Eddie Ross – CEO of QualitySolicitors – discusses the organisation, its evolution and what it stands for today.
QS has been on the legal services scene for a few years now and at the time of its launch was controversial to say the least. Looking back at the press articles that were around back then it never fails to surprise me just how many people had an opinion on QS - some advocates, some intrigued spectators and some very vocal critics. Now that QS has been around for some time, and further new entrants have come into the market promising to offer things better, faster and more efficient than traditional high street law firms, I believe the support that our business offers its members is more relevant than ever.
I will admit that the QS which exists today has certainly evolved from the perhaps slightly noisy, bold-spirited new kid that arrived on the block back in 2010. We’ve certainly been on a journey alongside our network of firms – we’ve trialled new things which were previously unheard of for our industry and yes they’ve not always been successful - but the spirit of QS and its ethos towards the customers it serves has never changed. In a fragmented marketplace, where deciding which solicitor to choose is difficult due to the undifferentiated nature of local firms, our QS firms make no apologies for trying to stand out and offer customers a better way of working with a solicitor.
Something which definitely has changed over the last few years is the benefits that we offer our firms. It quickly became clear that simply passing volumes of leads through to firms via high profile TV campaigns is simply not enough. We now offer a framework from which they can not only convert the leads we provide but also make their businesses more effective overall and fit for the future and the challenges it may present.
Our firms can tap into expert compliance support, dedicated training on handling new business, local marketing support and cutting edge technology which we law firms of their size could not achieve on their own. New websites, innovative legal products and procurement savings are also just some of the ways we help.
Our desire to build a well-known, national brand has not changed but we are doing that on a strong foundation of knowing what it is that makes QS firms different rather than being famous for famous sake. Through our extensive research we understand who our customer is and most importantly what it is they want from a high street solicitor. Taking the time to understand this means that our firms are able to offer a service which is much more relevant to today’s customer. We are very clear that the QS brand is all about what the customer experiences at each of our member firms.
We have recently had our annual conference, where QS firms from across the UK get together for two days to hear from experts, network and share their experiences. Looking around the room on the last day of our conference gave a great deal of pride. The firms which choose to be part of the QS network are different – they acknowledge that change in the industry is inevitable and they have strategies in place to embrace it, creating opportunity, so ensuring that they will be on their local high street long into the future.
