Seasoned Marketer: 5 Do’s and Dont’s for Exceptional Client Experience
Client experience is at the heart of any successful business. How your clients perceive your brand, products and services directly impacts their satisfaction and loyalty. To ensure you’re delivering an exceptional client experience, consider these five dos and don’ts.
DO’S
- Listen Actively:
Do: Pay close attention to your clients’ feedback, needs and concerns. Actively listen to what they’re saying, whether it’s in-person, through surveys or on social media.
Why: This helps you understand their expectations and tailor your services to meet their specific requirements. According to Hubspot, listening to customers is about connecting with them. It involves paying close attention to their needs and understanding how you can help them achieve their goals.
- Personalize Interactions:
Do: Make an effort to know your clients on a personal level. Use their names, remember their preferences and offer personalized recommendations.
Why: Personalization demonstrates that you value them as individuals and not just as customers, which fosters a strong, lasting connection.
- Prioritize Timely Responses:
Do: Respond to client inquiries and concerns promptly, whether it’s via email, phone or social media. Set clear response time expectations and strive to meet or exceed them.
Why: Timely responses show your commitment to their satisfaction and demonstrate professionalism.
- Communicate Feedback with Team:
Do: Make sure to communicate all feedback good and bad to the partners and other professionals delivering the service.
Why: According to Eric Gregg, CEO and Founder of ClearlyRated, “You don’t have to be perfect with your CX program but the one mistake you can’t overcome is not getting the feedback to the partners and professionals delivering the service. If you get the feedback into the hands of those who can most impact it while also celebrating examples of service excellence, your firm will harness much of the power of a client experience program.”
- Show Appreciation:
Do: Express gratitude for your clients’ loyalty. Offer discounts, exclusive offers or personalized thank-you notes as tokens of appreciation.
Why: Clients who feel appreciated are more likely to remain loyal and recommend your business to others.
DON’TS
- Neglect Feedback:
Don’t: Ignore or dismiss client feedback, especially if it’s negative. Avoid being defensive or confrontational.
Why: Negative feedback is an opportunity to improve and enhance the client experience. Embrace it constructively. In fact, the “Service Recovery Paradox” (or SRP) is a behavioral model that suggests you can win more loyalty from your clients after they’ve experienced a service failure with your firm. Click here for more on this SRP.
- Standardized Communication:
Don’t: Use a one-size-fits-all approach to communication. Avoid generic, automated responses that make clients feel like just another number.
Why: Personalized and humanized communication builds trust and rapport.
- Overpromise and Underdeliver:
Don’t: Make extravagant promises that your business cannot fulfill. Avoid setting unrealistic expectations.
Why: Clients appreciate honesty and reliability. Setting realistic expectations leads to trust and reliability.
- Micromanage Client Interactions:
Don’t: Hover over client interactions or require employees to seek approval for every client request. Avoid undermining your team’s ability to make quick decisions.
Why: Micromanagement can create delays and erode trust in your team’s capabilities.
- Take Client Loyalty for Granted:
Don’t: Assume that once a client is on board, they’ll remain loyal without effort. Avoid neglecting long-term client relationships.
Why: Continual engagement and effort are required to maintain and strengthen client loyalty.
In today’s competitive business landscape, delivering an outstanding client experience is essential for retaining existing clients and attracting new ones. By following these dos and don’ts, you can create a customer-centric approach that fosters satisfaction and loyalty while also setting your business apart from the competition.
About Rachel Pompeani
Rachel Pompeani is currently the Growth Marketing Manager at ClearyRated, a satisfaction survey program designed for B2B service firms, and has been in this role since July 2021. She has an array of responsibilities at ClearlyRated, including digital marketing, content management, email communication, graphic creation, and more.
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