Customer service is more important than ever! It's the key to keeping your clients coming back, to getting new clients through grassroots marketing, and to making sure your business is running smoothly. But with all the supply chain issues, shipping delays, and problems with products when they do arrive, keeping your clients happy is tough. So here are 4 ways to ensure that your clients can have the best experience working with you - and if you think gift giving is part of it, think again!

1. Start Smart

How you onboard your clients is CRITICAL. This is when you set the tone for the entire project. The more information you can give your clients at this point, the better they will understand how things are going to move forward. And that means that you'll have more buy-in AND your clients will have more patience. You need to tell them what delays they can expect, how your process works, and what your general timeline looks like. If you leave out information or don't fill them in on everything they can expect, that can lead to trust issues and to frustration on their part later. It doesn't have to be a session of doom-and-gloom! You just want to be honest and straightforward.

2. Communication Is Everything

How often have you seen me write about communication. Yep - it is truly everything that is right and wrong about our businesses. We need to hold ourselves accountable to communicating with our clients on a regular basis. We need to tell them when things go wrong and what we're doing about it. We should celebrate that fun moments in a project with them. And we HAVE to keep them informed on the timeline. Again, when there is no information, people will always fill in that gap with their own ideas of what might be happening. And that is not good. Your client should NEVER have to ask you about something. They'll enjoy the process SO much more if you keep them up to date and informed.

3. Send Thank You Notes

A handwritten note means SO MUCH these days. More than a gift in most cases!! Tell your clients how much you appreciate them and how much you've enjoyed working with them. And don't wait until the END of the project! Notes like that can go out when you're reached a milestone in the project, when it's a special occasion for the client, or even "just because." 

4. Treat Their Home Like Your Own

This seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes we forget about the fact that our "project" is actually someone's home. Be sure subs ALWAYS wear booties and clean up everything at the end of the day. Only use movers that offer white-glove service. Send THEM photos before you post them on social media. That one may make you pause for a second, but think about it. They want to see the progress and excitement before you show it to the world. Wouldn't you feel weird if you saw your new kitchen counters on someone's social account before YOU even saw them? Consider your client and their feelings every single step of the way.

To help you keep the spotlight on your client, I have a NEW Client Communication package that you are going to love! It includes an onboarding document for clients, email templates for EVERY type of message you may need to send, and fantastic mood board templates. It's everything you need to stay on top of your clients' experience with your firm! Click through the image below to learn more!

xoxo,

Kathleen