Why You Need a Progress Bar
Many years ago a client taught me a valuable communication lesson. It was about managing client anxiety and expectations.
His was a complex case, made worse by the exasperating and outrageous behaviour not only of the other party but of the other lawyer. They both broke all the rules, all the time. What should have taken months took years.
One day my client looked at me and said, “Listen, I trust you, but I have a problem. As a lawyer, you understand the system and you know how this is going. But I’m a software guy, not a lawyer. I have no frame of reference. All I know is that I have a lot invested, that I need closure, and I really don’t know where we are.”
He continued, “You see, in the software business, we know that when users hit “install”, they have no idea what is going on inside the computer– they’re completely in the dark. Yet we can’t risk having the users panicking and doing something stupid. We need them to be patient and let the install complete. So we provide a graphic, a progress bar so that they can visualize the hidden process and feel confident it is progressing.”
“So,” he concluded, “I need a progress bar.”
I stared at him. What could I say? In those days, lawyers played things pretty close to the vest, and we certainly didn’t do progress bars. But his wisdom was unassailable.
And so I learned to do “progress bars” to keep clients apprised of status on complex matters. Occasionally a lengthy memo or letter was in order, but often just a quick note or e-mail.
The direct result was happier clients who were more realistic and pragmatic about outcomes. Without a doubt, I became a better and more efficient lawyer. Client costs were better managed and fairer, and because of efficiencies and lower receivables, my work became more profitable.
As a communication device, nothing could be simpler and more effective than a progress bar.
And how do you manage client anxiety?