Developing and Maintaining

a Extraordinary Client Service Culture

Creating Customer Loyalty

What would it be like if your firm had a culture where extraordinary client service was

the norm? What would it be like to work there? How would it impact the profitability

of the firm?

Obviously, providing extraordinary client service on a consistent basis would increase a

firm’s client base and create loyalty which, of course, would lead to increased profits.

Every firm is in business to increase profits, however not every firm provides

extraordinary client service on a consistent basis. Why not? Most likely because they

don’t know how to create a culture that will ensure the maintenance of extraordinary

client service. Following is the process for creating just that type of culture within your

organization:

Step 1: The Firm (senior management) declares a commitment to developing and

maintaining an Extraordinary Client Service Culture.

This declaration of commitment has to start at the senior management level. It has to be

something that is not taken lightly, but is taken on as a major initiative within the whole

firm. Once the commitment has been declared among senior management and clearly

articulated, it must then be communicated to the entire firm.

Step 2: Each employee makes a personal commitment to Extraordinary Client

Service.

This can be accomplished in a training session or lunchtime meetings, where the senior

management team articulates the firm’s commitment to extraordinary client service. It is

important that employees see what is in it for them to provide quality client service. You

can appeal to their sense of pride and integrity as well as (potentially) discuss an

incentive program that the firm has set up to reward them for extraordinary, "above and

beyond" client service.

Step 3: The Firm develops an ongoing training program in Extraordinary Client

Service for new and current employees.

Providing quality client service is not something that people naturally know how to do.

In fact, in this day and age it is difficult to find role models for extraordinary client

service. It is critically important that the firm provides a client service training program.

This program can be provided by your internal training department or by outsourcing it.

Step 4: Poor client service is reprimanded and quality client service is

acknowledged and rewarded.

It is important that there is complete consistency with regard to providing extraordinary

client service. Partners/Managers need to pay attention to how well employees are doing

in providing such service. If poor client service is viewed by management or another

employee or reported by a client, it must be dealt with immediately. It should be

reprimanded in a respectful way as well as corrected. This may require individual work

with the employee, discovering what happened, what needs to be changed, and how those

changes are going to be implemented.

Step 5: Extraordinary Client Service practices are included in the employee

handbook and policy manual.

You want to make sure that from the very moment someone is hired they are very clear

about the firm’s commitment to creating a Extraordinary Client Service Culture. Having

the firm’s client service practices included in the employee handbook and policy manual

is an added reminder to new as well as seasoned employees.

Step 6: Hiring practices are put into place that ensure new employees already have

a client service oriented value system.

Many firms only ask questions during an employment interview that ensure the new hire

is technically proficient in the position for which they are being hired. If a firm is

committed to ensuring they hire people who are committed to, or at least interested in

providing extraordinary client service, then they must ask questions during employment

interviews that will fulfill upon that commitment.

Step 7: All managers and supervisors model Extraordinary Client Service.

Employees are treated the way the firm wants them to treat the client.

When many firms commit to a change initiative of some sort, they provide training for

the employees but the management staff is often "excused" from the training. It is

extremely important that every single person (yes, even senior management) be included

in whatever training is provided and required for the employees. How can a

partner/manager hold an employee accountable for providing extraordinary client service

if they are unable to model it themselves, exactly the way they want the employees to? In

whatever way the firm is requiring all employees to treat clients, they also need to

require all employees to treat each other the same way.

Step 8: Extraordinary Client Service is practiced at all levels of the firm.

With a consistent and continuous training program and practices in place that ensure all

employees are committed, trained, and acknowledged for providing extraordinary client

service, the firm is ensured that quality client service is being provided at all levels.

Step 9: Annual client service surveys are conducted. Results are distributed to all

employees.

Create a client feedback survey program. Your clients can give you this feedback

annually by mail, email, or in person. You might want to come up with an incentive for

the clients who fill out the form. You can also have a system where clients always have

the opportunity to fill out a form to acknowledge an employee or express a complaint. A

survey should also be conducted internally to get employee feedback on how the firm, as

a whole, is doing on fulfilling the commitment and the policies laid out by senior

management.

"Above all, we wish to avoid having a dissatisfied client. We consider our clients a

part of our organization, and we want them to feel free to make any criticism they

see fit in regard to our merchandise or service. Sell practical, tested merchandise at

reasonable profit, treat your clients like human beings -- and they will always come

back."

L.L. Bean
American Businessman, Founder of L.L Bean

Now that you know the steps to creating your firm culture to be one where each

employee is committed to providing extraordinary client service, its time for you to

begin to design practices for your firm that are… above and beyond. Let’s take a look at

some examples from actual companies to help get you started:

The Ritz Carlton hotel chain gives each employee a budget of up to $2,000 per

client to resolve any client’s complaint or problem - without going to a manager

for approval!

A guest at a hotel called the front desk to complain about the quality of the pillows

and ask if they had any goose down pillows. The desk clerk said that they did not

but that someone would go out immediately and purchase down pillows for the

guest. The desk clerk then asked how many the guest wanted. The guest then said

that two would be fine. A half-hour later three down pillows were delivered to the

guest's room along with a basket of fruit as an apology for the inconvenience.

A secretary for a major shipping company gets a frantic call from a bride-to- be saying

that her wedding dress has not arrived and her wedding is the next day. The bride is in

tears. The secretary promises her she will find her dress and make sure it is there in

plenty of time for her wedding. She tracks down the dress. It has been delivered by

mistake to a remote location where none of their own planes are scheduled to depart

until the next day. The secretary charters a private plane to deliver the dress to the bride

and it arrives in plenty of time for the wedding. Now, the best part of this story... That

delivery service was on the verge of bankruptcy. At the wedding reception, the bride was

so thrilled with the delivery service company that she shared what they had done. One of

the guests was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company and was so impressed with what the

bride had to say that he hired the company to service all their locations, thus saving them

from bankruptcy. That company is still in existence today and flourishing. That company

is Fed Ex.

What is an example of extraordinary client service that your firm could include here?

If you are the head of a firm or an associate within a firm and want to begin the process

of bringing an Extraordinary Client Service culture into your firm, take on the following

exercises:

1. Calculate the financial cost of losing just one average size client.

2. Review the nine steps to creating your Extraordinary Client Service Culture,

create a plan, and set dates for completing at least steps 1 and 2.

3. If you are really committed and ready to move as quickly as possible, also create

a plan and set dates for completing steps 3 and 4.

4. You’ve gotten this far, you might as well complete steps 5 and 6.

If you are an employee and want to take on providing extraordinary client service, take

on the following exercises:

1. If you have access to the information, calculate the financial cost of losing one

client.

2. Create a list of all the extraordinary client service practices that you personally

could provide for the clients with whom you work.

3. Talk to the appropriate people in your organization about taking on what is

written in this article. You can start by showing them the article.

We would love to hear from you as you move through the process of developing your

firm’s extraordinary client service culture. If you have any questions, need any coaching,

or would like help with your plan, please feel free to call us for a complimentary

consultation.