{"id":123582,"date":"2024-05-24t13:55:01","date_gmt":"2024-05-24t17:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/?p=123582"},"modified":"2024-08-29t23:53:12","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30t03:53:12","slug":"service-quality-the-key-to-client-retention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2024\/05\/24\/service-quality-the-key-to-client-retention\/","title":{"rendered":"service quality: the key to client retention"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"smiling<\/strong><\/p>\n

bonus: a list of 10 best practices.<\/strong><\/p>\n

by august j. aquila<\/i>
\nprice it right: how to value accounting services<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

in an earlier post<\/a>, i discussed the cost that firms incur because of poor service. you may recall that the firm in question (a $7 million firm) lost $435,000 because of its poor service quality. once it realized this, it took immediate steps to improve its service quality. here are four things that became more evident to the firm:<\/p>\n

more: <\/b>calculate the cost of losing clients<\/a> | the secrets of great business developers<\/a> | dodge the four curses of a production orientation<\/a> | client acquisition never stops<\/a> | \u2018sales\u2019 is not a four-letter word<\/a> | maybe what you need is a marketing audit<\/a> | three types of marketing message, and which is best<\/a> | why you need progress billing<\/a> | five tips for cross-selling and upselling<\/a> | five keys to successful marketing<\/a>
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  1. the firm realized that when it comes to service quality, there is always room for improvement. the more you give your clients, the more they will expect . don\u2019t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this; it\u2019s just a fact of life. the firm started to benchmark the best practices in service quality. a list of the best practices they identified is included at the end of this post.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    1. the firm also realized that it is the client who defines service quality, not the service provider. the only thing that matters is what the client says. all clients expect a certain level of performance from their service provider. when that level is not provided, the client becomes dissatisfied. it might be as simple as the time it takes to return a call or answer a basic question.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      you won\u2019t know the client\u2019s expectations unless you ask for them. when was the last time you asked your clients what their expectations were? unless you know, you won\u2019t be able to determine if you met, exceeded or failed to meet their expectations. treat each client individually. service providers must identify at least the three service dimensions that are most important to the client and then measure how you are going against them.<\/p>\n

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      1. service quality is everyone\u2019s responsibility. there is no way to delegate it. the partner can\u2019t tell the manager and the senior on the engagement to provide quality service if he doesn\u2019t do it also. the firm began an extensive training program for all its personnel on handling client concerns and resolving minor issues before they become major problems. the staff had the power to make decisions. they were empowered to provide quality service, not just talk about it.<\/li>\n
      2. the firm built quality service into its processes. service quality is often a design issue. it is possible to design every service activity to include quality. the firm was able to identify three major types of service problems:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n