What Makes Excellent Client Service?
I recently had the chance to attend a virtual webinar hosted by Michelle Balch Lyng of our Public Relations Global Network partner agency, Novitas Communications in Denver. The webinar with PRGN members provided a comprehensive overview of what great client service entails and shared the essential attributes of a client relationship. Here is some of what I learned!
It all starts with getting off on the right foot in a client relationship, especially for public relations, which means determining how success is defined for your agency starting with a few questions:
- How will the agency be evaluated?
- What will success look like?
- How can we accomplish it?
Once these questions and the answers are established, you can set off to begin crafting the realistic goals your client looks to accomplish, both personal and professional, and how you fit into the mix as you manage expectations. In addition to goal setting, it’s also essential to identify the scope of work you will be handling.
During your client relationship, Lyng touched on the importance of accommodation in your work to deliver the client’s perspective. It is also important to anticipate needs in your work, even those your client may be unaware of. Anticipation in this role can help resolve problems by providing solutions or help you prepare for an opportunity at a moment’s notice.
Another important note in client relationships is awareness of your client personally. As your go-to contact for them and a trusted source, it’s important to have an outlook on their life including knowledge of their experience at the workplace, personal lives, aspirations, favorite things, hobbies, etc. Not only will you be pitching them and writing about them, but you will also likely be collaborating quite often over time.
Great client service can also come from developing valuable attributes over time that help manage client relationships effectively. These include:
- Willingness to learn: Investing time and effort in on-the-job training and skill-building.
- Good judgment: Reaching the right decision even when the boundaries are unclear.
- Patience: Not showing frustration in the face of complex issues.
- Grace under pressure: Maintaining composure and professionalism in stressful situations.
- Sense of humor: Lightening the mood and reminding everyone not to take things too seriously.
As for skills, some of the main elements that aid client service according to Lyng are the ability to communicate and write well, generate ideas, present well on your feet and know what to say and what not to say, interpreting context, and anticipating needs.
Are you seeking a public relations team with the keys outlined above? Contact HMA to find out how we can be a part of your journey in businesses of all industries.
