A common discussion in the world of customer service is how to build a narrative for your clients. Some of the biggest brands have achieved lifelong loyalty from consumers and continue to draw in more customers. This is because they have focused not only on the quality of their products, but also on the experience clients have when interacting with their brands.
When assessing your own company’s customer experience, consider several factors; including how you want clients to feel after they have used your product or gotten off the phone with one of your employees, as well as how your service is going to improve their lives. Additionally, think about what you want them to say to others when they talk about your brand. By defining the overall message of your product, you can start to work that into every facet of your business, from client service to product development to the sales and marketing functions.
Constructing a narrative arc
What do you do to make sure your clients’ experiences have a beginning, a middle and a happy ending? This is a clear example of how all the components of a business are interwoven. Most likely, the first encounter a potential client will have with your company is through marketing efforts.
Pay attention to how you communicate with prospects during this period and how you make them feel as you gradually move them through the sales process to eventually become clients. At that point, what do you do to make them feel valued and appreciated? How are you communicating – explicitly and implicitly – that you and the client are partners on a journey to solve the problem or need that initially led them to do business with you?
It may be when you are drafting your marketing strategy that you pay the most attention to creating a narrative for your clients, but it is in client relationship management that you tell the tale. In every interaction, make sure that you are building upon that service story, moving toward closing – a satisfied client who is ready to start the next chapter of his or her relationship with your business. To do so, identify the conflict (the question or problem that your client is experiencing) and maintain intrigue by delivering surprises (meeting and exceeding the client’s expectations).
