Client service is one of the best and the most challenging parts of what communicators do.
Whether you work as a freelancer, solo, in an agency or in-house, and regardless of whether your “client” is your leadership team, board or both—it isn’t easy.
Our jobs as communicators often combine with our roles as psychologists, because communication is about relationships. They are inseparable, and our relationship with our clients or leaders drives our success.
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Still, we often make things more difficult than they have to be. Here are the three biggest myths about client service:
Client service myth No. 1: You’ll respond right away 24/7.
Clients don’t need an immediate response. What we do is important, but we aren’t a 911 call center.
What clients must understand:
- When you will and will not respond
- What timeline they should expect for responses (for example, within 24 hours)
- When you will not respond (after 6 p.m. and before 8 a.m. Monday through Friday; anytime on the weekend, unless it’s an emergency)
- When a situation requires a unique communication or response time out of the norm (crisis, emergency, social media disaster)
You must adhere to those rules consistently: If you say you’ll respond to emails the same day, respond the same day, and if you say you won’t respond after 6 p.m., don’t respond after 6 p.m.
Then they will know what to expect and can trust you to follow through.
Realize that when you make an exception to your rules (in the name of offering better client service), you are doing the opposite. You’re creating an inconsistency. You’re setting a new rule; the client won’t understand the next time you follow the old one.
Client service myth No. 2: Clients want only media relations.
Clients want to be successful, to expand their business and revenue.
They might come to you for media relations only, because for many people that’s what PR is.
A prospect comes to you, looking for an expert. As that expert, if you don’t explain to them the other opportunities and evaluate how to best contribute to the success of their business, then the fault lies with you.
If a client says they want media relations work, dig deeper and evaluate their business goals. Maybe media relations does make sense (as part of an integrated program), but perhaps it doesn’t. Remember, media relations is a tactic, not a strategy.
Be the expert, and evaluate what the best strategy is to help the client reach their goals.
Client service myth No. 3: The client is always right.
Like all relationships, client service is a collaboration. You bring insight and expertise in communications. Clients bring intimate knowledge about their business and goals.
You work together to combine the two.
There will be times you disagree, when the client wants to do something you feel will not move them closer to their goals. In that instance, ask questions and have a productive discussion about the issue. If you still disagree, educate the client as to why the given tactic or strategy does not align with their goals.
These are often not easy discussions to have. It’s hard to disagree with a client and work through that confrontation, but it’s easier than explaining why you aren’t hitting your goals.
Bring problems to clients. Tell them when they are doing something detrimental. Tell them no.
Be transparent in areas where the organization must improve—and do so in a solution-minded way to help your clients understand why they should follow your suggested course of action.
Laura Petrolino is the chief client officer at Arment Dietrich, an integrated marketing communications firm. A version of this article originally appeared on the Spin Sucks blog.
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