In addition, the reference to completing projects on time
and under budget says more about your bottom line than it does client
service. For example, what happens to
the client who discovers their dream building must have dramatic changes? Or, what happens when you discover that the
client’s dream project needs dramatic changes?
Client service is not about the status quo which is usually how clients
interpret most mission and vision statements.
Developing a specific approach to a client service strategy
requires an intentional commitment from management and buy in from all
staff. It is not unlike the industry’s
quest for improved quality in the late 1980’s and 90’s.
When quality became the point of differentiation between
firms, many jumped on the bandwagon with Crosby’s ,Quality is Free, bestselling
book. This was the foundation for the Total Quality Management process that was
adopted by hundreds of industry firms.
The key to a successful process based upon a zero defects mentality was
not only management’s buy in, but also a commitment not to punish failure. Design defects can occur at many places in
the process. When someone who is working
on a tight deadline sees a problem that will cause the project to miss a
milestone, the person must have the power to blow the whistle. The key outcome was improved communication
between departments and management.
This was the classic top down and bottom up formula for
success.
Developing the Client Experience Strategy requires the same
mindset. I have always been a firm
believer in the idea that a good project becomes great when the client’s
experience is outstanding. The hiccups
that happen with every project and often seem overwhelming at the time fade in
the client’s memory if their experience is outstanding.
The outstanding client experience does not happen by
accident. Although the project is front
and center, the outstanding client experience is about how the people assigned
to the project interact with the client.
Even the person back at the office who never sees the client in the
field has a part to play.
This brings us back to the beginning of the ingredients for
a successful client experience strategy.
Without the unwavering support of senior management, the process will
never work. The problem with the
outstanding client experience is that most people think they know what it is
and what it will take to implement. They don’t. If they did we wouldn’t have to endure the
types of experiences we do today:
Experiences that sometimes lead to court.
Knowing what you don’t know is the best way to explain the
situation for upper management in this area. Management needs to ask themselves what they
know about their client’s experience.
The results of this exercise might be surprising.
Whatever your firm says about the passion for outstanding
client experience, you won’t achieve it, if it is just words in a mission
statement. Don’t believe them when they
say they know everything about outstanding client service. Many firms are held back because they don’t
know what needs to be done.
Maybe we can take a page out of the retail playbook and look
at the companies creating great experiences for their customers. Recently a survey by the National Retail
Foundation and American Express came up with a list of the top 10 companies.
So which companies did they say really put customers first? The
findings, in order:
1. Zappos.com
2. Amazon.com3. LL Bean
4. Overstock.com
5. Land's End
6. JCPenney
7. Kohl's
8. QVC
9. Nordstrom
10. Newegg
Do these firms have anything in common with our
industry? The common thread is
people. Their customers are people and
our clients are people.
While we tend to segment the client experience into a single
category, it is really three. The actual
experience is what we tend to measure, but there is also the emotional
experience and the subconscious experience.
While most firms survey clients to determine the experience
of their most recent project, how often do the questions delve into the
emotional and subconscious areas?
Therefore, at minimum the questions on a client survey need to be
updated.
What are the components of a Client Experience
Strategy? We have presented the first
which is within the leadership of the firm and requires their intentional
commitment. Employee engagement is
next. Since managers won’t be the ones
who deliver the client experience, the engagement of employees is
critical. Improved client experiences
don’t happen by decree. Management can’t
simply tell employees that the client experience will improve. Employees watch actions before they listen to
words.
A Client Experience Committee should be formed that includes
employees from all departments. This is
a way to capture the input of people within the organization who have the
knowledge and information of what the current client experience consists of and
how it could be improved. Just like the
Quality Committees that involved all levels of employees, this committee will
boost morale when word gets out that management is sincerely interested in
their ideas. The rubber hits the road
when their ideas are taken seriously.
Measurement
Like any other process in your business, if you can’t
measure it, you can’t manage it.
Therefore once the employees have been engaged and a strategy is
developed, the results need to be measured.
A key area of the measurement is to link year end reviews and bonuses to
the outcomes.
Client Feedback
Client feedback for the process is essential for a couple of
reasons. First, you want to know whether
it is working. Feedback can determine
whether changes are needed and show which employees need to be engaged. The one thing you don’t want to have happen
is for the feedback to sit on a shelf and not be acted upon. The system alone will not solve any
problems. Clients need to know they are
being heard. Employees need to know they
are being understood. You need to know
there is a return on your investment.
Finally, how do you get started? That is as easy as beginning a conversation. An independent facilitator might be helpful in
starting the process.
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