The hidden lens: unlocking your team's view of client experience

In the days of milk floats and VHS tapes, staff suggestion boxes were the go-to tool for gathering feedback. A simple box, a few pencils, and an invitation to share ideas — that was the way firms gathered insights from their employees. 

Anyone who had an idea could scribble it down and drop it in, hoping that somewhere down the line, their suggestion would spark a change. It was like writing letters to Santa, but for grown-ups who wanted better office toys.

The transition from the analogue suggestion box to digital engagement surveys promised to take feedback to the next level. These surveys made it easier to collect input, analyse trends, and respond quickly. 

Yet, somewhere along the way, the shift to digital tools left firms with an insight gap. Instead of getting a broader spectrum of valuable ideas, the new tools became more about collecting metrics than harnessing employee insights. It’s time we revisit what’s missing.

The Problem with Digital Surveys

Digital surveys were meant to be the natural successor to those dusty suggestion boxes. They were supposed to be quicker, more convenient, and yield better data. And in many ways, they succeeded: no more misplaced pencils or anonymous scraps of paper. 

But with these improvements, something was lost. The feedback was no longer about open, unfiltered input — it was constrained by multiple-choice options and tightly controlled questions.

The move to digital tools brought a shift in focus from broad insights to specific metrics. The process of creating structured, closed surveys narrowed the scope of what employees could share. It was like moving from the freeform wish list of the suggestion box to a multiple-choice quiz. 

The control was handed back to the managers, who decided what questions to ask and what topics to cover. In doing so, they inadvertently limited the value of what they collected.

The missing CX lens – how your people see client experiences

So, what’s the missing piece in all of this? It’s the lens that employees have on the client experience — a lens that’s often overlooked. Traditional staff surveys tend to focus inward, asking about career satisfaction, manager relationships, and training. Client surveys, on the other hand, ask clients for their views on how the firm is performing. Both perspectives are important, but they miss a valuable piece of the puzzle.

Your people see both sides. They interact with clients, see how internal processes impact client outcomes, and understand what’s working and what isn’t. Yet, their insights into the client experience are rarely asked for in a structured way. This is the missing lens — the perspective that can bridge the gap between internal operations and external outcomes.

Imagine your clients are frustrated with a billing process. The client’s feedback is gathered in a survey, and it’s logged as a point of concern. But without employee input, the full story is missing. Employees might know exactly why the billing process is creating friction — maybe it’s an outdated system, unnecessary manual steps, or unclear internal communication. Without unifying these perspectives, the opportunity for meaningful improvement is lost.

The Value of Unified Feedback

To truly understand and enhance client experience, law firms need to unify internal and client feedback. By looking at both sources of input, firms can build a complete picture of what’s happening, why it’s happening, and how to fix it. 

Employees often have the ‘why’ behind client frustrations, while clients provide the ‘what’. Bringing both together not only helps in diagnosing issues but also creates a solid, evidence-based business case for making changes.

Take the earlier example of billing complaints. When firms gather insights from both clients and employees, they might find that billing frustrations are linked to policy bottlenecks. By aligning these two streams of feedback, firms can act faster and more effectively, ultimately improving both the client journey and internal efficiency.

Tips for Implementing an Always-On Listening Approach

So, how do you start collecting this kind of unified feedback? Here are five practical steps for law firms looking to harness the missing lens:

1. Assign responsibility: Ensure that gathering internal feedback about the client experience is assigned to marketing, business development, or client insights teams — not HR. These teams are best positioned to connect employee insights with client outcomes.

2. Look beyond surveys: Don’t restrict the feedback gathering to periodic surveys. Provide a platform for employees to share their observations and suggestions in real time.

3. Ask open questions: Open-ended questions allow employees to highlight issues that the firm may not even be aware of. Don’t restrict them to predefined options; let them tell you what they see and think.

4. Look beyond the obvious: Once feedback has been collected, keep talking to your people about what has been heard so far. When prompted, others may have additional examples or ideas.  Always dig deeper.

5. Close the loop: Let employees know what was heard, what actions are being taken, and how clients have benefited as a result. This kind of transparency drives engagement and keeps the Feedback Flywheel turning.

Bringing Back the Modern Staff Suggestion Box

The original suggestion box might be a relic of the past, but its core idea still holds value today: everyone in your firm has ideas worth hearing. By integrating employee insights with client feedback, law firms can ensure they’re seeing the full picture of the client experience — and taking meaningful steps to improve it.

So, does your firm need a modern-day reboot of the staff suggestion box? MyCustomerLens can help. Our always-on listening platform unifies and reports on all sources of client and employee feedback in real time, helping professional services firms discover and respond to client needs faster. 

Drop me a DM or visit our website to learn more about how your firm can harness the missing lens in  client experience.