Macpherson Kelley is a fast growing, mid-market Australian law firm with a diverse practice and offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Founded over 100 years ago, the firm is part of the global multilaw network.
Professional services firms face a critical challenge: how to simultaneously deliver exceptional client service while building and retaining high-performing teams. To gain a competitive edge in the market Macpherson Kelley set their sights on becoming a clear leader in both client service delivery and employee experience. Although traditionally firms have treated these as separate initiatives, Macpherson Kelley sought a transformative approach that would unite these crucial elements.
Client Culture helped Macpherson Kelley implement an ambitous staff-integrated client experience program, resulting in the firm achieving record revenue growth year-on-year, boosted firm-wide NPS to exceptional levels, and created a thriving culture where teams are recognised and celebrated.
A foundational principle of the program is the inclusion of all clients and all staff; democratising client feedback data to align all staff – from practice directors to junior team members – with client outcomes.
What's driven this improvement – a strong commitment from both leadership and staff who have embraced a high cadence and transparent 'All-in' listening culture, along with the Client Culture platform which has been specifically designed to enable real-time delivery of regular client feedback to professional services teams for team-based insights, learning and rapid action to strengthen relationships and improve service.
Using the Net Promoter Score (NPS®) method, which measures client loyalty through likelihood to recommend, the firm has achieved a score of 80. This independently measured score would rank Macpherson Kelley 34th out of the global top law firms recorded by the Legal Business's Global 100. When compared to those listed, Macpherson Kelley’s NPS score exceeds London's Magic Circle and most Australian law firms including King & Wood Mallesons, K&L Gates, Linklaters, Herbert Smith Freehills, DLA Piper, Ashurst and others. Download the rankings here.
The Program delivers an unfiltered view of the firm’s service and relationships directly to professionals in real-time. This monthly program includes all clients who receive an invoice in a month, ensuring unbiased, independent, and trusted data. No single client receives a survey too often, as the platform filters out recently surveyed clients.
Feedback is accessible to all legal teams throughout the firm in each of their four offices, to understand the client experience, workshop improvements, and importantly, celebrate success. The solution has helped Macpherson Kelley address concerns of less happy clients, optimise the experience of other clients to improve loyalty, and deeply understand the key drivers of their clients' loyalty. The platform also identifies clients with the potential for expanded services and willingness to refer. Over 200 staff regularly access the platform, review feedback, and gain insights to continually improve service.
A steady supply of uplifting staff shout-outs from delighted clients are circulated among teams ensuring lots of recognition for outstanding staff efforts. As well, a Client Service Awards program was developed which uses real client data to reward staff for excelling at the key drivers of client loyalty for Macpherson Kelley – what the data says their clients' truly value.
“By making client feedback visible to all staff and celebrating team success, we've built an environment where everyone understands their impact on client experience. The platform doesn't just measure satisfaction—it connects our people directly with client outcomes and supports their development.”
David Ward, Chief Operating Officer
A 40% response rate over three years demonstrates that clients love to be heard about such an important service and benefit from improved client experience and services. Clients have given over 4,000 pieces of overwhelmingly positive feedback and countless testimonials. Significant improvements in experience scores across the board delight clients who respond with increased loyalty.
Having established a base metric of client experience the executive have managed the increase in client NPS from monthly surveys to an outstanding score of 80. The firm's launch of a team-based Client Service Awards program has contributed to this NPS increase.
Senior lawyers have improved their NPS scores, gained confidence in each other and confidently cross-sold.
Learned what matters most to clients and the people or soft skills needed to improve the client experience. They have benefited from increased recognition and engagement.
Increased access to positive feedback about individual lawyers to use in recognition programs. Launched an employee net promoter experience program to complement the Client Experience Program.
Gained brand clarity, a point of difference, and social proof of service excellence through LinkedIn tools and a block chain based digital credential trustmarks for outstanding lawyers and the firm as a whole.
“Client experience and team engagement are not separate challenges. There are powerful synergies between client experience and team engagement. Firms that create systems to connect these elements can generate sustainable competitive advantage through a virtuous cycle of improvement and recognition.”
Greg Tilse, Managing Director, Client Culture.
Client insights began driving immediate team development as feedback flowed directly to the professionals serving clients along with support teams. This real-time insight helped teams understand their impact and adjust their approach based on client perspectives. As teams learned directly from client experiences, best practices emerged and were shared rapidly across the firm.
Recognition became a natural extension of client feedback. Client praise was broadcast across offices through large screens in breakout areas, making excellence visible to everyone. Regular service excellence awards, powered by client feedback, created a culture of celebration. This steady stream of recognition energised teams, driving them to deliver even better client experiences.
The results demonstrated the power of this integrated approach. Teams became more confident and innovative in their client service as they received regular validation of their impact. Client satisfaction increased as they experienced more consistent service excellence. The positive culture attracted and retained talent, creating stability that clients valued. Each element reinforced the others, creating sustainable improvement.
