When a client communicates their experience with you, your team and your organization, are you hearing their message and really listening?
Sharing good experiences with your company and complimenting your team is great to hear. What are they actually trying to tell you? How do you react to the compliment?
Listen to what they are sharing with you. Understand what sets you and your team apart. What if the message is neutral as in yes we had an OK experience with your Team? How do you respond? Asking questions to further understand what they liked and did not like? Drill down to understand what their expectations were will help to provide a better experience in the future. Qualifying, understanding and setting expectations are all critical in setting the stage for continued success.
We dislike the negative and candid feedback. How do you handle this? These are the clients that care the most about your organization and are educating you to do better. You probably do not believe this and kid yourself in saying “this does not happen to us”. That is OK and you can keep telling yourself this while great teams embrace it and take care of their clients.
Listen to the voice of the client. We have heard the expression “there are three sides to every story: yours, mine and somewhere between is the truth”. Here is a golden nugget for you: the reality is the perception of the client about their experience with your business.
What are you hearing when you listen to the voice of your client?