Why is client contact so important?
Learning to delegate
Time, and having enough of it, is a challenge that most small-business owners face daily, especially when they’re wearing many different hats and juggling multiple roles.
We can’t change how many hours there are in a day, and can’t avoid the fact that some tasks demand to be done during business hours. One important role of being a successful business owner is recognising that some tasks must be delegated or outsourced to ensure they are managed effectively.
It’s not always easy but when you find a support team you can trust with your business matters, your productivity and business potential will skyrocket.
Communication builds long-term business relationships
Good communication is the foundation of successful relationships in our personal lives, and so it is in business. By using effective and ongoing communication with your clients, your business will always remain at the forefront of their minds and you’ll maintain long-term relationships.
By using effective and ongoing communication with your clients, your business will always remain at the forefront of their minds and you’ll maintain long-term relationships.
Furthermore, by keeping an open line of communication, you’re better positioned to receive valuable feedback from your clients without having to pursue it.
Client contact and ongoing communication is one task that can demand a lot of your time, no matter whether you’re starting a new business or have been trading for a period of time. However, the news is good: it can be successfully outsourced to a professional support team.
The processes for ongoing client contact
Today’s marketplace is more competitive than ever and it’s far too easy for even the most loyal client to be enticed away by your competitors.
By maintaining regular contact, you will make your clients feel valued and maximise return business. The cornerstone of ongoing client contact is having an up-to-date database of your clients, their contact details and history. Depending on your business’s size and longevity, your database could range from a simple spreadsheet through to a highly efficient CRM.
The format or program that suits your business is not the concern here; keeping the information updated is. A pre-existing but neglected database is a waste of valuable resources.
Maintaining and keeping your contacts up to date is an ongoing process and is vital to ensure continuous client interaction.
Ongoing client contact increases your productivity
The first line of communication for client contact involves voice communication, or telemarketing. It’s a task that can send chills down the spines of many and comes with a reasonable amount of disrepute. However, it’s an effective marketing tool that achieves results.
Professional callers follow a script and appear to be calling from your business, as part of your team.
The goals of client-contact calls may include generating qualified leads, setting appointments, promoting a new product or service, or just a general greeting and updating of your database.
This is a time-consuming task that can be outsourced to free up your time and allow you to focus on making the all-important sales.
Another line of communication and client contact that is almost obligatory for today’s small business owners is social media.
Social media has become a significant part of our personal lives, as well as an integral tool for marketing your business to the broader community. Social media delivers the opportunity to communicate with your clients in real time and maintain ongoing conversations; this assists in increased brand awareness and can spread information quickly with their online friends. It can give your brand credibility; if a page you’ve created has hundreds of likes and shares, it’s proof that people appreciate your content. When it’s executed correctly, social-media marketing can increase leads and sales, and increase brand awareness.
However, in order to gain the full benefit of social media, you need to contribute, share and understand the potential of its power.
Lastly, client contact via a newsletter distributed regularly to your clients, suppliers and general contacts could be the most effective marketing tool you use. It’s non-invasive and thought-provoking, and keeps you in contact. It’s important to remember, though, that effective newsletters must have effective content, relevant to your business and therefore relevant to you customers.
Leticia Hansen, Director Adminlink Plus
