#client expectation

Continuing from the previous post on client experience ,here we focus on how to design a client experience architecture  for a service business.Before we move any further on this topic lets touch upon client experience : Its that experience a client wishes  to carry with him through out the buying and post buying process. And providing a good experience  determines the success of any business,even more, in a service business.

So what are the basic principles that help us in developing an effective frame work for designing a client experience ? 

While every service category , industry segment , and geography has its own factors to include in the framework,here are a few important ones common to all:

 Service definition 

Defining the business and the customer profile  in unambiguous terms is the first step.This could also help in defining your mission and vision statements later. 

Defining the Value Proposition

Clearly define what problem the service offer solves and how does the service benefits the client.

Customer Empathy 

Step into the customers’ shoe.Understand and list the basic expectations you expect from the business you as a customer and  categorize them as must , good and nice to have fulfillment factors to design an effective client experience.

The act and process of  client understanding is not an one time affair, It requires continious observations feedback analysis,fine tuning at regular intervals.Say annually or as the business and its environment requires.It is a biggest learning for businesses that how the advent of COVID 19 completely  altered the client expectations from Service business.  

You may call this objectives of the client service framework and this forms the basic purpose of the organization.Display this key purpose across the organization and other digital platforms that employees so that it reminds the employees and other stake holders about the basic purpose of the business. 

Orient the entire organization 

Now that there is a set of known expectations we need to completely orient the entire organization beginning the founders all the way up to front desk- this may include those guarding your gates to those help keeping the premise clean. virtually everyone in the organization towards the client service framework.This now becomes the organization’s growth trajectory. 

Training the service team 

This is the team that actually delivers the promise of the organization to the client and hence there should be an extra emphasis on this team.Along with skills specific to the service,one common skill that all of them should carry with them is empathy. There are personalities who have a empathy embedded in them, that’s a natural.However, considerable degree of empathy can be instilled thro’ training and this should work too.Have an  an exclusive employee recognition policy in place - they are the prime movers !  

Test the service with a sample group and gather feedback effectively.This is a critical action .Many times its disheartening to hear a negative feedback in spite of our best efforts but then what we think may not be what it is .An effective feedback gathering is a best tool.

One aspect to be taken into account is the fact that,however best the design of the client service architecture be - with the best of it’s vision - there is bound to be a gap at the service implementation stage and the task of keeping this gap at it’s most minimum measure rests with the organisation’s upper management.  

Client data and feedback log is an essential will form an essential part of the client data and feedback analysis .This would help in furthering the CX architecture better.  

Make the customer the hero of your story. – Ann Handley 

 It is a well known fact that  prospects or clients rarely avail a service with out any expectations.No matter what the service is meant for - health, education, transport , hospitality etc, clients do come with a bunch of expectations. Although some expectations vary from service to service and a number of other factors  there are common expectations that a client looks forward to experience and this becomes a critical factor of services success.  Hence this write up is about those critical  expectations which would help services to align itself .This is  more likely to bring new clients and sustain a larger base of repeat clients and grow from there.  

First ,The most popular  expectation from a client -or let me interchangeably use the term ‘people’  for convenience - is a pleasant service experience ,I would say this forms a make or break of a service business.

Second,  providing people with adequate information - clearly before roping them in ! consultative selling of sorts .We will discuss this sometime soon exclusively 

Third,every client looks forward to receiving the service aspects as mentioned in the time frame promised (turn around time -TAT)

Fourthly , the service fee is as mentioned earlier and agreed upon with no hidden fee which spring as a surprise.

Those are basic expectations .However , the service provider may walk an  “extra mile” by supporting the client when a need arises.As in :The hotel may help their clients to book the flight tickets at no extra fee when the guest for some reason is unable to do so!