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Now that we have completed our plan for growth and our business plan it is time to look at our client care program. Client care I hear you ask… what is that?

So many businesses spend so much time and money on getting new business but they don’t spend time and money nurturing the clients they already have. Happy clients can be your biggest asset, they will tell their friends, family, colleagues and pretty much everyone they know about how great you are. However, unhappy clients can do a lot of damage, they will tell their family, friends, colleagues, as well as anyone else that they come across. So what are some ideas that you can implement to ensure your clients are talking about you in a positive way, not a negative one?

So many people I talk to say the number one point of frustration is not receiving a response to a call or email in a timely manner. What is a timely manner? Does your office have documented customer service standards that each team member adheres to? Do all calls and emails have to be responded to by the end of each business day? Do your customers know your standards? Some of these things are not hard to fix, but they require the whole team to be on board.

What do you give back to your clients? Many businesses that we work with have investor information nights, cocktail parties, race days, movie nights, draws for weekends away including luxury car and accommodation. It is important that your clients feel like they are a part of your business, that they are recognised and rewarded, after all you are looking after their most expensive asset.

Know your clients. Your clients are not restricted to your landlords, don’t forget your tenants, your tradesmen, your owners corporations, your service providers, your sales team, your employees. Everyone that comes in contact with your business is a potential client, they know people and speak to people, it is amazing how powerful word of mouth is and best of all it is free!

1% - what are you doing that is 1% higher than your competitors? Do you and your team make no news calls to your clients? Do they end the conversation with “do you or your friends/family have any properties that I can assist with?” Your clients might think you do a great job but they might think you are to busy to take on more properties so they might not recommend you. Put the idea to them and watch the results. Do you send cards to your clients on a regular basis, many of our clients have started sending one card a day per team member, this helps to cement the customer care experience that your clients receive at your company.

Referral programs are a great way to get people talking about you, but in order for them to talk about your company you need to be making them happy. There are many different methods for rewarding your clients and these can include vouchers, dinners, movies or fee free management periods. Send out an offer to your clients and do it for a specific period. For example: For the month of July any referrals sent through to the agency that are converted to a management receive a $200 Myer voucher. Once again it makes the client talk about you.

Until the next edition enjoy setting up your client care program and if you have any questions please email me at hayley@blayneypotentialplus.com