Your clients probably demand a lot from you and your sales team. If you can’t meet their requests, they may consider parting ways to work with a competitor. While you are expected to deliver the products and services your clients need, you should also be looking for ways to improve the customer experience.

How can you make it easier for clients to get information? What are some ways you can go above and beyond? Clients today often expect more than what they signed up for on their contract.

Sophia Bernazzani, a content marketing professional who started and manages the HubSpot Service Blog, says sales professionals can do a few things to enhance every client interaction. We share her tips in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.

1. Demonstrate empathy and gratitude. Be generous in thanking your clients for everything—from their patience if they had to wait to their time if they left feedback. You can also be empathetic by apologizing when clients have an issue or complaint. Bernazzani recommends treating customers as you want to be treated as a customer. Always aim to be upbeat and gracious.

2. Always follow up. Never leave your clients hanging. If you can’t provide an answer right away, give them an exact and reasonable time frame on when they can expect a resolution. Be sure to respond to every client outreach, whether they sent an email, a social media comment, or a text.

3. Be transparent and communicative. According to Bernazzani, sales professionals should always exercise transparency when communicating with clients. This is especially important if you have made a mistake. Communicate how the issue happened and how it won’t happen again. If it could happen again, be upfront about it so the client can prepare.

4. Request (and act on) client feedback. When you regularly ask for client feedback, you can identify potential problems that may lead your clients to leave. Surveys also allow your clients to voice their thoughts on your products or service in a way that makes them feel valued, notes Bernazzani.

5. Double down on the delight. While you can always send a custom gift or a discount, you can also add delight by simple actions such as sending a thank-you letter or giving a shout-out on social media. Bernazzani says these actions go a long way toward building goodwill and an emotional connection.

6. Go where your client are. If a client sends an email, don’t respond back with a number for them to call. You can make their experience much smoother and more enjoyable by meeting them where they are. Bernazzani says sales teams should always strive to respond to customers on the same platform they originally used.

7. Be authentic. In other words—talk like a human. Your clients don’t want to hear scripted corporate-speak. However, you should always remain professional, notes Bernazzani. While you don’t need to be formal, you should stay mindful of your language.

Remember that the customer experience doesn’t end with the sale. To improve every client interaction, you must look for ways to make their experience better. You can start the process by following the seven tips above.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Sophia Bernazzani started and manages the HubSpot Service Blog.