How loud is your clients’ voice in your business?

Happy new year to you, I hope you had a wonderful break. I enjoyed lots of down time with my family, something which was much needed!

You may have already set your resolutions or goals for 2022 but I’d urge you to consider the following, as one to add to your list: Amplifying the voice your clients have in your business.

‘Voice of the client’ is another name for client listening, an activity you already know that I strongly advocate. But I’d like you to think about taking it one step further. You’ve heard what your clients think about your business and how you make them feel, but what comes next? What comes after putting the positive comments on your website and social media, and addressing any areas of concern?

Here are my thoughts:

  • As well as updating your testimonials, change the language on your website, marketing materials and in your new business proposals so it reflects what your clients have told you. It’s much more compelling to say, ‘Our clients tell us we’re commercial, pragmatic, approachable etc’ rather than just ‘We are commercial, pragmatic, approachable etc’.

  • Talk publicly and with your colleagues about your client listening programme. Plan some communications around why you undertook the exercise, what you learned and what will change as a result. This demonstrates integrity and commitment to your clients, making them more likely to participate in future activities because they know you take them, and the sort of service you offer them, seriously.

  • Give your clients a seat at the table. When you’re having a board or management meeting – is someone representing your clients at that meeting? Whoever is listening to your clients, should be representing them in that forum, as well as disseminating the results of your listening activities and making sure action is being taken as necessary – whether that’s minor tweaks to your billing processes or re-working your entire client journey. If you’re feeling brave, you might even invite an actual client to be part of your leadership team! A longstanding client who knows your business and will be robust in their views makes an ideal candidate for this.

I hope these points are helpful. As I keep saying, client listening is not just about retention. Prospects will be attracted to businesses who demonstrate a client-centric approach so you’re likely to find that it helps you draw new business in.

I’m working with a number of businesses to make sure the voices of their clients are heard loud and clear through client listening programmes and more, so please do get in touch to discuss how I can help amplify your clients’ voice too.

To sign up for my Happy Client Newsletter, complete the form below.