Intentional Client Care
As a web designer I’ve met with many “first-time” clients unhappy with their previous designer’s lack of communication. It became a common complaint. They hadn’t experienced a positive customer relationship. To avoid being on the wrong end of that conversation, I decided to improve my own game through intentional client care.
I’m sharing the strategies I adopted that can help you deliver better service, communicate more clearly and build stronger relationships with your clients.
Learn how to improve client communication, increase client understanding and deliver better service.
Key Takeaways
Being intentional about our Client Care can unlock the keys to developing a better customer relationship.
One simple email a week is the simplest strategy that can help improve client communications and make them feel they are being consistently looked after.
A hand written note at the beginning and ending of larger projects is a personal touch that is often forgotten but greatly appreciated.
Video has never been faster and easier to create. They are also the most efficient way to educate clients about processes and strategies that are difficult to understand.
One of the most reliable ways to create a flourishing and ongoing business is by delivering high-value service to loyal clients – past, present and future. That is, consistently excellent assistance through intentional client care. This post outlines 5 strategies a web design agency can use to improve client communication, increase client understanding, deliver better service and maintain the client relationship.
1. Friday Email Strategy
A simple email to level up client communications
The Friday Email is an approach I first heard from The Admin Bar’s Nathan Ingram. The Friday Email is a strategy Nathan recommended to help improve client communications.
During the week we keep a record of the tasks we have completed for website maintenance jobs, design projects, and other retainer based works. We record this in our Milanote dashboard, but it can be done in a Google Drive document, Notepad or any CRM.
We have created an email template in our Zoho CRM with a fun, weekend welcoming header image. Then at the end of each week, we send an email that lists those completed tasks, and indicates any activities we will be completing in the coming week.
Typically we only send the Friday Email to those clients we have done work for, but haven’t had direct contact with during the week. This way, it keeps them in the loop on how their project is progressing. For those who are on a monthly retainer they will know that work is being done for the money they pay.
Watch Nathan’s outline and advantages of the Friday Email here.
2. Client Onboarding Strategy
A hand written note of welcome & appreciation
Once upon a time we used to get mail, in the letter box, daily! Then email, text messages and DMs arrived so it was only bills that arrived there. Hence we started to dread checking it each day. But now, those bills are digital too! That means, mail in the letter box is a rare treat! What joy when there is a good old fashioned, hand written note, just for you, with words of kindness and appreciation.
Welcome new clients with a special hand-written note as part of your client onboarding process. And, say “thank you” at the end of each project with another meaningful message in the mail.
At my agency (Artifex Marketing Studio) we use A5 size cards specially printed and then write our personalised note on the reverse side. The cards are sent in a lovely gold envelope, so they truly stand out as something special in the mailbox.
Jennifer Bourn includes a message template you can use and customise in her program The Profitable Project Plan, especially for website designers and agency owners.
3. Client Education & Understanding Strategy
Use video to explain website proposals & audits
Quite often, when delivering a quote, proposal, a website audit or report we are speaking about topics and concepts that are difficult for the recipient to follow, while using terminology that seems basic to us but way as well be a foreign language to them.
When those documents are sent in an email (without a conversation to accompany it) I have found that sending a video alongside it, that explains the key content of the document, has been very well received. In fact, I’ve had clients months and years later mention to me that they remembered the video and really appreciated my creating it for them, as it helped them understand the process better. When my quote or proposal has been alongside other submissions, the feedback and results have always been positive.
To do this, I simply use Vimeo’s screen recording feature. But there are other options for recording your screen and your voice such as Loom. Simply walk through the document as you would if the recipient was sitting beside you. It doesn’t need to have fancy editing, music or post-production. Just keep it simple, as though you were actually sitting with them and going through it together.
Including explainer videos like this can be a stand out feature that sets you a notch above your competition.
Jennifer Bourn includes a message template you can use and customise in her program The Profitable Project Plan, especially for website designers and agency owners.
4. Customer Support & Service Strategy
Integrate a support service knowledge system
In time, you will come to realise that many customers are often asking you the same questions – repeatedly. The answers to most of these can quickly be found in a Google search. But they will come to you instead, which in a sense is a positive thing, as it means you are foremost in the minds, even ahead of Google.
How can you get ahead of this, so that the answer to their questions is found quickly without taking up your time? There are a number of approaches you can take:
- Develop a knowledgebase / solution system where you can record the question and corresponding answer. Then, when it is asked of you, simply refer to the article in your knowledge base and copy/paste your response in an email. Most CRMs will include a knowledgebase or solutions component.
- Another option is to implement a customer support system, and educate your clients in turning to it first. Zoho Desk is one solution. It includes a self service feature which allows you to embed a knowledge base and AI capabilities into your website, to help your customers find answers quickly.
- A third option, is to have the wording for emails that answer the questions templated, so you can quickly and easily send a reply email. Or, incorporating the Question/Answer scenario as an FAQ section on your website.
Both the CRM and Desk apps are available together in the Zoho One platform option (this is the one I personally use).
Whichever option you choose, the aim is to reduce the amount of time you spend supporting clients’ frequently asked questions by having your responses prepared and stored for fast and easy access.
5. Customer Retention Strategy
Maintain relationship by keeping in regular contact with past clients
It’s easy to keep in contact with clients while you are working on a project. But what happens once that project is complete? Does the communication stop as well? Do you fall off their radar? Then, in time, they connect with someone else who offers the same service as you through a networking event, colleague or family friend.
The way to prevent this common cycle is by developing a customer retention strategy. Here are some options specifically suited to website designers:
- Develop website maintenance services or care plans that they can sign up to as an ongoing monthly service.
- For clients not on a care plan, build in to your business process a regular reminder (eg every 2 months) reminding them of a quick but essential update service.
- If you serve a particular niche or industry vertical, develop a series of tools, document templates, or social share graphics that they can subscribe to, to receive by weekly or monthly automated emails.
- Start a monthly zoom call for past and present clients to join in to. You can demonstrate and educate ways they can use their website or digital marketing activities to improve their own business reach, lead gen or sales, while providing a networking opportunity.
