Looking at our annual customer surveys that have rolled in so far, I notice a common theme: clients associate good communication with good service. They value availability, responsiveness and consistency. Yet, many of us overlook, or simply under-use, our communication tools. I’ve definitely learned lessons in this area, so I’ll share some thoughts.
AVAILABILITY
Your customers are happy and there are no problems, but still, you need to keep in touch. I don’t mean lengthy phone calls or multiple emails, just quick reminders that you are available. Develop and prioritize a call schedule for this purpose. Be sensitive to your clients time, letting them know you only wanted to “touch base”. It’s surprising to hear clients thank us for the call and appreciate our ‘pestering’, when we thought the call might be annoying!
RESPONSIVENESS
Speaking of annoying, I’m guessing a big problem in your work day is having your messages go unreturned. If you want to be a person that others want to do business with, don’t pick up this habit. Your clients deserve courtesy and responsiveness.
CONSISTENCY
Newsletters, like this one, created for your clients are a customer service opportunity if there ever was one. Use it to provide needed information to your customers, remind them how to reach you, and most importantly, stick to a consistent schedule. Whether you decide on a glossy, 4 color, multi-page masterpiece to go out quarterly or a simple email delivered bi-weekly, don’t miss your own deadlines.
AWARENESS
The best thing you can do to serve your customers is to help them. And sending referrals to grow their business does just that. Stay in tune with what your clients are up to. If you read an article that you think would be of interest to them, send it on. If you see them featured in the paper, why not clip it out and send it with a note. The fact is, you will provide better service when you pay attention to your client’s world, and they know it.
One last thing, these approaches to communication should be consistent across the entire company in order to build a solid reputation for great customer service.
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"I have never been so pleased to work with a group of
people. You all 
