Good support

More attention needs to be paid to support staff and their role in the actual delivery of a firm's service.

If they are ill-trained, ill-equipped and over-worked the quality of the service deteriorates and, however good the legal advice, complaints accumulate.

Unless radical steps are taken to improve the quality of the service, then the firm will have a serious claim on its hands.

Here are some key areas to consider as risk management policies for support staff:

- Induction training.

Ensure that staff are trained from the outset of their employment in the firm's processes with use of the office manual.

Allow enough time for a discussion of the firm's expectations of its staff.

- Legal knowledge.

Support staff need a basic knowledge of the procedures with which they are engaged and will perform better the more they understand why certain work has to be done, particularly if it is repetitive.

If you are pedantic about details, then at least explain why.

- Accounting and anti-money laundering.

Ensure that your staff understand the client and office account systems and the importance of accuracy in record keeping for financial transactions.

Firms should ensure that staff who are involved in opening files or handling money understand anti-money laundering procedures.

- File management.

Support staff are the guardians of your file management systems.

Opening and closing procedures, up-to-date filing, orderly storage of documents and deeds are all within their remit, and it is through well- managed and motivated support staff that the practices of the professionals can be improved and consistency achieved throughout the firm.

- Client care.

Above all, the impact of your support staff on the firm lies in their client care role.

They have the capacity to wreck or enhance the relationship with the client.

How they greet clients, answer and return telephone calls and whether they deal with enquiries positively, will all make a huge impression on the client.

These may well be the deciding factor in whether a client decides to pursue a complaint or not.

It is important to remember that however good the actual lawyers within the firm are, it is the support staff who ensure the smooth running of the actual business.

This column was prepared by AFP Consulting, a division of Alexander Forbes Risk Service