Losing a client can be devastating for a small business. It’s much easier (and less expensive) to continue to sell your services to existing clients than it is to acquire new ones. While client acquisition is a necessary part of business, it’s also expensive. So, you also need a retention strategy to keep clients that are unhappy. To help you, we’ve put together some essential retention strategy methods.
Reduce the Likelihood of Problems Before They Happen
Proactive business practices are actions you can take to minimize the likelihood that clients will experience problems. This starts with one basic concept: you having a clear understanding of what your clients expect out of your business. Also, it’s important that you understand the best practices in your industry. Although following best practices isn’t a requirement to be in business, it can help you give clients the experience that they want.
Once you understand what clients want and need from you, you can examine your business practices and determine where clients are most likely to experience an issue. Then, you can write a policies and procedures guide on how those problems should be handled. You can also put policies into place to help avoid having problems with clients.
Follow-up with Clients
After you meet with a client or provide them with the service they need, follow-up with them. Make sure that the experience was what they expected. Ask how you can improve as a business. When follow-up happens the day after an appointment or delivery, clients feel appreciated. They also have the opportunity to ask questions or express their feelings. You get the ability to solve a small problem before it turns into a big one.
Create an Open Door Policy for Clients
When clients are upset, they want to talk to you. They don’t want to talk to sales reps. They don’t necessarily want to talk to a billing clerk or a customer service rep. They want to talk to the person they believe will hear them out and fix the issue. Make sure that your clients know you have an open door policy when they have a grievance. Sometimes, just taking the time to really listen to what’s being said and empathizing with how they feel can make a world of difference.
Give Employees Power to Solve Common Problems
If you have account managers, billing professionals, customer service reps, or any other employee who has a lot of contact with clients, make sure that they have the power to solve common problems. They shouldn’t have to tell every client that they need to call them back or that there’s nothing they can do. Make sure that your employees are empowered. This helps clients achieve one-call resolution. The easier it is for clients to have their problems solved, the more likely it is that they will stay with your company.
Clients ARM – Helping You Make Clients Happy
Clients ARM has more than 30 years of experience handling customer service, client retention, policies and procedure writing, accounts receivable management, and more. Our services are provided remotely from a United States location. To learn how we can help you, schedule your free consultation!
