It doesn’t matter what kind of industry you work in. Whether you run an accounting firm or an online marketing agency, we can all agree that we want our clients to be happy.
Happy clients are loyal clients, and loyal clients help businesses to stay profitable and thrive even when the economy is struggling.
Are you struggling to keep your clients happy? Do you just need some ideas to add to your current approach? Here are 10 great solutions to implement today.
1. Keep in Touch
One of the easiest ways to maintain a good relationship with your clients and keep them happy is to stay in touch with them. Reach out regularly via phone or email to see how they’re doing and find out if there’s anything you can do for them.
Of course, you don’t want to pester your clients (you likely don’t need to call them every week, for example). However, regular check-ins show that you value their business and want to help them achieve their unique goals.
2. Ask for Feedback
In addition to checking in with your clients regularly, make sure you’re also asking for feedback. Take the time to find out what they like about your services and what they think could be improved.
Be open to feedback, both positive and negative, and always thank clients for their time when they deliver it. Even if it doesn’t feel good to receive a comment about something that needs improvement, this information can help you to make your business better in the long run.
3. Provide Value
Do your best to provide value to your clients in a variety of ways. In addition to being helpful and informative during your sessions or meetings, look for other ways to answer their questions and solve their problems.
For example, can you post informative blog posts regularly that address common questions and concerns among your clients? Can you host live Q&A sessions on your social media channels?
It does require more effort from you and your team to generate this kind of content. However, it can pay off in the long run if it leads to more satisfaction and loyalty from your clients.
4. Focus on Continuing Education
If you want to provide value to your clients, you need to make sure you’re prioritizing continuing education.
Take classes, sign up for seminars, and stay in the loop about the latest research in your field. All of these efforts will help you to answer your clients’ questions and share more useful information with them.
Keep in mind, too, that any investments you make in continuing education can be written off when you file your taxes. You have nothing to lose from focusing on expanding your knowledge base, but you have a lot to gain when it comes to making your clients happy.
5. Respond Promptly
When your clients reach out to you, whether it’s by phone or email, make sure you respond as promptly as possible. Ideally, you’ll get back to them within 1 business day, if not sooner. Set yourself apart and have a standard response time of 1-2 hours.
These days, people have short attention spans, and they want to have their questions answered or concerns addressed right away. If they don’t hear back from you soon, your clients may decide to reach out to one of your competitors, and you could potentially lose their business.
6. Send Personalized Messages
Treat your clients as individuals as much as you can. One way you can do this is by keeping track of important dates in their lives and reaching out to them when these special dates arrive.
For example, keep a calendar of your clients’ birthdays and send them a card or personalized email. You can also celebrate other milestones, like the anniversary of the day a client first started working with you, and send them a small gift to thank them for their business.
7. Don’t Overpromise
In general, it’s always better to underpromise and overdeliver than to overpromise and underdeliver.
Remember, unhappy customers will share their experience, on average, with 9-15 people. However, happy customers will share their experience with only 3-4 people, in most cases.
If you overpromise and leave clients feeling disappointed, they will likely lash out and let people know that they are unhappy. This definitely isn’t good for your business’s success and longevity.
8. Be Transparent
In addition to avoiding overpromising, it’s also important to be transparent when you’re trying to keep your clients happy. Set clear expectations and let people know exactly what you can and can’t do for them.
It may be tempting to make big proclamations and promise people the world. At the end of the day, though, your clients will appreciate your honesty and transparency more than you promising something you can’t deliver.
9. Avoid the Bait and Switch
In general, clients like to work with the same person or people who originally pitched them about a specific product or service. Avoid sending out special pitch teams to meet with potential clients.
These people often agree to work with your business because they feel connected to someone from the pitch team. If that person is nowhere to be found when they show up for their next meeting, they may feel that they were tricked.
That’s not a great way to start a professional relationship, is it?
10. Go Above and Beyond
Finally, go above and beyond for your clients. Be proactive, anticipate clients’ needs, and do your best to overdeliver whenever you can.
Remember, your clients can tell when you’re working hard for them and when you’re phoning it in. They’ll respect your willingness to go the extra mile and will be more inclined to stick around as a result.
Get Happier Clients in No Time
As you can see, there are lots of ways you can improve your relationship with your clients to help them feel happier and more positively about your business. Keep these tips in mind so you can level up your approach to customer service and see results sooner.
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