How you work with your clients can have a major impact on their satisfaction. They may have specific needs such as hands-on access, weekly updates, or a certain level of control over their project. Nathan Garries and your team can address these needs by communicating effectively. This includes responding to client emails or requests in Slack or Teams, as well as returning phone calls promptly.
1. Listen to Your Clients
Clients want to feel heard and understood. Ensure this by listening to their feedback, concerns and preferences. This also helps you avoid misunderstandings, which is especially important when dealing with different clients. Business users, sponsors and technical teams may require different types of information; using the appropriate language in communications prevents misunderstandings and allows you to communicate effectively.
For example, a demanding client might request solutions that go beyond your budget or scope of work. This requires you to remain calm and redirect their focus to finding a solution, which is where effective communication can help. This includes providing clear communication channels and regular updates to reassure them. Also, create a hub for all communications so that your clients do not have to dig through their inboxes or messaging platforms to find the information they need.
2. Be Honest
Honesty is an integral part of building trust with clients. This doesn’t just apply to being transparent about your abilities, but also to being truthful in the way that you manage customer relationships.
For example, clear contracts help to minimize misunderstandings by defining the scope of work, timelines, and costs upfront. Similarly, being straightforward about any changes or delays can help to mitigate potential issues down the line. Likewise, being open to feedback and actively implementing that feedback can help to build trust with customers.
If something goes wrong, being honest about it is essential for maintaining client trust. This can be difficult if it means losing a sale, but being upfront can help to build long-term loyalty. Just be sure to deliver that honesty tactfully and clearly.
3. Be Flexible
In an age of instant gratification, customers expect flexibility and convenience with their business interactions. This doesn’t necessarily mean that businesses should be able to operate like Amazon and deliver everything to the customer within an hour, but it does mean that they need to learn how to adapt and work with their clients.
To be flexible, companies need to give decision-making back to frontline employees. When employees must always refer to a manager or flatly deny any request that deviates from a customer experience process, they don’t learn what the needs of their client are changing over time and how those changes can be best addressed.
However, it’s important to note that flexibility should be exercised with integrity. Continuing to bend over backward might earn you short-term appreciation, but it can also lead to burnout and resentment.
4. Be Concise
In our recent client survey, clients ranked timely and efficient communication as the most important factor for successful collaboration. Discovering your client’s preferred channels is an easy way to ensure communication stays on track throughout projects. Emails and phone calls work for many, but others may prefer messaging apps or routine video meetings.
When communicating with your clients, keep it short and simple. If your communications are too long and confusing, they will feel like they’re getting a run-around or being ignored.
Communicate regularly with your clients and provide updates on progress. This demonstrates that you value their input and are working hard to meet deadlines. It also lets your clients know that they can count on you for a reliable service. It can be difficult to manage demanding clients, but doing so with integrity helps build a solid foundation for long-term relationships.
5. Be Honest with Yourself
Honesty is a trait that is prized by most people, especially those with integrity. Having the courage to be honest with yourself is one of the hardest things to do, but it is essential to creating a life that is meaningful and fulfilled.
Ultimately, your relationship with the world will be a reflection of your relationship with yourself. Being honest with yourself allows you to make choices and create a reality that is in alignment with who you truly are and what you want.
Honesty with yourself allows you to set realistic goals and stay motivated until you reach those goals. It also helps you to recognize when you need help and be willing to ask for it. This can help you avoid the imposter syndrome, a condition that has been found to negatively affect neurosurgeons’ work performance.