Winning Back Unhappy Clients with the Personal Touch

Our Convey Alerts tool is great for re-engaging with former happy clients, but have you considered using it to win over and rebuild trust from dissatisfied ones? Picture the scene. You have an Alert arrive and it notifies you that Mr Taylor from Bletchley has just put his home up for sale. You remember Mr Taylor left you a negative review. Are you reluctant to contact him again?

The reason for Mr Taylor’s frustration may have been beyond your control. There could have been stalling in the property chain or mortgage lender delays. The property may have had complex title deeds or unforeseen legal complications. The negative review may be unfair. Or perhaps it isn’t. Either way, you have a former client out there who doesn’t view your law firm in a good light. It’s time to heal the rift!

It’s natural to focus on positive past experiences and only re-engage with happy former clients. However, in this blog, we’ll explore how one of our clients successfully leveraged our Convey Alert tool to turn a previously dissatisfied client into a returning customer. The blog demonstrates the value of reaching out proactively and the chance to make things right, even with challenging client relationships.

Restoring client trust

Our client, Mayo Wynne Baxter, a well-established conveyancing firm, has been using our Convey Alert tool to stay informed when their former clients list their homes for sale. This tool enables them to reach out at the right moment, offering their services for the client's new property transaction. Typically, the tool helps conveyancers re-engage with satisfied clients, but in this case, it also proved effective in reviving a relationship with a previously unhappy client, who actually, as it turned out, was only unhappy due to something occurring that was outside of the control of the law firm.

Mayo Wynne Baxter investigated what had happened and discovered that on the day of the exchange, the solicitor in charge of the case had a personal emergency. They spent time explaining this to the client and promised that they would do everything in their power to ensure a smooth transaction this time. As a result of their proactive and empathetic approach, the former client decided to give Simon’s firm another chance. They successfully handled the client's new property transaction, transforming a previously unhappy client into a satisfied and loyal customer. You can read more about this in our case study here.

Rebuilding relationships

This case highlights the potential for conveyancers to not only maintain relationships with happy clients but also to win back those who may have had negative experiences in the past. By leveraging the Convey Alert tool and approaching each client interaction with care, conveyancers can expand their opportunities for repeat business and strengthen their reputation.

You may have encountered clients who vowed never to use your services again. You can leave the relationship there. Or you can fight for it and try to rebuild the connection. Approach the situation with empathy and willingness to listen and take a genuine interest in finding out the reasons behind the client's dissatisfaction. This is how your law firm improves. Acknowledge any unhappy client’s concerns and demonstrate a commitment to improving your service to rebuild trust and re-establish the relationship. Be open and transparent with the client. Sometimes you will come across a client that is challenging and impossible to please but for the majority, if you take the time to find out why they’re unhappy, you may be able to turn things around.

Why should you reengage with former unhappy clients?

Turn challenges into opportunities:

Turn a negative experience into a positive one. It will lead to repeat business and strengthened client relationships.

Acknowledge past issues and show growth:

When re-engaging with former clients who were unhappy, it’s essential to acknowledge their concerns. Use the re-instruction alert as an opportunity to reach out with a personalised message that acknowledges their past experience and highlights how your firm has evolved since then.

For instance, you could say:

"We noticed you’re selling your home and wanted to extend an offer to work with us again. We understand that your previous experience may not have met your expectations, and we’ve since made significant improvements to our processes based on feedback like yours. We’d love the chance to show you how our services have improved."

This approach shows that you value their feedback and have taken steps to address their concerns, which can soften the client’s stance and open them up to reconsidering your services.

Offer an exclusive incentive:

People love feeling valued, especially when they’ve had a negative experience in the past. Offering an exclusive incentive can be a powerful way to show former clients that you’re committed to making things right. This could be a discount on your services, a complimentary consultation, or even an upgraded service package. This not only incentivises them to give you another chance but also positions your firm as one that genuinely cares about its clients.

Highlight your success stories:

Sometimes, former clients need a little reassurance that their past experience was an exception rather than the rule. You could either send success stories of happy clients are even a testimonial from a client who had similar concerns but were happy with your service the second time around.

You could frame this in your email like so:

"Since we last worked together, we’ve had the pleasure of helping many clients who, like you, were initially hesitant to return to us. Here’s what one of them had to say about their recent experience…"

This strategy helps to build trust and demonstrate that your firm has improved its service and is capable of delivering a positive outcome, even if things didn’t go perfectly the first time.

Personalise your approach:

Personalisation is key to re-engaging unhappy clients. Instead of sending a generic message when your alert tool notifies you of their home listing, take the time to tailor your communication and show that you’re genuinely invested in providing a better experience. Reference specific details about their previous transaction or the issues they faced and explain how you plan to address those directly in their next transaction.

For example:

"We recall that during your last transaction, there were delays that caused some frustration. We’ve since implemented new measures to expedite our processes and ensure that timelines are met consistently. We’d love to discuss how we can make your next conveyancing experience smoother and more efficient."

Final thoughts

Whether you’re a Convey Alerts user or not, repairing relationships with former clients who were dissatisfied is a crucial strategy for conveyancers looking to improve their reputation and build a sustainable practice. It shows that your firm values the opinions of its client base, and you're dedicated to continuous improvement. It also can result in increased business opportunities as it can lead to more referrals from positive word-of-mouth. In an industry where reputation is paramount, actively mending past relationships can help give your law firm a competitive edge.

If you're not already a Convey Alerts user and you're looking for a tool to generate high quality conveyancing leads, get in touch. We also have a tool called Market Insights that provides useful stats about your  the conveyancing market and how your competitors are performing.

Read our short interview with Mayo Wynne Baxter's Simon Fuller where we explore how TwentyConvey helped revive a relationship with a dissatisfied client.