Here are a few tips to keep those clients happy, and increase customer retention in the service industry.

Here are a few tips to keep those clients happy, and increase customer retention in the service industry.

When you’re in the service industry, nothing is more important than keeping your clients happy. Entrepreneurs are married to their business, right? Well, your clients are your wife, and a happy wife is a happy life. Some people naturally excel in customer service. They have more empathy, listen better, and were born kind to the core. God bless them. Others, like me, have to develop a knack for customer service and find ways to fight the urge to… well, punch someone in the face.

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1. Under Promise, Over Deliver

Topping off the list is this old adage, I’m sure you’ve heard it before. Humans naturally overestimate themselves when it comes to doing work. They see a task or think about how long it will take and respond in kind. What we fail to think about are all the other things we need to get done, or the distractions we face on a regular basis. If you think you can get something done in one day, tell them it will take one week. If you finish in a day, they will be pleasantly surprised.

2. Manage Expectations

This is related to #1, but I’d like to focus more on the process. Having a process and explaining this to your clients from the start is the best way to manage expectations. If you don’t want your clients to call you every day or every hour, you should tell them from the beginning how client communication works — that you will have weekly or bi-weekly calls and other questions can be submitted via email. If you don’t want to go back and forth over design changes forever, tell them from the beginning that they have 2 rounds of feedback, and anything above that will be billed hourly.

3. Be Transparent: Don’t be afraid to say “I Don’t Know”

Everyone thinks that your clients come to you because you’re the expert. You should have all the answers, and that’s why they hired you. The truth is, you may be great at what you do, but you do not have all the answers. Things are constantly changing and your client may learn about something before you do. That’s okay. If you’re ever in a situation where you don’t know something, say “I don’t know, but let me do my research and get back to you.”

4. Mo’ Money, Less Problems

My grandmother used to say, “If it’s a problem that can be solved with money, it’s not really a problem.” Growing up I’d hear this a lot, but it took me 8 years in business to really grasp what this meant. It took experience.

Early on, if a client was unhappy or didn’t feel that I was adding enough value, I’d say something like “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, I’ll try and do better, but I did the work so pay me”. I know you’ve been there, but believe me when I tell this will create friction in the relationship and potentially lose you a client for life. The better response is “I’m sorry you feel that way. I’m happy to refund you your money for the last month and we can find someone that may be a better fit.” Chances are they will appreciate the humility and decide to keep working with you. It works like a charm.

5. Get To Know Your Clients on a Personal Level

Becoming friends with my clients is something I’ve put a lot of emphasis on because I’ve witnessed the power of this first hand. Nearly all of my clients would call me a friend today, and that’s because I stay up on what’s going on in their personal lives. Are they taking a trip? Do they have a girlfriend, or are they married with kids? What other projects are they working on? When you know this information, you can start every call or meeting with a personal touch, immediately changing the tone of the conversation from a business meeting, to a relaxed conversation between partners.

“How you think about your customers influences how you respond to them.” — Marilyn Suttle

6. Share Valuable Content and Information

One of my personal favorite client interactions is sharing valuable content from credible sources with my clients. If I learn something new in one of the email digests I receive (Product Hunt, Launch, Morning Brew) that relates to their market or industry, I share it with them. It lets them know that a) I’m always learning about my industry, and b) I’m thinking about them. It could spark a conversation that could lead to new work or a shift in strategy, but either way, it brings you a little closer together.

7. Call Your Clients Regularly

The key to a positive relationship is communication. I like to schedule calls with all of my clients either every week or every month, and set some touch points to reach out to them randomly to catch up. We even tried creating an app for this call KIT List (Keep In Touch), which send you reminders to call your clients. Ask them how they feel about the service you’re providing, on a scale from 1–10, and if it’s not a 10, ask what you can do to make it a 10.