Four Tough Client Service Problems

And dozens of possible solutions from staffers…

At a recent staff workshop, there was a brainstorming session to answer some key questions about what constitutes excellence in client service. Four questions were placed on the table:

1. How can we make it easier for our clients to do business with us?

2. How do we meet and exceed expectations?

3. How do we overcome an attitude of indifference on our part towards the customer?

4. How do we make the workplace a more positive place to work?

Here are the results from the attendees. How many of these items could you deploy in your office?

1. How can we make it easier for our clients to do business with us?

2. How do we meet and exceed expectations?

3. How do we overcome an attitude of indifference on our part towards the customer?

4. How do we make the workplace a more positive place to work?

Via Arnold Sanow. For more information on Sanow’s programs go to www.arnoldsanow.com.

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Posted at January 28, 2010
Filed Under BSG [CPA TRENDLINES] | 4 Comments

Comments

4 Responses to “Four Tough Client Service Problems”

  1. Kevin Phillips on January 28th, 2010 8:00 pm

    There are a lot of great ideas here. The only problem is that lots of great ideas are impossible to execute.

    Developing excellence in client service requires a change in organizational culture. And culture change is very difficult.

    As valuable as a brainstorming session might be in shaking loose new ideas, of greater value is landing on identifying one or two behaviors that will move the entire organization in a new direction.

    If the firm is profitable, it is probably doing a lot of things right. If the firm is human, there is probable one or two adjustments one could make to make it even more profitable. The trick is to identify them.

    Before brainstorming solutions, it might be helpful to invest some energy in really understanding the firm’s culture.

    To get at culture ask these questions:

    What behaviors do we repeat over and over again out of habit that limits the quality of our customer service?

    In what ways to do each each staff member feel constrained, limited or shut down? Where do these experiences overlap?

    Who sets the cultural norm around here? And what benefit does the norm-setter gain at the expense of better customer service?

  2. Edi Osborne on January 28th, 2010 11:33 pm

    I love all the ideas the group generated. I have only one thing to add. All the questions are more easily answered when you are only dealing with ideal clients. The link with this post is a story about how you can improve morale with the elimination of less than ideal clients.

  3. Tweets that mention Four Tough Client Service Problems : CPA Trendlines -- Topsy.com on January 29th, 2010 5:29 pm

    This post was mentioned on Twitter Intuit Proline, Brett Vanderwater.

  4. Gravity Gardener on February 6th, 2010 8:55 am

    Client relationship development is a long term process and can allow a company to build trust and a strong bond with the customer long after the initial sale has taken place.

    If the organization does not see this area as a strategic component of their business, it will struggle to maintain long term clients and be pressed to find references for new opportunities.

    Gravity Gardener

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