Creating a Seamless Client Experience
B2B client expectations began to shift well before the pandemic as executives reviewing 6 and 7 figure proposals started embracing some typical B2C habits. B2B buyers are expecting consultants, vendors, and other high-ticket bidders to deliver more than just a service, but to give into an “experiential economy”, to deliver an experience.
After all, all businesses are in the business of people. B2B buyers are just as capable of having buyer’s remorse over a late-night online shopping escapade as they are to have buyer’s remorse after signing your contract. Not only are expectations higher now, trust levels are at an all time low. This puts enormous pressure on creating a seamless client experience from sales to service delivery to project close.
Happy clients are more likely to become repeat customers and recommend your business to others. But how do you create a client experience that truly wows?
Start With Understanding Your Client
The most influential factor in any process in your business is having a strong understanding of your Voice Of the Customer (VOC). This comes up in any process improvement and productivity conversation because it sets the tone for what your clients expect from you and your service. We typically build out buyer’s personas and then leave all this valuable knowledge in our sales brain and fail to carry it over to our operations.
Flushing out your VOC will help you best align with your clients’ needs and expectations, positioning yourself to be their go-to, default source of value for whatever problem you solve.
Streamline Communication and Service Delivery
A common complaint from many B2B buyers is a lack of or poor communication from their consultants and vendors. From the initial contact to post-sale follow-up, clear and timely communication helps build trust and sets the tone for a positive experience. Your clients should never wonder what’s next, if they need to provide anything, or what the progress of their project is. It’s on you as the industry-leading consultant to provide clear and concise information that guides them through your experience for them.
If you’ve clearly built out your SOPs for all your service offerings, then it’s easy to understand where in projects communication makes the most sense. By default, always over communicate and wait for the client to say they need less communication from you. If you haven't solidified your SOP’s, then start by mapping out how you deliver each service and what the ideal workflow is. From there you can plug in your communication points, figure out what tasks to automate, and understand potential roadblocks or pitfalls to plan for.
Going Above and Beyond
To truly stand out from the competition and create an exceptional client experience, it's important to go above and beyond for your clients. This can take many forms, from personalized attention to unexpected extras that surprise and delight your clients. This is where the cliche of under promising and over delivering can hold value, as long as you’ve appropriately created boundaries for scope creep. Going above and beyond can be as simple as aiming to provide value in each conversation or as thoughtful as personalized gifts that speak to your client.
For example, a previous client of mine had a certain lumberjack-esque aesthetic and an appreciation for the off-the-grid lifestyle. I sent him a mini ax with a note that said “Looking forward to cutting down on inefficiencies with you.” He got a kick out of it and hung it up in his office. By investing in your clients and making them feel valued, you can create a level of trust and loyalty that is hard to come by in today's market.
Measuring and Improving Success
No matter how much work you put into your Client Experience Strategy and Processes, you cannot confirm its amazingness without client validation. This is an area where internal confidence is not enough and we must have external approval. You should regularly be checking in with clients to understand their satisfaction levels and any potential challenges they are experiencing. It also helps to have internal Team Feedback Meetings to hear your team’s perspective on what may or may not be working well.
Monitoring client experience helps you stay on top of potential issues before they become major problems. Once you have collected feedback, it's important to use the insights gained to make ongoing improvements and optimize the client experience. This might include adjusting processes, refining messaging, or introducing new products or services. By taking a data-driven approach to improving the client experience, you can create a culture of continuous improvement and keep your business at the forefront of customer satisfaction.
Start Wow-ing Your Clients
A seamless client experience requires effort and dedication, but the payoff is worth it. By streamlining communication and processes, going above and beyond, and measuring client satisfaction, you can differentiate your business from the competition and build a loyal following. We encourage you to take a close look at your current client experience and identify areas for improvement. And if you're ready to take the next step, we invite you to schedule a Possibilities Chat with our team. Let's work together to create a client experience that sets your business apart.