It costs 6 - 7 times more to acquire a new client than to retain the ones you already have.
As such, it pays to improve the client journey so that the clients you have keep coming back.
If you take it a step further and work on making the journey a delight, your clients will do the advertising for you.
Word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising, and it costs nothing.
We’ve got some clever, unique tips that most companies would never think of, but if you use them to improve the client journey, you can be sure you’ll not only boost retention rates but also score new clients without having to pay for them.
Tip #1: Get the basics right & get automated
The first step to improving the customer journey is mastering the very basics. It’s no good working to improve the customer journey if the product is poor.
It’s also important to first focus on things like client support, communication flows, standardisation, and where necessary, self-help solutions such as tutorials, videos, FAQ, etc.
In addition, all client touch points that can be automated should be to avoid as much risk as possible and free up staff time to focus on other important tasks.
Get started with automation with a CRM made for South African accountants by accountants.
Tip #2: Show simple appreciation
Simple appreciation for your clients goes a long way. Even if you need to include the cost of a gift into your pricing, a little something to say, “thank you” for your business will pay off.
If you want to take the idea a little further, pose questions to your clients in a registration form that will provide clues as to what type of little gift would be most appreciated according to their personalities. For example, one client may enjoy a bottle of wine, but another dark chocolate.
Add appreciation in client-facing procedures - find little ways to say “thank you” wherever possible. Remember, your goal is to build relationships, so do incorporate relationship-building methods into your workflows.
Tip #3: Ask for feedback & make changes
Once you’ve served clients, send a survey to ask for feedback, whether it’s positive or negative. Both are valuable to your firm and should be used for continual improvements.
To increase the response rate, you may need to offer them something relevant to your offerings that is of value to them. For example, “please provide feedback, and we’ll give you a discount on your next tax submission.”
Use the feedback to make changes where necessary.
Tip #4: Make it easy for clients to return
This really should be part of your basic service, but so many businesses don’t get it right: make it easy for people to do business with you.
To do this, you need to remove yourself from the equation and what’s important to your business and instead put yourself in your client’s shoes.
Avoid focussing on your needs, and instead, prioritise what’s important to your client at every touch point.
Tip # 5: Thrill them & they’ll spread the word
What’s the first thing you do when you get home after something truly unique happens to you?
You tell your family all about it!
If you go beyond the norm and do things to thrill your clients, and if it’s unique enough, you’ll have them telling, on average, ten other people about the accounting firm that charmed them.
Hot tip! Draw inspiration from the hospitality industry…what do they do that your accounting firm can copy in a way that’s relevant but also decadent?
Summing up
Probably the most important change you can make when trying to improve the client's journey is to put yourself in your client’s shoes.
With that in mind, first, master the basics of your core service, then think of ways to express your gratitude for their support, find out what’s important to them and what they think of their service experience with your accounting firm, then make it easy for them to do business with you.
Finally, if you want your clients to tell others about you, add some thrills.
The DataGrows Accounting CRM was built for South African accountants. It can dramatically improve the client journey and retention rates instantly because it automates reminders that impact your clients, such as submission due dates.
CRM software gets your client data organised and helps you build better relationships.
Try it out for 14 days. No credit card required.