Treat People with Courtesy & Respect by Chuck Boyk

This is another complaint about how horrible customer service is in our world. Here are some examples I have recently experienced  ■ I totaled my car in an accident with a deer. The deer was clearly at fault, but didn’t have insurance. I walked into a car dealer at 5 pm on a weekday with my son (who is a salesman). There were no salesmen on the floor. We waited around for 10 minutes, and nobody approached us. My son walked into a salesman’s office and yelled. “Hey, does anyone want to sell a car today?” That finally got
someone to talk to us.

■ I was retained on a catastrophic injury case of an entire family against a large corporation. We sent a representation letter to the insurance company. Over the next 2 weeks, we sent 5 emails and made 5 phone calls to discuss liability and insurance coverage. We went through 5 different insurance adjusters without a return phone call. On the 6th call, we finally found the correct adjuster. He was extremely helpful, admitted liability, and told us the amount of insurance coverage was my favorite kind, substantial. Two weeks of pursuit and multiple attempts to get answers from a major company are absurd.

■ I referred a large case to a friend who works in an area of law in which I do not practice. The client was the “ideal client” for my friend’s law practice, with a $10,000 retainer and the ability to pay. The “ideal client” called me a week later and told me “my friend” never returned any of his 4 phone calls. I apologized and found a “different friend” for the referral.

It may be just my “old person” complaint, but “customer service” is your opportunity to show your client your unique competitive
advantage and make a friend for life. I give my clients my cell phone number. When I deal with an insurance adjuster, I treat them with respect. In the majority of cases, I can settle them in pre-litigation when the policy limits are not large. I explain to the adjuster that I want the policy limits and ask what information they need to get authority for the limits. My job is to provide them with that information so we can resolve the situation in the best interests of everyone involved. Maybe that is why my law firm gets a lot of referrals from insurance adjusters when their family members are injured.

Treat people with courtesy and respect.