In an increasingly competitive legal landscape, technical expertise is the baseline, but client experience is often the differentiator. Yet too many firms are haemorrhaging revenue without realising it, simply because they're not measuring the metrics that really matter. Recent research conducted in partnership with Insight6 revealed a sobering statistic: poor CX during enquiry handling (a moment of truth) alone can cost legal firms an estimated £1 million annually in lost revenue. At the enquiry stage, arguably a firm's most critical moment of truth, the net promoter score across firms studied was a striking -41%.
Moment of truth: The enquiry stage & the invisible delay
One of the most expensive Customer Experience (CX) failures is the "invisible delay." A prospective client submits an enquiry on a Sunday evening about a probate matter. They're likely navigating one of the most emotionally difficult periods of their life, seeking efficiency, clarity, and someone they can trust. They receive an automated acknowledgement at 801am Monday morning which the firm counts as "responded." But from the client's perspective, they’re left in limbo.
By the time the firm calls back on Tuesday afternoon, that client has already spoken to two competitors and selected one. The legal firms 48-hour response time SLA may look acceptable on paper, yet the client is in a void – the invisible delay. In an increasingly on-demand world, particularly for someone in a vulnerable situation, this CX is breaking and falling short. That gap represents more than a lost case; it's a missed lifetime value opportunity including future instructions, referrals, and long-term reputation.
Why NPS alone isn't enough
Traditional metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS) tell you how clients feel at the end of a case, but they only capture people who actually became clients. They reveal nothing about prospects who fell at the first hurdle. For those who do make it through, a high score may reflect a good outcome even if the process was challenging, which means friction points remain hidden.
The firms that consistently win are those measuring emotional drivers: confidence, clarity, trust, perceived fairness, and the client's sense of control. This matters because clients rarely have the expertise to evaluate legal quality. Instead, they evaluate clarity, responsiveness, and trustworthiness, which become proxies for competence. Crucially, this evaluation begins long before someone becomes a client, and that's where NPS needs to be complemented by other measures.
Finding your starting point
The temptation is to invest in technology, but before that, firms need an honest assessment of where they stand. Taking stock of where you stand, from the strategic importance of CX through to pain points, current measurement, and priorities, will quickly surface low-hanging fruit and improvements you can act on.
This kind of focused diagnostic can be completed in under an hour, yet it provides the foundation for meaningful change. It surfaces what matters and creates a springboard for deeper work with stakeholders across the firm.
From there, practical steps follow naturally: empowering frontline teams who shape first impressions, addressing client needs promptly, and developing feedback systems that close the loop.
Perhaps most importantly, recognise that client experience is shaped as much by internal handovers, tools, and workloads as by individual lawyers. Friction often shows up as brilliant lawyers compensating for broken processes, creating inconsistent experiences depending on who a client happens to deal with.
The firms that thrive will embrace a deceptively simple mindset: our role is not just solving legal problems, it's reducing client uncertainty. Get that right, and growth follows.
How Moneypenny can help
We've spent over 14 years helping law firms unlock growth through exceptional customer conversations, and today we're trusted by 75 of the Top 200, and four of the five Magic Circle firms. Our 95-strong specialist legal team, empowered by AI, ensures every client interaction counts. If you're looking for a starting point, our CX audit can help identify friction points and opportunities to strengthen your client experience.