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Virtual Assistants - How to Provide Excellent Customer Care to Your
Clients
Lets be
honest, we have all experienced bad customer care at some point. Whether
you are hanging on the phone to speak to your bank or trying to find
which button to press to check your electricity bill, I'm sure you have
often wondered exactly what kind of service you are getting for your
money. Often the answer is 'not very much'! It has to be said that many
businesses, both large and small, don't pay particular care when dealing
with their customers. This means that when we do experience great
customer service, we tell everyone about it and become life-long
advocates of that company. It is these 'word of mouth' recommendations
that will help a business grow and succeed.
So how
can you provide excellent customer care? Well, let's use Virtual
Assistants as an example. Virtual Assistants offer a personal service to
their clients and can become closely involved in their business. The
client has to trust the VA before they are happy to delegate some of
their workload to them. Therefore, a VA needs to reassure the client
that they will provide a reliable and professional service.
Here are
a number of ways that a Virtual Assistant can do this:
-
Set up an
initial meeting with the client and spend time getting to know them,
their company, the industry they work in and who they work with. This
helps to build a good working relationship between both parties.
-
Promote a
professional image by answering and returning calls, either by using a
call minder service or voicemail when away from the office. Respond to
messages within a certain timeframe depending on urgency, say within 24
hours, and be consistent with this.
-
Don't
over promise and under deliver when dealing with people. If you say you
are going to do something or get back to someone, then do it! If you
want to be seen as reliable, then only make promises that you know are
achievable.
-
Exceed
expectations by going that extra mile to get work completed before the
deadline. Or if someone has asked you to carry out some research on a
topic, think what other relevant information may be helpful and include
that too.
-
Have a
contingency plan in place to handle any emergencies. This means that you
will be prepared when disaster strikes and can continue to provide a
seamless service to customers.
-
Confirm
all instructions from clients in writing so that you are both clear
about what's been agreed. If the project requirements change, then get
this in writing too and let the client know if this affects the final
fee.
-
Be
proactive when dealing with clients. By getting to know their business
and communicating with them regularly, you can find out if there are any
other services that you could offer to them.
-
Regularly
seek feedback from clients and find out what you can do to improve the
services that you provide to them.
Remember
that it costs a business more to get a new client than it does to retain
an existing one. So losing a client can be very expensive for a small
business, not in only in terms of money but also to their reputation if
the client is leaving because of poor service. Therefore, being known
for providing an excellent level of customer service is a great way to
help your business grow and succeed.
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Valerie Eaton is the owner of Smart VA Ltd, providers of virtual
assistant support to small businesses and self-employed
professionals. They specialise in email marketing, website updates,
document and presentation design and event administration. Find more
information on
http://www.smartva.co.uk and
grab one of the free guides which give tips on a wide range of
topics from how to set up an email marketing campaign to designing
and delivering professional PowerPoint presentations.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valerie_Eaton
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