The Key to Sustainable Client Delivery
Episode 694: Show Notes
We have worked with many different service providers over the years. And in that time we’ve learned a great deal from their wide-ranging responses to any number of situations and scenarios that inevitably pop up with clients — be they totally bizarre or bordering on the mundane. In today’s episode, we take a closer look at how to deliver a sustainable client experience. One that is consistent from client to client and can be maintained and altered as your business grows and scales.
When you’re in the thick of the behind-the-scenes work of running your business, it’s easy to lose sight of the client experience. This is why it’s so important to have systems in place that allow you to not only receive client feedback but to come up with solutions that are then seamlessly integrated into your business. We break down the most common issues we’ve seen service providers get stuck on and offer insights on how to fine-tune your internal systems for a unique client experience with staying power!
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How To Embrace an Experimental Mindset
Many of us believe that we can create a flawless system before we’ve even offered a service or had a client come through. And while this attitude often comes from a desire to streamline operations, it will almost always do the opposite and end up slowing you down! Because no matter how well you prepare, clients will always provide you with plenty of curveballs and unexpected requests that you could never have predicted.
Instead, you should spend your precious time working with clients, rather than preparing for what you think they will want. We encourage you to consider what can be gained when you embrace an experimental mindset and foster a culture of curiosity!
How to Take a Phased Approach
When you decide to implement a new system with clients, we highly recommend a phased approach that takes place alongside your client's work. That means completing 10-15 percent of the work and then promptly bringing the client back into the conversation. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but this is a great way to embrace experimentation and get real-time feedback from your clients. It also helps you check in regularly, stay consistent, and get a better sense of what your timelines will look like going forward. We find that service providers often struggle with follow-through, and this is an excellent method for building a process that naturally prompts you to be consistent and follow through.
Creating A Client Questionnaire
Developing a client questionnaire is a key early step in the client process for most service providers. It’s important to remember that you won’t be able to make a perfect client questionnaire on your initial attempt! The first time you do it, you're likely going to tailor your questions to one individual client. In your subsequent drafts, you can take the opportunity to make it more generic and refine it each time. Once you have a good baseline, you’ll also have the option to customize it slightly for any clients going forward.
How to Debrief and Find Your Action Plan
Another key part of ensuring sustainable client delivery is having a debriefing process with your client and then putting your findings into action. This is an opportunity for you to learn what worked, what didn’t, and what was missing from your process. You can set yourself up with a very specific set of questions. Like whether this was an ideal client, and if so why? Ask yourself if there is anything you need to change about the delivery or scope. How was the client's onboarding and offboarding experience? What needs to be done for you to improve continuously? When you ask yourself what worked and what didn’t, you can take what you learned and transform it into an efficient and informative action plan going forward.
The Tools You Need to Get Feedback from Clients
Getting feedback from clients can be tricky, especially when it’s something visual like web design. You could decide to educate clients on the technical details to help them give more constructive feedback, but that requires a commitment from both you and your client, and they may not always have time for that.
If you’re looking for an alternative, we have an excellent suggestion. We’ve recently come across marker.io, an incredible tool that provides quick and easy solutions for client feedback. Not only is it easy to use, but it also integrates perfectly with powerful organizational tools like Asana. If you want to effectively integrate client feedback, this is a fantastic place to start!
Finding The Source of The Problem
Our job as service providers is to make the process as seamless as possible for clients. That means solving inconsistencies or obstacles in our operations, as well as any other issues that may arise. One of the benefits of this practice is that once you start to pick apart every aspect of the process, you’ll start to learn how to spot the root cause of almost any problem. Not only will this provide you with excellent results in your client work, but it will also translate to other areas of your life and business. Why? Because you’ll constantly be becoming more attuned to what lies behind complicated issues and obstacles!
How Can We Help?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by what it takes to ensure sustainable client delivery, don’t worry, we are here to help! We’ve assisted countless clients in streamlining their operations, from prospecting leads to client delivery and everything in between. Even if you simply need a sounding board to figure out where to start, we’re here to help. If you’d like to get in touch, book a time with us today. We’d love to hear from you!
Quote This
How are we ensuring that the client experience is the same from client to client? And how are we checking in on that?
Highlights
How to Embrace an Experimental Mindset [0:07:59]
How to Take a Phased Approach [0:12:10]
Creating A Client Questionnaire [0:12:10]
How to Debrief and Find Your Action Plan [0:16:29]
The Tools You Need to Get Feedback from Clients [0:19:56]
Finding The Source of The Problem [0:23:45]
How Can We Help? [0:32:45]
Today’s Guest:
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
We help overwhelmed and creative entrepreneurs break down their Oprah-sized dreams to create a functioning command center to tame the chaos of their business. Basically, we think you’re totally bomb diggity, we’re about to uplevel the shiz out of your business.
Key Topics:
Experimental Mindset, Culture of Curiosity, Client Delivery
