There’s a difference between being a specialist or a show off and there’s a fine line between winning your clients’ confidence or getting them lost.
When you’re offering an on-going service to a client the one thing you can guarantee they’ll look for in you is peace of mind. The knowledge that their money is safe in your hands and that the service you’re providing them is the best they can receive. Where some fall down is on the point of how much information to load onto the client.
Being the service provider requires you to be constantly balancing the client needs and expectations whilst trying to always surpass them, but always operating in accordance with the policy of the company. It’s at this point where the line blurs and it’s important to be receptive to what your client wants to hear or, more importantly, what they need to hear. They obviously want to hear that you can do what they’ve asked, but do they need to hear how you’ll do it or what’s involved for the service to be of the standard they’re expecting?
How I see it, expertise =
Clients may value hearing more about one of these points than the other. For example, a client may want to know that the service they’re getting is up-to-date and in line with what others in the same sector are getting, but they may not care about how your company will manage to get them that level of service (other than whether you can or not!). Some may want to know exactly how you plan to deliver.
The reason why I’m writing this article? Managing the contracts of service providers for my current employer has given me a wide view of service provider styles – from the new-business style service providers to the tried and tested service providers. Over both spectrums, I really don’t mind who I deal with. Sure I like to be called Mr Matthews, or Sir if I’m feeling particularly haughty. Sometimes I like to hear “Hey, Chris!” The one thing that really sets the providers apart though is whether I ever feel the need to tell them to stop talking. Why stop talking? Because I simply don’t need to know how they’re going to get me what I want. All I need to know is that it will be done and it will be on time.
Being the service provider requires you to be constantly balancing the client needs and expectations whilst trying to always surpass them, but always operating in accordance with the policy of the company. It’s at this point where the line blurs and it’s important to be receptive to what your client wants to hear or, more importantly, what they need to hear. They obviously want to hear that you can do what they’ve asked, but do they need to hear how you’ll do it or what’s involved for the service to be of the standard they’re expecting?
How I see it, expertise =
- Knowledge of the service you're providing, made up of the products within the service
- Knowledge of how your company operates and manages those services
- Knowledge of your sector
Clients may value hearing more about one of these points than the other. For example, a client may want to know that the service they’re getting is up-to-date and in line with what others in the same sector are getting, but they may not care about how your company will manage to get them that level of service (other than whether you can or not!). Some may want to know exactly how you plan to deliver.
The reason why I’m writing this article? Managing the contracts of service providers for my current employer has given me a wide view of service provider styles – from the new-business style service providers to the tried and tested service providers. Over both spectrums, I really don’t mind who I deal with. Sure I like to be called Mr Matthews, or Sir if I’m feeling particularly haughty. Sometimes I like to hear “Hey, Chris!” The one thing that really sets the providers apart though is whether I ever feel the need to tell them to stop talking. Why stop talking? Because I simply don’t need to know how they’re going to get me what I want. All I need to know is that it will be done and it will be on time.
The problem with this sort of customer service experience is that now I dread talking to these service providers because it's inevitable that I will have to interrupt them at some point and basically tell them to cease!
In essence, the client relationship manager/account manager’s position is basically a fixer and a reference point. Client tells manager/company they want X. Manager/company gets them X with a sprinkling of expertise in the form of advice. If the customer wants more information on how, then give it to them, but don't burden your clients with your companies policies and structure.
In essence, the client relationship manager/account manager’s position is basically a fixer and a reference point. Client tells manager/company they want X. Manager/company gets them X with a sprinkling of expertise in the form of advice. If the customer wants more information on how, then give it to them, but don't burden your clients with your companies policies and structure.
And so ends this post…
PS - Why the picture? Because a train is a good analogy for this, I think. The system it runs on is massively complicated, but the average commuter couldn't care less. They just want a train that will get them from A to B. "Let someone else worry about how it's all working, as long as I get to where I want to be on time that's all I care about."
Your comments are always welcome!
The two unspoken concerns of this post seem to essentially be 'trust' and 'efficiency'.
ReplyDeleteThat is to say, can I *trust* X to deliver and will hearing why I should trust X take up too much of my time/resources?. Its nigh on impossible in business to develop trust without having to show (at length)why you should be trusted. Even more so if you're a new business.
My question to you is - as someone who is about to launch a new biz - how do you intend to develop trust (and, ultimately, new accounts) without impacting on your prospective clients' efficiency?