You may be the very best at client care, but if your team isn't on the same page then it won't matter one bit! Every single person associated with your business needs to be on point when it comes to taking care of your clients, but HOW do you make sure that happens?! It's all about setting expectations and giving them the training they need! Here are 4 tips that will definitely help!

1. Highlight Your Vision

One of the best ways to set expectations and to be sure everyone understands the goal is to highlight your vision and your brand. Everyone who works with you really needs to understand HOW important the clients are and how you want to serve them. First you want to onboard your employees with an overview of what your brand means and how you want your clients to be treated. They should REALLY understand those client touchpoints and what the steps are for each one. This is when you HAVE to have your systems and processes in place and spelled out. But you can't stop there!! Even subs and part-time employees need to understand your vision for customer service! If they are in front of your clients at ANY time and they are representing YOU, then you need to be sure they really get your system of customer care. 

2. Talk About Empathy and Patience

Sometimes it's hard for your team members to put themselves in your clients' shoes. Especially because your staff is usually young and doesn't have the disposable income of your clients. So you want to humanize your clients and make everything relatable. Remind your team that EVERYONE wants a lovely home and that there can be a lot of emotions that come out during the design process. It makes sense when people are in and out of a client's personal spaces AND those clients are investing a lot of money to have a great experience. So having patience when things go wrong is really KEY to providing the best customer service!! 

3. Emphasize Communication

You know how much I believe in clear and frequent communication!! It is really the core of great customer service! So you need to have fabulous systems in place that spell out HOW you want your team to communicate with the clients. But - and this is SOOO important - you also have to have a process for communicating with your staff!! They need to understand what's going on with each client and their projects, how you want to deal with any issues, and they need to know that they have YOUR support! If you aren't communicating with your staff, how in the world can you expect them to be confident enough to properly represent you in front of a client??

4. Keep Them Motivated

It is very hard to stay upbeat and excited in front of clients if you're feeling demoralized or micromanaged. Keeping your team motivated and excited about the work they do is CENTRAL to strong and effective customer service!! Empower your team to make decisions, and give them the tools they need to do their job well. But you should also find ways to show your appreciation and to tell them how important they are to your company!! Be sure they know that you couldn't do it without them!

We ALLL know that team work makes the dream work, and this is one time when your team really needs to work as a unit! But I also know how hard it can be to keep things rolling all at the same time. That's EXACTLY why I started by Design Project Blueprint - it helps keep things running smoothly and help you make the most of your time. It also BOOSTS teamwork! Click here to learn more! 

For tips on customer service and all things design, you can binge watch on YouTube: