Resorts are great places to spend some time and relax. It can be a time to be pampered. It can be a time where it feels like your needs are being put first.

If you ever go to a five-star resort, they do all kinds of wonderful things from the moment you pull into the resort. Most five-star resorts will have a bellhop who will rush to pull your bags out of your automobile for you to take to your room. Nice resorts also might treat you to a complimentary beverage.

As you walk into the hotel, you generally walk into an entranceway that is completely put together. You might walk through on a red carpet. You are generally greeted at the check-in desk with first-class treatment.

Once you are checked in at a five-star resort, you should be getting your room cleaned daily. If you go to the resort bar or restaurant, normally the service is second to none. The resort staff after all is there to make sure you have a great experience.

Certainly, if you ever star at a five-star resort, it isn’t inexpensive. In fact, it might cost quite a bit of money. But the experience is generally so positive, that it is worth every penny. The ability to relax and be treated like a king or queen (even for a few days) is well worth it.

If your law firm was a resort, what kind of resort would it be? Is it a five-star resort? Or is it something less than that?

If you’ve ever been to a three-star resort, for example, the experience is not usually as great. Sure, the price may be quite a bit cheaper. But the bellhop probably does not move as quickly to your car. You might have to carry your own bags to your room. Even the room service may be lacking. You might need to call to remind them to come.

Is your law firm a five-star resort, three-star resort, or something less? Are you trying to give your clients the best possible experience? Or are you running a law firm where you advertise less service, but you also charge less? Some law firms implicitly go in this direction with their marketing when they advertise “legal services at an affordable rate.” No matter what you do, keep in mind that your law firm always needs to provide competent, communicative, and diligent service.

The reality is that for most law firms, you have got to figure out what kind of figurative resort you want your law firm to be. You then make sure you live up to being what you have represented you are.

It is certainly true as well, that the five-star resorts are the ones that are most sought after. At a five-star resort, it might be hard to get rooms. At a five-star resort, you may have to wait to make a reservation.  You also pay more at a five-star resort, but the service and the experience are usually worth it. Why wouldn’t every law firm at least strive to be a five-star resort?

For most law firms, you ought to think about ways in which you can make your law firm a five-star resort experience. You might ask yourself these questions:

• Do you return all phone calls and emails the same day?
• Does your law firm give lawyer cell phone numbers to clients?
• Is your staff pampering clients?
• Are clients and potential clients offered their complimentary drink when they arrive?
• Are your offices clean and orderly?
• Are your attorneys prepared for court?
• Do clients feel like their attorney understands their situation?
• Do your lawyers look like top-notch attorneys (without wrinkled suits)?
• Are the clients’ files maintained meticulously for clients’ viewing online?
• Does your staff treat all clients and potential clients with a smile?
• Does your law firm have the staff to promptly address the client needs?
• Are your receptionists friendly and helpful on the phone?
• Do you leave folks waiting in your lobby for extended periods of time or are clients and potential clients promptly attended to by employees?

The reality is five-star resort law firms generally do well, just like five-star resorts do well. On the flip-end, lower star law firms generally do not do as well in terms of the quality of business they receive and the reputation they maintain. It is certainly important that a law firm figure out what level of service they desire to provide. The law firm managers and owners then need to do everything possible to make sure their law firm is living up to it.

If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them below.