So assuming that we’re all human and can’t maintain perfection and constant attention to all our clients, when do you give your best service?  I’m sure to most of us our instinct is to give 100% all the time, to be on call for our clients whenever they need you but I’m also sure that there are times when you haven’t managed that goal.  So do you find yourself focusing on excellent customer service for new clients or for the larger clients?  Take some time to analyse this and look at what you can do to spread this over all your clients at all times.

I’ve known suppliers who were all over me at the first sniff of a contract, despite having ignored my ‘staying in touch’ calls when I didn’t have a project.  I’ve also known others who have been great until we slipped from initial contract to ongoing maintenance of the service - suddenly the responses took longer and longer to come back.  It’s frustrating and certainly makes me consider whether or not to renew contracts when the time comes around.

All clients are valuable and deserve your best attention, whether they’re thinking of a new event or have been working with you for years.  I’d recommend you to take some time to look at your business and really focus on your customer service - what level do you want to offer and can you maintain it?  What can you do to give that little bit more to clients when things are quiet or when they’re not responding.  It’s easy to stay in touch and give good service when they’re at the top of your mind but make sure they stay there, even when there are no ongoing projects.

Customers don’t always want to be bothered by your calls so think up a reason to stay in touch.  Some customers might not be natural communicators so you need to think outside the box. Has a new hotel opened that they may be interested in?  Have you read a great article on how to improve AV at smaller events?  Try and come up with a reason to stay in touch and think about how you can vary your approaches so that they don’t become dull and repetitive.  Can you send a short letter?  A direct mail piece?  Can you fit in a quick call to remind them to fill in a form for the exhibition next year?  Think about their personalities and vary your approach until you find several good ways to make contact.

I would also say that even if you have slipped up and neglected your prospects/old clients it may not be too late.  Get in touch and remind them of the great service you’ve offered in the past and then make sure that you build up your relationship again.  Think of it as a bank balance - if you’ve slipped into the red you need to work harder to get back into the black but it’s usually possible.  Persevere and don’t dip into the red again.