
5. The entire environment where services happens should be considered.

How do I know Service Design is Right for Your Law Firm?

Being a lawyer, I know you probably won’t take my word for it that service design is right for your company. And being a lawyer, I also know how to marshal the facts and evidence that lead to the conclusion that it is.

Exhibit A: Testimony From Other Experts

I’m not the only one who sees the power of service design to transform your law firm.  McKinsey & Co. found that companies who scored high on their design index enjoyed substantially higher revenue than companies that were less focused on design. They concluded:

“[G]ood design matters whether your company focuses on physical goods, digital products, services, or some combination of these three.”

Exhibit B: Increased Client Base

Using service design, a Swedish bank reached 100% enrollment in a program that not only reduced the bank’s cost, it also lowered user’s annual fees. Check out the full story of how this Swedish Bank transformed not just their offers, but their entire organization using service design.

Exhibit C: Solve the Right Problem

A non-profit learned the hard way that users did not want to sign up on an impersonal website. When they redesigned their customer support process, they were able to meet their users where they are. Read the full story here.

Exhibit D: The Employee Experience

Applying service design to create a better meal delivery service for elderly Danes resulted in improved nutrition for the seniors and a motivated and engaged staff. To lean how it unfolded, watch this.

The Opportunity to Transform Your Law Firm

While service design is gaining traction in some areas (healthcare is a good example), few other industries have embraced the approach. This reluctance has widened the gap between service providers and clients, which in turn leads to clients feeling ignored and unheard – and more likely to take their business elsewhere.

Service design, on the other hand, places equal value on the client experience and the business systems and processes. In service design, clients, employees, and other users are vital contributors from the very beginning of the project- and it makes a difference that is felt by everyone. Yet few service-based businesses take this approach. Businesses who embrace service design will stand out as innovative leaders ready, willing, and able to meet the challenges of these times.