![]() When you have a full (or overfull) client roster, a brain that can only hold so much info, a life to live, and you don’t want to work around the clock, something has got to give. ![]() (This is a big reason I encourage my clients to limit how many clients they have at any given time.) I actually think the bigger issue is the limited capacity we have for keeping track of everything, making decisions, and communicating on a day-to-day basis. We often think of client service challenges as being the result of needing more time. You have limited resources as a business owner, and your capacity is limited. So before we talk about specific systems to have in place to deal with your client service, I want to acknowledge that you’re human. It feels like crap, even when I think about it years later. It’s happened to me, and frankly, it’s embarrassing. It’s Not a Time Management Issue It’s a Capacity Issueīy now, you’re probably thinking of a cringe client situation where you dropped the ball. I can point to multiple client examples whereby building that relationship and providing great service we could 2x or 3x the size of the original monthly retainer. Investing in our client experience is good for business as conventional wisdom is that it costs between five and 25 times more to find a new customer than to keep an existing one.īy being proactive with our customer service, we can retain our clients, expand our relationships, and have them happily refer us.Īs someone who tends to have long-standing retainer client relationships, focusing on client service has always been my number one priority and my best growth strategy. 17% of customers will walk away after one bad experience and 59% after several bad experiences.Īs micro businesses, we can prevent these types of experiences from ever happening. All of these, especially if they add up over time, can lead to the end of a client relationship.Ī customer experience study from consulting firm PWC found that in the U.S. This may be the quality of work slipping, a lack of professionalism, or poor communication. Where things got away from you and things went sour. What I’m not talking about is a client who has turned into the client from hell, but rather one where you didn’t have the skills or systems in place, and chaos reigned supreme. It feels bad when you’re on the receiving end, and it can lead to losing trust or even not doing business with that company again. Think about the last time you had a bad customer service experience. How we manage them can make or break our business. All of which require skills, systems, and, ultimately, our brain power.Īnd all of those parts? Whether we started a business knowing how to do them or not, they’re critical to our business and our success. In my case, I’ve been building them for over 20 years, so I’ve got the benefit of a lot of trial and error.įrom payments to communications to project management and everything in between, there are many moving parts with client services. We don’t think of these as skills, but they really are. ![]() ![]() ![]() You may do creative or consulting work or have worked in an agency or a non-profit, but it doesn’t automatically mean you have the countless skills required to serve clients. When you started your service business, if you’re like most people, it’s because you had a specific set of skills and experiences. ![]()
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