Picture this; your law firm takes an inbound call from someone who has suffered personal injury in an automobile accident. They were struck at an intersection by a driver who was operating a vehicle while under the influence. As a result, the caller has suffered a concussion, lacerations, and whiplash. They have been in and out of doctor’s appointments, and their medical bills are mounting. They are looking for a quality personal injury attorney to help them secure financial compensation. Your legal team jumps into action. You provide a free consultation and spend several hours developing a defense strategy for them. After working with this potential client for several days or even weeks, they inform you that they have been corresponding with another attorney as well and that they have chosen the competition over you.
Naturally, this is incredibly frustrating. We all want our hard work and dedicated effort to pay off, but sadly, sometimes, things don’t work out. So, what is the best thing to do in this situation? Send a thank-you email, of course.
It may seem counter-intuitive to send a thank-you message to someone who has turned you down, but it is an excellent customer service move. A thank you email is relatively easy to draft and send, and it goes far in keeping communication open between yourself and the potential client.
Good customer service shouldn’t just apply to customers. The prospect that turns you down today might wind up being your client tomorrow. You never know what could happen, so don’t burn a bridge out of bitterness and frustration.
These notes do not have to be super long or detailed to be effective.
Below are two examples of brief thank-you emails that your firm can send to lost accounts:
- Thank you for considering our law firm for your legal representation. We wish you the best going forward. Remember that we are always here for you should you need representation in the future.
- Best of luck with your case, and thank you for the consideration and correspondence. Our legal team is always here should you need support or representation in the future.
Keep communication channels open to convert more clients in the future.
