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Follow these 3 simple steps to ensure success with the client.
Author: Chris Cooke Senior Consultant at i3Works
It’s a phrase that is often used – the importance of ‘delighting the customer’. But do we really understand what is meant by this and how do we actually ensure the customer is kept at the centre of everything we do? Follow these 3 simple steps to success!
1.Listen to what the customer really wants – Too often we see consultants deliver strategies, plans on a page, pretty infographics explaining what the customer needs. Most often the customer actually wants the consultant to take a problem and solve it. Simply sit down with the customer and listen to the actual issue, produce a set of light requirements that state what needs to be done, how it will be done and, most importantly, check the customer agrees!
2. Keep the customer informed in the right way – Set the right conditions early with the customer; Do they want regular meetings? Would they prefer written or verbal updates? What is the customer’s style of communication? (E.g. Email, presentation, phone call?) Keep engagement clear, concise and regular but find the balance with overstepping the mark – the customer should see you as a trusted advisor and not a nuisance.
3. Deliver something tangible – At the end of the day, the customer wants something delivered. The easiest way to keep the customer happy is to deliver the requirement. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Yet so many times we deliver something the customer didn’t ask for! At the end of the day we are there to solve the customer’s problem, make them look good and keep them happy. A quick wash up session on a regular basis helps both you and the customer to check in on how things are going and whether anything needs to change.
In conclusion we need to talk to our customer more and understand what they truly want. Success is about listening, talking and delivering – sticking to these principles will bring a happy customer!
