Clients (Customers) are at the heart of any business. Every business needs to manage customer relations effectively. In fact, it’s said that the ‘Customer is King’ but what happens when the King begins to rule your kingdom other than his own?
We have all faced demanding clients at some point or the other in our businesses. Most of these clients suffer from anxiety of paying their money to someone and expecting not only getting things done but also yielding value for their money. When we pay to someone for their services, we tend to behave the same way at times, right?
How does one effectively manage customer relations?
1. Be Realistic – This goes back and applies to the stage when you are in preliminary talks with a prospective client. The promises that you make in this phase set the groundwork of his expectations in future. If you have the tendency to over promise or show a glorious picture of results in order to bag the client, this may make your client more anxious during his engagement with you. 2. Communicate clearly at all times of the project. Lack of communication from your side can make your client think and assume a million things. So, why allow any sort of mistrust to creep in when things can be kept smooth with just a few minutes of communication? We are all pressed for time with several client accounts running at the same time however sparing a few minutes to each of those accounts to keep them updated of what’s going on and how their moneys’ worth is being yielded, puts your anxious clients at peace. 3. Set Expectations – While Clients are precious to all of us, there still needs to be a definition of expectations and that too set in the beginning(not after you bill the client!). We all have limited time and it needs to be distributed equally amongst all clients whom we service and service to the best of our abilities. If clients make an unreasonable demand of your time by setting unrealistic expectations, you have a right to negotiate and even say No to processes that may be a burden to you. 4. Show Results – Nothing makes a Client as comfortable as seeing actual results for his business. Once he begins to see results from your side, it’s a strong indicator that he’s in safe hands and he can now leave things to you. So, if a client is really anxious relative to others, try putting him in a comfortable spot as soon as you can! We have listed out the tenets of effectively managing customer relations. If you found the article useful, do share it around. Best Wishes Nidhi Cofounder, SEO Company Bangalore - RankHigher.in
