Responsiveness in transfer pricing, tax and legal advice: what standards do you set?

I find this a fascinating subject.

When I’m a consumer of services, responsiveness is really important to me. So if I send an email asking for help with something, I want:

* a prompt (i.e. same-day) acknowledgement of my query

* a clear ETA for the relevant deliverables

* the deliverables to be actually delivered within that ETA (or advance warning that it's not going to be possible)

I don’t need superhuman efforts or out-of-hours texts. I don’t want to be hounded or overloaded. I just need basic responsiveness, so I can relax in the knowledge that my problem will be fixed within a suitable timeframe.

Some service providers are great at this (and this is how we try to be at LCN Legal). Some seem to be terrible. Clueless. Lethargic. Seemingly uncaring.

How could this happen?

I suppose it means the leaders and managers within the organisation have not set clear expectations for responsiveness. Or maybe the relevant teams are overloaded and stressed. So I would be very interested to hear about your approach.

Do you have:

* Specific internal standards or expectations for responsiveness?

* An external promise for responsiveness?

* Other ways to communicate your culture as regards responsiveness and client service?