Once you land your client, how do you go about serving them? How often do you speak to them? Who speaks to them? How do questions, complaints, etc. get handled?
I suspect most of you do not have a customer service and/or a sales department to manage all of your clients. It's probably you or a trusted employee. Doesn't really matter, the goal should be the same — manage your client's expectations by doing what you say your going to do, when you say you will do it and always with the idea of under-promising and over-delivering. Tell them who they will be talking to and why, but never more than 2 people from your business. The credo should be the cliche: "the customer is ALWAYS right." If there is a conflict or complaint it should be addressed immediately, directly and professionally and, with rare exception, in your client's favor.
Your business process will probably not be linear, things might take less or more time than you think, they might cost more or less, and some things you thought might be possible turn out not to be and vice-versa. The art is to keep your client apprised of all things that are happening with regard to your work for them without going too far or not far enough. My rule of thumb is that if you think a client might have to make an assumption about what you are up to, then time to communicate where you are directly. And, by directly, I mean, in the way that they want to hear from you. Me, I'm old school. I like the telephone, and face-to-face is even better. But, for many people (President Obama included), texting is it.
In the end, the implied covenant that you made when you took on your client is what is most important — that you will serve them well and do good work for them. If you let communication slip, you break your word because now they are left wondering where they stand with you. Personal touches are lovely — notes, gifts, etc., but they will not rescue you if you fail to keep the lines of communication open.
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Aaah, the lost art of customer service. Thank you for writing this post and sharing your thoughts on the subject. At the risk of sounding persnickety or ‘old school’, I’m constantly amazed by the lack of basic fundamentals I experience from professionals who service my business. But I’ve also experienced some incredible customer service advocates as well…and boy do they leave an impression.
In addition to your very comprehensive list, there are 3 things that I aim for every time I work with a client:
1. Discuss with your client what their ‘key drivers’ are and make sure you overdeliver on them. Everyone has goals and aspirations. Find out what your customer’s are and help them achieve them. It’s not only about the fundamentals of the event. Sometimes it’s about looking great in front of their boss or their customer. Understanding what drives your customer and helping them achieve those things are fundamentals to good service.
2. Understand the importance of breaking bread. Sure, we know that everyone wants to do business with who they like, but people choose to also continue to do business with people they know and like. There’s nothing more powerful than building a relationship with your client outside of the event. Take them out to brunch, lunch, dinner, drinks – anywhere you can get them outside of the office and get to know them.
3. Have a post-event wrap-up with your client. For some reason, a lot of people think that when the project is done, the project is done. Customer service is about building a long lasting partnership. Hold a meeting after the event with all key stakeholders and find out what met expectations, what exceded expectations (and in some cases, what didn’t). But don’t just stop there. Work with your team to develop a plan to overcome these challenges or ensure these successes for future events. This is not only of great value to your customer but to your business.
In the best of times, customer service is paramount. And in a recession, holding on to your customers is even more important. This is a customer market – your competitors are all hungry for their business. Service is what will help you retain them.
Thanks again for writing this post!
Lara —
Thank you for your additional thoughts — all very valuable as everyone develops their customer service program. And, you are right, these days customer service matters more than ever.
Sean
Great reminder to keep in contact!