Exceeding the client's expectations = job satisfaction



The Shard at night



It's been a bit quiet on the blogging front this week which, for me, means one of two things:

1. I have been away; or
2. I have been having a crazy week in the office.

Looking out of my office window just now at a complete white out of London my view of The Shard being completely blocked a part of me wished the reason was 1.  However the real reason has been that I have had one of the busiest weeks in the office for quite some time.  Back to the good old pre-Xmas deal rush.

In the course of this week, trying to juggle multiple balls, I got to thinking about what it was about my job that I really enjoyed because, despite the pressure of managing various client demands, annoying deadlines and the usual last minute issues, I was in a great mood and since I do not celebrate Xmas (and am not gonig away this year) it was not connected to the impending holidays.

There are lots of reasons to enjoy my job - the rush of a deal, the intellectual rigour, the large sums of money involved, the social interaction.  My conclusion was that I enjoy my job because I provide a service to someone and if I provide that service in an excellent way and, hopefully, exceed the recipient's expectations I feel good about myself.

That is what I did this week.  I had a number of transactions with ludicrously tight timescales even the client was doubtful were realistic and yet we delivered.  We worked together as a team and produced the result the client wanted in a timeframe the client asked for but believed was unachievable and all with a smile on everyone's face.

Law is a service profession and therefore is no different to any other service provider such as being a waiter.  You can be slow to respond, surly, dump the product before the customer and blame the chef or the management for things going wrong.  The customer will still pay for the food but he will not have enjoyed the experience (and probably not come back) and, to be frank, neither will you.  But provide an excellent service, show you care about the client and not only will the client be happier and ready to come back for more but you might be happier too.

Exceeding your client's expectations is not just about making the client happy; it is about getting the maximum enjoyment and fulfillment from your job.