"Out of clutter, find simplicity.”

― Albert Einstein

 

Good news. I am still in remission. It is two years now. I also eventually took the bull by the horns and went to the dentist to sort out my crumbling teeth (from the chemo and radiation). Now I have that Hollywood smile that I have always wanted with beautiful white teeth.

 

I have been advised by the expert VAs that I should consider chaning my blog to focus more on business. So, that is what I will be doing from now on. I will, however, still keep you updated on my cancer treatment though.

 

Is Client Service Important to Your Business?

By Dee Matheson

 

The main aim for many Virtual Assistants is to get clients and to gain their loyalty. Every business owner or entrepreneur wants clients to come back repeatedly and eventually get word of mouth referrals. Throughout my working life it has always puzzled me how so many companies survive, even during the economic downturn, when they provide shoddy service.  It is always so easy to criticise but now that I run my own Virtual Assistant business where client service is paramount, I decided to focus this article on how my service would benefit not only my clients but also, ultimately, my business.  Here it is in full view. My clients can see how I operate, think and organise my business and ultimately their business too, so it is a win win situation.

1.       COMMUNICATION.

Organising my mind beforehand and sticking to the key points has been imperative. I have had first-hand experience where topics have run away from me and leave me none the wiser. I always keep my clients in the loop and let them know of how things are progressing. This has built client confidence in my work and ability. They don’t see me as a fly by night that will take them to the cleaners.

2.       LISTENING.

 How many times were you told by your parents to listen and not talk?  You have two ears and only one mouth, so use them proportionately. This was one of my hardest lessons to learn and I will admit, that I am still trying to get my proportions right.  If I don’t listen carefully, I might just miss an important clue on my client’s expectation and therefore not complete the task correctly or fail to achieve the critical goal. Right out the door goes my possible referral once the assignment has been completed.

3.       CLEAR EXPECTATIONS.

 I think about what I’m trying to convey upfront and if I don’t understand the client’s expectations and ultimate goal, then I ask as many questions as I need to.  Writing down key points so that I have got something to refer back to has often helped me out of a sticky situation. No-one can remember everything. I firmly believe in the “help me, help you” principle. The more info I have, the better the service I can provide to my clients.

4.       STICK TO DEADLINES.

My clients have deadlines and as I am part of their extended organisation, I ensure that all deadlines are met, no matter what. If I have to work over the weekend, at night or go somewhere else because I do not have electricity due to load shedding, I will do that.

5.       GO THE EXTRA MILE.

Like any entrepreneur, I want to stand out from the crowd and one of the ways that I can do this is by going the extra mile for my clients. There are many Virtual Assistants out there that can do what I do and many service providers will only do the bear minimum, but how far will that get them? I take care in the work that I produce and pride myself with the top notch end product I produce for my clients and it shows when it comes time to renew my contact or take on additional work.

6.       FEEDBACK.

Like any human being, no-one likes to receive less than positive feedback. However,  I encourage my clients to give me good and not so good feedback because this is the best way that I can learn about what works and what does not work, how I can improve my service and ultimately, what will make that client happy and adjust my work processes accordingly. And as no-one is perfect, I do sometimes make mistakes. I apologise and this goes back to step one, I COMMUNICATE with my client.  They appreciate my honesty and it also builds a trust factor with my client as they can see that I don’t sweep it under the carpet and hope it goes away.

 My client relationships are a work in progress. By putting the right COMMUNICATION principles in place, I find this formula not only works, but also lasts.

For more information, please visit my website: www.dfm-virtualassistant.co.za I would love to hear from you.