<p>All else being equal, providing client services with a sincere, friendly attitude is the foundation of a successful practice. This holds true in any market, but especially in a downturn, when clients may need to be reassured.</p>
<p>The last thing a conscientious business owner wants to do is alienate a client by exposing him or her to someone in the office with a sour attitude. A negative service experience is enough to drive a client to one of my competitors.</p>
<p>Most businesses want to involve their support team in their client service commitment. Without a doubt, client service is a team sport.</p>
<p>Stellar service is so crucial, that when you interview to fill a position, you screen applicants for their commitment to clients along with their professional skills and industry knowledge.</p>
<p>At first, rookies share support personnel. Then, as their practices grow, they earn the right to hire their own assistant and eventually, if you do well, add more members.</p>
<p>I remember a difficult start as a rookie. When I assessed what was going wrong and spoke to others starting out in my office, I realized it was the support person that had been hired. She has poor phone manners and was gruff when clients came to our office. Every time any of us took a step forward, her attitude worked against us. Eventually, we had to confront our manager and find a replacement who understood the importance of providing us with positive client support so we could all grow.</p>
<p>No team, whether in sports, the operating room, the space shuttle or business, can thrive and grow unless all the players are on the same page. Consider your own staff, is each a member performing competently? Are they prompt in providing client services, from answering phones quickly to completing reports on deadline to sending requested materials to clients within a day?</p>
<p>Is their work accurate? Everyone makes mistakes periodically, but some people make a habit of it, and by doing that, can easily erode client trust and confidence.</p>
<p>And, most important, are they friendly and helpful toward your clients and prospects? Do they make them feel important? Do they greet them warmly when they enter your office and answer the phone with a sincere greeting?</p>
<p>You owe it to your clients and yourself to assess your support staff at least twice a year. Even the best team players may occasionally lose sight of your objective for positive client service experiences. That’s when you need to help them regain focus.</p>
<p>With new team members, they may require more day-to-day supervision and guidance to reach the high level of service your clients deserve. If, ultimately, they can’t deliver, it’s usually best for your practice and that person to either put him or her in a position that doesn’t involve direct client contact or recommend another job elsewhere.</p>
<p>“Attitude is so important”. If client’s call, there is a reason. If members of my team sound indifferent on the phone, they are sending the wrong message to my clients, and I can’t afford that.</p>
<p>While time is precious, but the time you spend hiring and training team members who will provide a positive service attitude is definitely well spent.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, even if you are a sole proprietor and do not have any employees, every person you use as a referral to your clients is part of your team and it is important they also understand what you expect of them.</p>
2009-08-24T18:41:34Z
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service-as-a-team-sport
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2009-08-25T10:49:17Z
2009-08-25T15:49:51Z
Providing clients and prospects service with sincere, friendly attitude is the foundation of a successful practice.
Service as a Team Sport
1
2009-08-25T15:49:51Z