After lunch, I headed to "Using Client Feedback to Create Truly Meaningful Client Experiences and Deliver Greater Value" - a session that proved to have some fabulous tips. The panel was moderated by Julie Meyers of Burns White and featured Ronna Cross, from Patton Boggs, James Perkins of Procopio, Cory Hargreaves & Savitch, Jennifer Skiver, Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis, and Tara Weintritt of Miles and Stockbridge.

Best Practices

The panel began by sharing their best practices for starting a client feedback program: Get a promise from the firm leadership that they understand that the feedback is critical and they're willing to take action. Know your firm's culture going into this - what's the best approach? Get everyone involved and figure out what success looks like.

One panelist said that he's been running a client feedback program for six years. He started by working with the Chairman, and they met with another firm doing it already. They got their best practices, shared ideas, and started small. The panel emphasized that client feedback programs are incredible data, but if you do nothing with it, it's more harmful than if you did nothing at all.

The program needs to be top down - if the firm doesn't have the culture to experiment and take risks, it won't work. And if the marketers are going to drive any project, senior management must buy in. Otherwise, it's a tough job. The culture of every firm is different though, so how you will launch it will be different for every firm.