Who Is the Most Profitable Member of Your Small Business Team?
As business owners, we start off very attentive to each and every client – checking in, asking questions, requesting feedback, and doing everything we can to make sure they have an amazing experience with our company. However, as the business owner gets more and more busy…well, the ability to continue to do those tasks those tasks falls by the wayside, and they do not always get completed.
This is where a Client Happiness Coordinator is vital to every business. In many ways, this person can prove to be the most profitable team member for your small business.
In those early months, the owner essentially was wearing this hat but again, as they get busy, they’re not able to keep up – and this is where hiring an additional part-time person or utilizing one of the other team members for five hours a week is crucial to maintaining that high level of customer service.
As a business grows, the Client Happiness Coordinator position will grow and expand to encompass additional tasks to provide outreach and care to our clients, but in the beginning it really centers around three things.
#1: Reaching out and connecting with clients and being ready to obtain testimonials or handle client complaints
#2: Showing that we listen and wow clients with thoughtful cards and gifts
#3: Managing the VIP referral program because a raving client should be sending in lots of referrals
Connecting With Clients
Emails and text messages are some of the best methods of client communication by far. The most powerful is still the human voice: getting on a call and connecting with a client. This is a chance to interact, ask questions, and learn how the client is doing; it is also an opportunity to delve deeper into specific areas where the client shares their positive experience (or their negative one, which is just as important to know about).
Because we may not know how the conversation might go, it is important for the Client Happiness Coordinator to be trained on how to handle client complaints, to acknowledge what the client feels transpired, and to listen, investigate, and then return back to the client with the suggestion plan going forward. (This procedure, in fact, is something that every person on your team should have clarity on regarding the steps and the script so that we all can turn a complaining client into a raving fan.)
The client may also have many positive things to say about their experience with us, and therefore the Client Happiness Coordinator should also be trained up on how to receive a testimonial and get permission to use it in multiple ways.
Show We Listen and Wow Our Clients
The art of listening is a skill, one we all should hone each and every day – but taking it one step further and doing something with the information we hear can illustrate to a client that we were truly tuned in to their situation.
For example, say a client who is very family oriented injured their leg and had to be bedridden for several weeks. While we could send a card or a book that would be good for just that human, perhaps we could also send a board game that could be played over and over by the client with their children and family.
Or perhaps the client had a big win or accomplished a big mile stone. After hearing about this over the phone, we can anchor in our commitment to listening and being part of their journey by sending them something to acknowledge that accomplishment.
By taking the time to truly connect with our clients and give that human element, we can show our respect and our commitment to being a longtime partner with our clients. This is where you turn an average client into a raving fan!
Managing the VIP Referral Program
Given that the Client Happiness Coordinator is the one connecting with past clients and orchestrating various reach out to them, It often makes sense for the Client Happiness Coordinator to work with the Marketing Team on the VIP Referral Program. This program allows us to track which clients send us referrals and acknowledge and reward the client for that behavior, encouraging them to do more of it.
Referrals are an interesting concept. People thrive on connecting other people, but what gets them to do it more and more often is that they get acknowledged for their referral and for their efforts. It is human nature to appreciate praise and to want to be in an environment where we get more of it.
A VIP Referral Program does just that. It acknowledges and thanks the person, giving them a small token to commemorate the introduction (whether the referral ultimately becomes a client or not). This is also where you’ll learn who your absolute raving fan clients that refer you a lot of business are.
Client Happiness Coordinators can be an absolute key to a business thriving, whether they are a part-time or full-time hat – and with the right training, they become your most profitable team member.