Be Available for Your Clients
December 7, 2006
My clients have grown to love the fact that I’m available quickly. If they e-mail me, chances are great that I’ll be sitting at my PC ready for their e-mail and in most cases; I have an e-mail back to them within five-ten minutes. My clients have always commented on this ability of mine and how much they appreciate my responsiveness and timeliness. So, how can you achieve this for your own business? It’s easy!
Be Available.
Okay, I know you are probably thinking “Duh, you just said that†but I wanted to be sure you really got it. If you want your clients to appreciate your responsiveness, be available at your computer at various intervals during the day and have your e-mail open – ready to accept new inbound mail. Set yourself up a schedule if you have other priorities and try to check in with your e-mail once an hour. If time does not allow that, set your own goal – maybe you want to respond within 24 hours or 48 hours. State this turn around time on your website and stick to it!
Use the Technology Your PC Gave You!
We all have some e-mail client installed on our computers. If you don’t, get yourself out to the nearest office supplies store and pick yourself up an e-mail software program… Immediately! Once you have it installed, if you didn’t already have a software program like this installed, open it up and set up your mail accounts to feed into one inbox. This way, you can keep close tabs on your mail and be able to answer all inbound e-mail rather quickly. I use Outlook and Outlook Express to handle my e-mails and I just love it!
Set Up a Voice Mail System for Your Phone
If you know you aren’t going to be available by phone during regular business hours, be sure to have a voice mail system in place and make sure to use it. Return phone calls within the same time limit you gave yourself for e-mail. This way, your clients know that if they leave you a message about something they need you to do or to look into, it will be taken care of in a timely manner. Also, don’t be afraid of the phone! Too many of us, now that we are moving into this internet focused era, have quit using our phones and turned to an e-mail only place of business. Pick up that phone and chat with your clients because it makes for a great business-consumer relationship.
Keeping in touch with your clients in a timely manner will mean more repeat business and more word-of-mouth advertising for you and a happy business for your client. It is your responsibility to provide to your client what your service standards state. If you don’t have service standards in place, abide by the age old rule: “do unto others as you would do unto yourself.â€
Erin Blaskie is The VA Coach, a virtual assistant coach who assists individuals wanting to become a virtual assistant get their businesses launched successfully and efficiently. Erin is also the Owner of Business Services, ETC (A Virtual Assistance Company) that serves business owners around the world. You can visit her on the web at http://www.thevacoach.com or http://www.bsetc.ca.
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