Your client experience can make or break your business. I know, such a bold statement to make. But at the core of my being I truly believe that without a great client experience a business can only be sustained for so long.

One of my favorite quotes by Maya Angeluo goes as followed, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

This is ever more true when it comes to your business and the client experiences that you provide. By ensuring that your client experience is strong and a true priority you are setting your business up for long term client fulfillment and success. After all, when extraordinary client experience is provide your chances of increasing:

• Client retention 
• Word of mouth advocacy 
• Business referrals 

happen with much more ease. Wouldn’t it be nice to have dream clients come to you rather than you doing constant outreach? I thought so too. 

But the opposite is also true and in fact more scary. It’s said that when a person has a bad client experience they are more then likely to share the bad experience. Yikes! On the other hand, people who have had good experience are not always as prone to share it from the get go. 

So how can you ensure that you provide a stellar client experience and ensure that you have raving clients that are obsessed with the work you provide? I share 3 ways below!

Clear communication

I am sure you have heard that communication is KEY. This is evermore true when it comes to your client experience too. 

Imagine going into contracted work and after signing the contract and paying the invoice you are unsure of the next steps. Perhaps, feeling a little confused, unconfident on the next steps and maybe even questioning the commitment you just made. 

It’s not a good feeling. Now let’s imagine the opposite! You know what you need to get done on your end, you know what the person you just hired is working on, clear on the dates that you are starting and you know exactly when and where to communicate to if any questions arise. You would feel beyond taken care of! That is the type of experience we need to deliver our clients.

And it SO easy because it seriously starts with communication. 

So what are best practice ways to provide good client experience through communication? I am glad you asked! Let me share 3:

Letting your clients know how and when they can reach you:

Let your clients know where they can reach you! This could be your phone, an application or email. Whichever one works best for you to have be your point of communication. Along with that, let your clients know during what days and hours they can reach you. Having this clearly stated allows you to set the expectation for the experience on both ends. 

Set the expectation on next steps:

Don’t leave your clients in limbo! It’s not a fun place to be in. Instead, let your clients know what they need to complete on their end (Think of it as homework for them!) and let them know what they can expect from you next. 

Let your client know when they can expect to hear from you or set clear expectations on when the project/work starts with them so they have the communication on it too.

This also allows room for you to underpromise and overdeliver in certain situations too! Communication is a win win on both the business owners and client. 

It’s in the step by step details 

Attention to detail is important because it allows the client and business owner to be on the same page. When it comes to this tip, what I want to first and foremost remind you is that you are the expert. It’s for that reason that your clients are hiring you on.

Because of that, I want you to remind yourself that you are 10 steps (if not even more!) ahead of your clients and with that thought in mind you must guide them as such. 

Below are a couple ways to do this:

A small email recap on next steps

This can either be a list of next steps you will be taking or that you need your client to take. This allows for documentation of next steps rather than relying on memory plus its a great reference point on what both parties should be working on.

Progress updates 

It’s so easy to get caught up doing amazing work for clients and simply working away! But a tip that is always helpful is to do progress updates either at the end of the month or half way through the contracted work. This will help your client feel as if they are a part of the process and communicating on how things are going. This will help ensure that your clients are feeling seen, heard and supported while working together. 

“This is where we are now and this is what we can expect to accomplish next time we get on a call.”

Intake and outtake forms 

We as business owners can not fix what we don’t know right? But we can do our parts to know the ins and out of what our clients think. I enjoy doing this with an intake and outtake form.

Intake form:

An intake form is a form that is completed before the client starts working with you. I love intake forms because it allows transparent and open communication from what the client is looking to accomplish. Intake forms also allows you to generate insight on where the client is currently at. Because a client has more than likely made a significant investment in you they are going to be super honest with in the intake form because they are trusting you to help get them to where they desire to go.

One last thing I want to mention about the intake form is that this type of form also allows you to get insight on client personality, work style and communication preferences. I always include a personality quiz so that I get a feel on how to best serve my clients. It’s a fun way to connect further with your client! 

Outtake form:

Let’s talk about elevating the client experience and taking it to a new level! This can be done with an outtake form. The outtake form is sent out after a client has completed their contracted time with you. It’s a great way to generate honest feedback and gives space for improvement and growth on the business owners part. 

With outtake form you can ask questions around their experience with you, improvements, suggestions etc. 

Many biz owners avoid including an outtake form because they become fearful on the feedback it will bring. ‘What if the experience wasn’t what they expected?’ or ‘what if they provide negative feedback?’

I get that. It can be scary! But remember, if you have been providing good and open communication from the get go this so called ‘negative feedback’ would have more than likely been brought up earlier on. Chances are that this is nothing more than a mindset block. Plus, how are you going to know what areas need improvement if you are not asking for the honest feedback?

Now go out and create an epic experience for your clients!