Well, for starters, client management refers to your customer relationship with your clients and how you should be paying a lot more attention to them.
Running a successful business is not just about bringing in clients it is about keeping them.
It is more about keeping old clients around than getting new ones. According to statistics, almost 65% of a company’s business comes from repeat clients. Not only that, client retention is a lot easier on the pockets than client acquisition (at least 82% of companies agree!).
In this article, we will be discussing the meaning of client management, good client management, tips to improve your client managerial skills, and its benefit.
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!
What is Client Management?
To understand its importance, we must first understand the meaning of client management.
The simplest way to define client management is that it is the process that streamlines interactions between your organization and clients.
It’s these interactions that help you retain your clients, and if done correctly, it can even help you get new clients on board.
The Basics of Good Client Management
Perhaps the easiest way to understand good client management is to understand its content. In this regard, the overall process of good client management is described in the following steps:
- Focus
- Understand
- Evaluate
- Deliver
Focus
Begin by focusing on targeted communications with your clients. This is the first and perhaps the most important part of the client management process, and it’s because this is where you can gauge the needs of your client.
Establish a distinct method of communication with your clients so you can ultimately be on the same page as them when it comes to their needs – This can be achieved with the aid of client management accounting software.
Understand
Once you have established a connection with the client, you must get to understand what it is that they want. This requires you to update the client regularly, have meetings, and interact with them as frequently as possible. The aim is to understand what they want.
Evaluate
Understanding the clients’ needs is not where your relationship should end. You must also evaluate those needs on your own. This will allow you to know what the client wants/needs, even before they realize it.
Essentially, evaluation is where you optimize your work processes for the client and ensure that they resonate with them.
Deliver
And lastly – delivery. The way you deliver the needs of every client is what wraps up the whole client management process.
It’s the last thread, and as such, must be executed seamlessly. However, after delivery, you should be open to evolving the client management relationship by checking up with them, responding to queries, and making required adjustments.
How to Improve Client Management
Now you understand the meaning of client management and good client management – it’s time to review ways to improve your client relationship with tips on client management.
- Under-promise and over-deliver
- Involve the client in your processes
- Use a client management tool
- Follow up and check-in
- Learn to say no
Under-promise and over-deliver.
Timing is very important to clients. That’s the reason it’s always better to under-promise and over-deliver when meeting their needs.
Always be realistic about what you can provide your clients – don’t get carried away and promise something you can’t deliver.
Once you make a promise, go over and beyond to provide them with an even better service than you promised. This way, you can leave them pleasantly surprised and with a lasting impression.
Involve the client in your processes.
Clients love it when they feel special, looked after, and in the loop. For this reason, you should always involve the client in your process.
Whether in terms of goal-setting or improvements, you need to stay in touch with the client, communicate your concerns, and make them feel listened to when they respond. At the end of the day, this is one of the most important aspects of the client management process.
Use a client management tool.
As already mentioned a hundred times, communication with clients is arguably the most important thing you need to focus on. This can be done only with the assistance of a client management tool. There are many options you can look into, but Vencru is quite possibly the best choice!
It’s not only because Vencru offers amazing features to help you keep track of your clients which makes it an excellent software for client management, but also because you can use it as accounting software that will help you streamline other aspects of your business as well.
The best part is that both as accounting software and a client relationship management tool, Vencru can be used completely free of cost, which will ultimately help you save money and stay within the seams of your budget.
Follow up and check-in.
Following up on clients and making sure that they are satisfied with your services in every way possible is important. It should be an integral part of your schedule when it comes to providing your clients with top-notch services.
Another important thing to remember is to make sure that whatever communications you have with your clients outside of the actual service you’re giving, you include a personal touch to it.
As we said, there is nothing your clients like more than feeling special, and a personal follow-up message you send them will improve your image in their eyes.
Learn to say no.
This kind of links back to the first point. You need to be honest with your clients. If the clients request you for something that is not practical or something you feel won’t be the best for them, you need to learn how to refuse them.
Needless to say, this must be done in a way that doesn’t offend the client. However, remember to always be honest, upfront, and helpful by offering them an alternate solution that is more likely to work out in their favor.
Boosting your client’s managerial skills keeps you away from experiencing difficult client’s and when you do, you’ll always have a method to satisfy their business needs.
Client Management with Vencru | Invoicing Software Small Business
The more you focus on your clients, the better it is for your business. A key aspect to remember is that at the end of the day, it is your clients that can help your business succeed, and hence they deserve all your attention, time, and resources.
Investing in accounting software or invoicing software that also comes with client management features is the best thing you can do for your business. For example, Vencru accounting and invoicing software equip small businesses with the right resources to help them navigate the market better, but that’s not where its contribution towards your business ends. Vencru can also help you implement employee management, bookkeeping, and expense tracking into your business with Vencru.
Read this interesting blog to understand the benefits of tracking your business expenses regularly.
So, get Vencru today and evolve your business like never before. For more information, visit our website.