Don’t forget the simple things

It doesn’t matter how great your business is, if the impression you leave with clients is that you’re too busy being great to pay attention to things like good service.

Clients who are spending money with you will want to feel like they are valued and that their business and commitment to you are worth something. If you can’t fulfil that part of the covenant between you, you may find clients migrating elsewhere.

And it usually starts with the simple things – which, despite their being ‘simple’ can often prove the most difficult to consistently get right. They can often appear to have an inverse relationship between their importance to your client and apparent simplicity.

Take for instance something as simple as picking up the phone. When clients ring you, do they get through to you directly with a minimum of hassle or delay? Or are they required to leave messages with an obviously generic answering service? Remember, your clients are paying for YOU and not your answering service.

If you have a personal secretary or a general receptionist who answer your calls, there is a lot they can do to create the impression of a highly responsive service which appreciates each client’s business. But they need to make the effort to create that impression and then deliver on your behalf – and follow things up if you can’t.

They should demonstrate that they understand and appreciate that the call is important to your client and reassure them that they will do their best to get the message to you as quickly as possible. It may even be that with a little more effort they can try to resolve the matter or issue themselves, if it is appropriate or if they are sufficiently prepared or empowered to do so.

Often, even just the appearance or impression that real effort will be expended in a proactive manner to address your client’s call or enquiry can be enough to satisfy their desire for immediate action or a response. It is not always going to be possible for your clients to get through to you immediately every time they call, and most clients will appreciate this.

But you need to strike a balance that will allow you to be approachable and responsive and that will mean that you will have to take some calls immediately every now and again. Preparing and empowering your support staff to act decisively and capably on your behalf can offset some of your unavailability, but it still isn’t a long-term substitute for your personal involvement in managing your clients’ needs and expectations.

If you’d like to discuss some strategies for improving your quality of service please contact Marie

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