While there are a number of client service
programs on the market today, there are a few elements that form the
basis for any type that is effective. One of the most important keys is
providing the client with people who know the account well and are able
to be of assistance whenever needed. This means looking beyond the data
that is gathered during the sale cycle. Client servicing dictates that
the vendor develop a working knowledge of the goals of the customer, the
conditions that the client works within, and what expectations must be
met in order to keep the client.
Companies with a high
customer retention rate know the value of client servicing. Essentially,
this is the process of creating and maintaining a strong working
rapport with each customer. Often referred to as customer care, it is
about understanding the needs and desires of the customer, and moving to
meet those needs in a proactive manner.
Many companies
make the mistake of securing a new customer, then never allow the sales
contact to introduce other support personnel to the new client. Often
referred to as a hand off, this allows the customer to be incrementally
migrated from relying on the sales contact and begin to develop a
relationship with customer care professionals. The idea is to help the
new client understand that he or she has a support team that is in place
for the long haul.
Customer satisfaction and Client servicing is important because it provides marketers and business owners with a metric that they can use to manage and improve their businesses.
In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 71 percent
responded that they found a customer satisfaction metric very useful in
managing and monitoring their businesses.
Here are the top six reasons why customer satisfaction is so important:
- It’s a leading indicator of consumer repurchase intentions and loyalty
- It’s a point of differentiation
- It reduces customer churn
- It increases customer lifetime value
- It reduces negative word of mouth
- It’s cheaper to retain customers than acquire new ones
Quality efforts in client servicing involve maintaining regular
contact with the customer. Often, vendors choose to schedule these
contacts to suit their own goals, rather than consider the needs of the
customer. Simply put, it does not matter if the vendor likes to speak
with each customer once a week — if a client finds this approach to be
invasive and inconvenient, he or she will shortly look for a new vendor.
Smart companies understand the service part of the relationship, and
structure regular contacts with the customer that work well with the
customer’s culture. Often, the contacts may be phone calls, site visits,
or emails, depending on the desires of the customer.
Ideally, this process is all about listening to the customer, getting to
know the client, and genuinely seeking to be there for the customer in
every possible manner. Generally, this approach builds a strong
relationship that withstands provocative offers from competitors,
creates opportunities for upselling, and also leads to excellent word of
mouth for the vendor.
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