8 Ways to Build Great Customer Relationships
Top customer relationship tips from our experienced VAs.
A robust relationship with your customers is a key ingredient to success in just about any industry. From the white-collar to blue-collar professions, big companies to one-man-bands, building trust and respect makes life and business much smoother.
As virtual assistants, we come into contact with both our own clients and their customers—and providing our clients’ customers with the best possible experience is top priority. So for pointers and advice on building great customer relationships, where better to turn than our very own team?
Read on for top tips from the wonderful Released VAs!
Early communication when issues arise.
VA Emma says this: “Communicate early when issues crop up. Create an action plan to fix the problem.”
Proactive problem-solving is one of the ways we create and maintain a great rapport with our clients and their customers. Issues will come—but deal with them quickly and transparently.
Find the most convenient comms method.
VA Nadia says this: “I've found working with the client to find their most convenient form of communication makes things run a lot more smoothly.”
Don’t force a communication channel that’s not natural to the client. If they prefer email over text messages or a phone call rather than a video call, go with the flow!
Share a bit of life, and listen to what they are willing to share.
VA Lucy says this: “Share some of your life with them (in a professional way). I've done it by letting my client know I may be out for the morning and will get back to him at lunchtime for work tasks due to taking my toddler to the park, for example.”
VA Laura adds: “I've also found that building a bit of rapport with the aspects of their life outside of work has also helped a fair bit.”
A personal connection, within the comfort levels of both yourself and the client or customer, can make business transactions brighter and easier.
Set clear boundaries and expectations.
VA Lou says this: “Time block and be firm with hours. Start the way you mean to continue and be upfront with your availability. You can always bend your own rules later in the game and accommodate urgent or emergency tasks, but it is very hard to re-establish if you don't have it outlined in the beginning.”
Enough said—clear expectations and boundaries are the basis of any healthy relationship!
Keep notes.
Marketing team leader Christina says this: “Keep notes on your customers and clients, whether it be personal, professional, or anything else. It goes a long way when you remember the little things.”
Keep yourself up to date with everything that’s going on with your clients and regular customers. You won’t regret it!
Ask questions.
VA Wendy says this: “Don't be afraid to ask questions. We can't know everything and everyone processes and understands things differently.”
No-one’s a mind-reader! Asking a question now is better than making a mistake down the road due to lack of information.
Communicate consistently.
Director Kellie says: “Listen carefully when a client is giving instructions. At the conclusion repeat back to them what you understand they have asked you to do and what they will be doing.”
Time spent making sure that you and your client are on the same page is never wasted. It can allow you to avoid many issues down the road.
We hope that those practical tips are helpful as you create strong, profitable relationships within your business! Investing in connections can seem like another thing to tick off the to-do list, but it is time well spent in the long term.
Released can help you to nurture and maintain customer relationships. In fact, Customer Relationship Management is one of our most popular services—and the team is recognised for their polite, professional, and friendly manner with clients’ customers. Book a chat with Kellie to talk about how we can help!
