What do your clients really want from your agency?

Surely, you must be thinking that your company specializes in digital marketing or web design; however the most important area of your business has to be customer satisfaction.

It is normal to hear complaints about how hard it is to please customers and although it is a big challenge, this is your ultimate responsibility.

It is very easy to get wrapped up in work and in growing your business, which inevitably leads to assumptions as to what clients want and need. Here are some strategies for improving customer service.

This article presents a few of the principal things that every client expects from their digital marketing and web design agencies. Possibly these are things that you are already aware of since they are the same things that you look for as a client. So, let’s find out what clients want!

1. To be understood

Clients want to know that you understand them, that you understand their business, their sector, their challenges, and what it is they are working to achieve. Simply put, they want to be understood. They hope that your team has experience, specialized knowledge, or that, at a minimum, they have taken the trouble to do some research.

So to avoid the terrible error of making false assumptions all you have to do is listen, ask intelligent questions, and listen some more.

2. Numbers

It is not surprising that clients want statistics. They want your agency to be able to measure and report on achievements, failures, results, and create recommendations during and after a project or campaign.

In fact, this is can be a complex challenge for a many agencies, particularly when establishing metrics, such as the impact of a new logo or the launch of a brand.

3. Agility

Due to their size, the internal structures of the companies of many your clients tend to be more rigid, hierarchical, and bureaucratic and when looking for an agency, they want the complete opposite.

While on some occasions it can be arduous to make changes, or come to a decision, or to adjust policies that better favour the client, they expect that you are able to act and adapt quickly and efficiently.

Remember that you are working in a fast-changing sector. As such, it is necessary that you react to all of these changes with the goal of ensuring the success your clients.

It is essential that the internal mechanisms of your agency respond quickly. Don’t forget to keep an open mind about changing plans!

4. Precise estimates

Never forget that no one, absolutely no one wants surprises where money is concerned. You entire agency must be precise in calculating project fees and must remain faithful to them.

It is also necessary to understand how your clients work and to be clear with them as to how their own actions and choices can influence the budget such as project review meetings, the time they need to make decisions, as well as possible changes in strategy.

Clearly describe what the budget parameters are, establish limits and alert the client before they exceed those limits. Everyone understands that unexpected situations arise during the course of a project therefore you need to discuss these possible situations ahead of time and decide how they will be addressed. Do this before it’s too late!

5. Attention

This one might seem obvious, nevertheless many agencies stop paying attention because they are very busy. No matter what, clients want their mails, phone calls, and questions to be answered and they want that their concerns are addressed quickly.

It might be that your working team has great ideas and has a great deal of experience but if they do not pay attention to the client when they ought to, all of those positives become meaningless. Remember that clients want is to feel assured that what you are doing will be good for everyone involved.

Make sure that they know that phone calls or e-mails will be responded to before the end of the day or within 24 hours (of course, emergency situations demand faster responses). Above all, set the highest level of service possible and fully explain to your client what is involved. In this way they will know what to expect.

6. Solutions

This is nothing new, really. Clients look to you for fantastic ideas and innovative strategies. They want you to give them what they have been unable to imagine and that you will help their business develop. They are not interested in helping you expand your portfolio of projects. Don’t forget that!

The easiest way to make clients happy is to stop thinking that they are from another planet. At one time or another you too have been a client, so then, how do you want to be treated? What are your expectations when working with an external provider?

As the head of your agency, just like your clients, you are working to grow your business, keep costs down, and differential your business from the competition. So let’s get to it!

 

Edith Gómez, external collaborator and editor at Gananci.com

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Tags: digital marketing|Edith Gómez