New customer service survey shows gulf between law firm belief and customer experience

 

 

A new report by Moneypenny, the leading customer conversations company, shows that across every form of contact, law firms scored themselves significantly higher for customer service than customers do.

 

 

How different business communication channels meet customer expectations:

The research was conducted among 200 law firms and 5000 consumers to understand the gap between business and customer perceptions.

The One-Shot Economy

The survey showed that 70% of consumers say they're likely to choose the business that responds first.  It also showed that 76% of law firms believe a customer will try a company again if they don’t receive a response to an enquiry, yet only 23% of consumers say they would keep trying, while around 1 in 5 or more would stop trying or go elsewhere.

Speed of response, professionalism, and human reassurance beats personalisation

When asked what matters most on first contact, both law firms and consumers rated clarity, professionalism and speed of response as important, but there was a big perception gap in the importance of personalisation, with 83% of law firms rating it as important, compared with only 68% of consumers saying this.

 After hours advantage

The survey showed that 39% of consumers say support between 9am and 5pm would best meet their needs, while 26% would prefer early evening support between 5pm and 9pm.

The survey also showed that out-of-hours availability makes customers more likely to feel reassured (35%), complete an enquiry or purchase (27%) and choose or stick with a business (25%).

Most law firms surveyed cite staffing and cost as the reason they can't extend cover, as the top barriers to offering out-of-hours support were:

• Staffing or resourcing: 49%
• Cost or affordability: 49%
• Technology limitations: 29%
• Customer demand doesn’t justify it: 22%

The report also highlights a broader experience challenge, with 1 in 10 consumers unable to recall a single memorable customer service experience, reinforcing how difficult it has become for brands to stand out.

Jesper With-Fogstrup, Group Chief Executive Officer for Moneypenny, commented: “Many businesses believe they’re delivering a high standard of service, yet clients are telling a different story. In today’s on-demand world, where clients are driven by speed and convenience, responsiveness and real-time communication are no longer a ‘nice to have’ - they are fundamental to winning trust, securing appointments and driving growth. Those that fail to respond quickly risk losing clients before the conversation has even begun.”

Notes:

The survey was conducted online by Censuswide, on behalf of Moneypenny, among 200 SME law firm decision-makers and 5,001 UK consumers in January 2026.

Moneypenny is the leading customer conversations partner to businesses across the UK and US, blending exceptional people with proprietary AI technology to deliver trusted caller experiences at scale. With an award-winning culture and more than 25 years’ experience handling over 180 million conversations, Moneypenny understands where automation adds value and when only a real person will deliver the empathy, judgement and trust that define reputation.

Supporting tens of thousands of clients around the clock and managing more than 40,000 conversations every day, Moneypenny goes beyond answering to fulfil caller needs, ensuring every customer contact is handled brilliantly - helping organisations respond consistently, protect their customer relationships and grow with confidence.

Founded in 2000 in Wrexham, North Wales, Moneypenny has grown from small start-up into a transatlantic team of over 1,000 colleagues across the UK and US.