When a business is proactive, it reduces the number of potential problems clients may experience. When clients have a seamless experience that makes them happy, they brag about their experience. Being proactive is the first step you should take in creating a great customer service experience for your clients. Here are 4 brilliant (and easy!) ways that you can be proactive and improve your relationship with your clients.
Create a Policies and Procedures Manual
The purpose of a policies and procedures manual is to ensure that your clients are treated equally. It also helps by explaining to your employees how the business operates. It helps employees inform clients how certain aspects of the business are handled and reduces the likelihood that they’ll say, “That’s just the way it’s done here.” Very few things upset a client more than not getting a clear answer when they have a problem. Your policies and procedures should be:
- Clear
- Easy to understand
- A guide to solving the most common potential client problems (as well as outlining how employees handle their tasks)
Follow-Up with Each and Every Client After Their Appointment
Follow-up shouldn’t be saved for when your best clients experience a problem with your business. Follow-up is an integral part of being proactive. You should follow-up the day after a client has an appointment with you. You can do this by phone or by email. You could start first by calling and then sending an email if you were unable to get the client on the phone. The purpose of this contact is to find out if the client has any questions or concerns.
You should also reach out to active clients every so often to touch base. This keeps you at the top of their mind and keeps the relationship fresh. Clients appreciate it when a business shows that they care.
Explain Your Late Fee Policy in Advance
No one likes surprises. When you onboard a new client, make sure that they understand your late fee policy. This includes, but may not be limited to, whether there is a grace period, the amount of the late fee, and whether it compounds. You should also have a late fee plan to protect relationships with long-term clients who don’t have a history of late payments. Explaining late fees and exceptions can help stop a problem before it starts. That is the essence of being proactive.
Create a Feedback Survey for Your Clients
You can think about the various problems that clients may encounter (and you should!), but nothing beats going straight to the source. Create a feedback survey for your clients. The feedback survey can be anonymous or it can have optional fields for contact information. Optional fields for contact information can be important when clients really do have an issue that they want you to solve. You should do more than ask “On a scale of one to ten, ten being the best, what do you think about X service?” You should also ask open ended questions that give clients the opportunity to speak for themselves. This can teach you quite a bit about your clients wants and needs.
Clients ARM – Helping Businesses Get More Done
Clients ARM partners with businesses of any size to help them get more done. From drafting policies and procedures to helping with client care and collections, we have remote services that fulfill many of your business needs at a fraction of the cost of hiring a traditional employee. With more than 30 years of experience, Clients ARM provides expert service for you and your clients. To learn more about how we can help, schedule your free consultation.
