It all boils down to relationship, relationship & relationship.
In today’s highly competitive world of public relations in the ME, it’s not place, but bond that counts at almost everything you do. And, if you are part of a public relations agency, it starts with client contentment. Without great clients and your relationships with them, you cannot be successful. So when it comes to client service, there are a few things that drive the method like:
1. Listen carefully
Almost all great agencies the world over always rank listening as one of the single best way to help clients succeed. Through listening, we will be able to learn why clients stay up at night and how PR or other communications techniques can solve their problems. How we can create a team with the skills our clients seek. And, what will produce success.
2. Beat expectations.
It is sometimes very easy to meet expectations. But, true bonding will only happen it when you exceed expectations—specifically when you can do it over and over again. Now, this doesn’t imply that you set the bar so low that you will succeed. It does mean that you should always be looking for that extra twist that makes the client experience “unforgettable.”
3. Be there through good times and bad.
In today’s global economic situation most of the industries clients are facing a crunch situation and some are facing very challenging waters. When times get tough, we should be there with our clients. If a crisis arises, we need to be ready to lend a hand. When it is necessary, we provide services beyond the call. Our clients become our family.
4. Have in depth knowledge of their business.
Every day is a education experience. That goes for learning your client’s business. You will never be able to be as savvy as a client or their technical staff about their products, but you can come as close as you can. You hire technically smart individuals to move your firm forward, and you reward them for their achievements. By knowing your client’s business, you go a long way to retaining the client.
5.Continue to reinvent yourself.
I had a former client compliment me by saying that he was impressed how many times that we have been able to reinvent itself to stay competitive and provide top notch services. It used to be you had to reinvent yourself every three to five years. Now, it seems like it is every year. You do this by hiring smart people, staying current with technology and looking in the mirror and asking “am I the best I can be.”
6.Track results.
We are doing everything we can to monitor, track, count, compare, evaluate and measure what we do for clients. We have a responsibility to provide the best report card we can for what we do. If a client invests in our firm, we invest in the research and tracking mechanisms able to tell us whether what we do works or does not meet expectations. Information is power. What we know helps our clients win.