Four simple ways to keep your customers happy

Source: Vsoftsystems, 06/06/2018

How to retain clients` business in the long run
Clients are savvier than ever when it comes to technology and their
businesses, so it’s no longer enough for MSPs and VARs to offer the
most in-demand services and leave it at that. If solution providers
really want to retain clients, they must create a partnership that
establishes them as a trusted technology advisor, and an integral
part of the client’s business.
This may be easier said than done, but nonetheless there is some
straightforward advice that technology solution providers can apply,
whatever their service offering may be, to ensure that clients stay
with them for the long run.
Create service delivery standards
Every interaction with a customer, whether it’s in person or remotely
via automation tools, affects customer service levels. It’s important
to create standards for those interactions so your customers always
know what to expect from you.
One way to do this is by building a knowledge base of standard
solutions to common problems. This way, any technician servicing any
customer can quickly find the documentation outlining a particular
fix and implement it.
It is also worth taking the time to educate customers on your service
delivery standards and processes to set reasonable expectations from
the start. Service level agreements (SLAs) help keep your customers
and team on the same page, and if customers know what to expect from
you, they’re less likely to have inflated expectations that you later
have to dispel.
Implement a record-keeping process
Over the lifetime of a contract, your client could have interactions
with several members of your team, which may result in a different
experience every time. One way of ensuring they have consistently
exceptional service is detailed documentation.
Having a unified process for documenting client conversations, issues
and configurations - usually in a CRM system - can be the difference
between an acceptable and an exceptional customer experience. If a
client calls about a recurring issue, and your team member is able to
see straight away what the previous problems have been, it reassures
the customer that the technician knows their situation, even if it’s
the first time this particular employee has spoken to them.
Stay in front of your clients
While automation tools are great for being efficient, they can result
in long periods of time where you don’t touch base with your clients.
But this is a service business, and client retention is heavily
influenced by human interaction.
There are a number of simple and effective ways of reaching out to
clients, from service anniversaries to sharing helpful technical tips
and following up after problems are solved to ensure there are no
residual issues.
Not hearing from a client doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is
fine. While many people will feel no need to contact the company if
they’re satisfied, others will quietly grumble about flaws in service
or products, and will seek alternatives without even voicing their
complaints so the situation can be remedied.
Offer two-way communication
Quarterly business reviews are one way to proactively stay in front
of your customers on a regular basis. These can be used to discuss
reporting, show the number of issues that have been fixed and
demonstrate the value of your services, and can also solidify
contract renewals long before it’s time to re-sign.
Finally, customer satisfaction surveys can be a valuable way of
retaining clients. A big part of your job is resolving issues quickly
for clients when problems arise, and dissatisfaction with the process
or resolution of these issues can play a large role in customers`
overall opinion of your services.
Building customer satisfaction surveys into your service delivery can
give customers an opportunity to voice concerns as well as pro