It is not enough for a company to offer acceptable customer service capabilities when addressing client inquiries, complaints or concerns. Rather, a company must have in place a client relationship management team, even if it starts off as a team of one that leverages the resources inside the rest of the office. The team should work pro-actively to implement best practices throughout the client experience for high levels of satisfaction with the brand that can translate to a loyal client base.
Without a continual effort to improve or enhance the client experience a company could easily lose profits to a more client-centred competitor. The individuals making the purchases are the bread and butter of any business. Therefore, it is important to ensure clients are pleased with their interactions with the company, and that members of your organization are constantly collecting feedback to make these experiences even better so clients have no reason to take their business elsewhere.
The way a business creates and modifies its client experience can be a strong differentiator to help set a company apart from competitors. For entrepreneurs this is very important, as burgeoning companies struggle to stand out while operating on limited budgets, overworked staff and juggling the obstacles associated with a new market presence. Making sure your client experience managers are a step ahead of the client is a cost-efficient means of gaining a competitive edge while continually improving the business life cycle from start to finish.
4 Core Competencies
The Temkin Group market research and consulting firm released a research report outlining four client experience competencies that organizations must build and sustain to help support long-term success. In mastering these four competencies, businesses can gain a competitive edge in the market, helping a young firm surge forward in an uncertain marketplace.
1. Purposeful leadership: Businesses should operate consistently throughout a sales lifecycle with a clear set of values all employees understand and deploy.
2. Employee engagement: Entrepreneurs should align employees with the goals of the organization, providing resources to help implement them in all practices.
3. Compelling brand values: Employees should deliver on brand promises to clients, ensuring they do not let them down or fail to meet expectations which can drive down the overall experience.
4. Customer connectedness: Business leaders should infuse client insight across the organization, collecting feedback to make improvements and anticipate needs before complaints are made.
It is important to consider these core competencies as you reflect on your existing client relationship management strategy. Don’t fall behind on client experience enhancements, as major improvements and best practices can jump-start a new business into the market. Does your client experience reflect the commitment of your business to superior service?
