Is your client servicing making you a winner?

Your ultimate success in business will be determined by the extent to which you are able to keep your customers happy, satisfied and coming back for more. The 7 Commandments for Highly Effective Client Servicing is very often what differentiates the winners from the sloggers in today’s highly competitive business scenario where information on client experience travels fast.

Here are the 7 Commandments that every client servicing executive should follow to deliver exceptional customer service:

  1. Be patient in building new relationships: Relationships take time. Take the time to get to know your clients better, and share a little bit of yourself. Let your client feel comfortable interacting with you. Most importantly, remember that your work for your client is paramount in building a relationship.
  2. Get to know their industry and company: Keep up with your client’s company as well as their industry. You don’t have to be an expert, but this will help you speak the same language as the client, understand what keeps them up at night, and cater your interaction and offerings accordingly.
  3. Listen to the client: Learning to listen well is a key skill that will serve you well in all aspects of your career, especially when it comes to dealing with clients. Effective listening entails making an effort to absorb and understand what is being said and to acknowledge that understanding. Listening to client’s point of view is a requisite in client servicing’s purview. Let the culture of effective listening permeate your organization.
  4. Be genuine: Honesty and sincerity go a long way with the client. Do not pretend you have answers to their every problem if you don’t. Admitting a weakness in your knowledge or process is preferable to defensiveness and outright lies. To be genuine is an effective solution to your clients’ needs and in your commitment to winning their loyalty and maximizing their long-term satisfaction.
  5. Respond promptly: When a client emails you, acknowledge the receipt of the email as quickly as possible, even if you do not have the answer they are looking for. You will give them comfort by simply acknowledging the receipt of their request and by communicating that you’re on it.
  6. Communicate regularly: Regular communication is a key component of effective client servicing. Build your client servicing strategies around a core of vital information sharing and seek to always expand on the flow of information you freely share with your client. Share information to educate clients about the product as well as your company’s history, progress, news and dedication to the customer. Newsletters are a great means to stay top-of-mind and communicate your innovations and key messages to your clients.
  7. Resolve client conflicts in a timely manner: Timely conflict resolution is key to effective client servicing. Don’t allow issues to remain unaddressed. Stand ready to resolve client issues in a prompt, timely and effective manner.

A customer-focused mindset is the key to preserving a loyal client base, the foundation of your business and exemplary client service practices can differentiate you from the competitors and give your business the extra impetus it needs to outshine rivals.