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You probably already conduct a client satisfaction survey, but if you don’t, start now. Put one together as soon as you can, to get quantifiable feedback on such areas as your team’s apparent ability to perform dependably, accurately, and consistently. Look into your clients’ views on service delivery, promptness of delivery, problem resolution, and empathy and, of course, the physical aspects of service, such as readability of statements, etc.
Consider surveying twenty-five percent of your clients every quarter, and think about linking a portion of compensation to the scores received.
The finesse of the client experience/productivity equation is achieved through knowing how much the level of service expected is going to cost you, relative to the anticipated revenue. If you can’t calculate this, you simply will not know what your profit margin should be. And get down to the detail. Analyze every single client touch-point--understand the importance of each touch point and the cost of providing that touch point. Cover mail, electronic, telephone and face-to-face touch points. I learned many years ago to get into minute detail on this issue so that I could understand the cost and revenue attributable to every action chosen.
These steps may seem unnecessary, but trust me, even when the business is small this analysis helps to price elements of your service correctly, and to know when to balance client expectations, competitive offerings, and your own capabilities, resources and attitudes. Then, you can go out there with confidence knowing that your clients actually want what you promise, and whether you can deliver on those promises.