In 2021 we held an offsite away day where we discussed in detail, with every single member of staff, what promises we can make to our clients and how our clients can measure our quality of service. HAPPY was not a top-down directive, it was the creation of the team, and as such, every member of the team is fully on-board with the pledge.
HAPPY stands for Honesty, Approachable, Professional, Proactive, and You come first. Rather self-explanatory terms, but extremely powerful when in the hands of committed and passionate people. It has led to us producing postcards with a photo of the person handling a case along with their assistant and both personally sign each postcard to confirm their commitment to making the client HAPPY. It has proven to be a popular initiative for our clients who feel an affinity with the people helping them with their legal needs.
Our commitment to delivering excellent service has resulted in an explosion of fantastic feedback being left on many platforms, from Facebook and Google to ReviewSolicitors. Our ability to deliver on our HAPPY pledge has resulted in a feedback rating on ReviewSolicitors of 4.9/5 (out of 289 reviews so far!) and with comments like “The service, efficiency, professionalism and enthusiasm has always been of a top level” and “We felt that we were valued as customers and always dealt with promptly”, we know that our entire team’s focus is firmly on ensuring that our clients are HAPPY.
HAPPY was conceived by our team, the exact people who you, as our clients, will interact with throughout the course of your matter, and indeed throughout your life as and when you require our legal services. And because it’s been created by our team you can be assured that they believe in it and are committed to it.
H stands for Honesty
The legal industry has a reputation for being dishonest, for charging too much, and for ‘ripping people off’. We want to change that view. Like any profession, there is a premium to be paid for the skills and experience that an individual brings. It’s why you pay a mechanic to service your car or a dentist to service your teeth.
But whilst we must charge the appropriate rate, we must also be transparent and honest about the costs, and any future costs, and we must keep you updated on the progress of your matter and how any developments might influence the fees we charge.
The last thing we (and you) want is for an unexpected bill to be handed to you at the end of your matter. That certainly wont make you happy at all!
A stands for Approachable
As Lawyers, we don’t sit in a timber clad boardroom wearing monocles and wigs and presiding over thick red leather textbooks. That can be kept for the movies. We sit in open-plan offices with friendly and funny chit-chat. Other than the jobs we do, we’re just like you!
The impression of Lawyers is a stigma that we need to abolish, and we are doing this by demonstrating just how wonderfully approachable we are.
When you call us, we will be polite, friendly, and courteous, and we will endeavour to help you speak to the right person quickly, and when you do, receive a service that leaves you feeling completely at ease.
P stands for Professional
First and foremost, we are a law firm and we take our professional role very seriously. Whether you are buying your first home or divorcing, our approach will be of the utmost professionalism. We recruit only the best we can find and with decades of experience amongst us, you can be confident that we know what we are doing. We don’t cut corners. We don’t leave tasks unfinished.
P stands for Proactive
If there’s a job to be done, we’ll do it. Time is our most valuable commodity, and leaving tasks unfinished or not acting upon an email or call is just not our style! You have our number, but we have yours too, and we aim to be so proactive that you should never need to contact us for a progress update because we’ll have already updated you! And if there’s no update to give, we can at least let you know what we’re doing to move things forward and to set your expectations on when the next update will be.
Y stands for You Come First
Let’s be blunt. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. So it goes without saying that you absolutely come first. As paying clients you expect a high quality service where you are the centre of our focus. You are paying us to do a job for you and this is a responsibility we don’t take on board lightly.
Making you HAPPY is not a marketing gimmick, it’s a passion. And we know that when you are HAPPY, we are HAPPY, so it works both ways!
Of course, we are only human, and like you we might have an ‘off day’, make a bad judgement, or make a mistake. What’s important though, is that both you and we know that all we strive to do is our very best, and when we do get it wrong, we promise to acknowledge our error and to put it right, fast.
