How To Find The Balance Between Customer Service and Policy | Some ...

We have to constantly strike a balance between making the client happy, and sticking to the policies that protect our own interests as a business. Sometimes this can be difficult, especially when the situation isn?t as cut and dry as we might like it to be. It might be a client who is unhappy for some reason and wants a discount, a request to budge on billing policies, or a client who wants working design files. Often in these situations, what is best for the client and what is best for the business are opposite, so how do you find the appropriate middle ground?

The Importance of Customer Service

I probably don?t need to tell you that the quality of customer service a business delivers greatly affects its success. Happy clients become loyal clients, and unhappy clients are likely to leave. This is true regardless of how great a designer you are.

If anything, providing great customer service is becoming even more important to the health of a business. All of us, as consumers, are becoming accustomed to the open return policies and convenient hours that retail businesses have adopted due to increased competition. Well, designers are dealing with increased competition, too.

The accessibility of technology and learning materials have led to an increase in the number of businesses offering graphic design services, and competition is no longer limited to local designers, either. We?re now in competition with designers in other cities and countries, so why should a client stay with a designer who doesn?t give them the level of customer service they want?

The Importance of Policies

Businesses have policies for a good reason. If we had to think through, weigh the pros and cons, and make decisions on every little step of every project we?d never get any work done, so we make policies that make the decisions for us, and to avoid situations that hurt our business.

We make policies about deposits and payment, when and how to deliver certain design files, and when to send an overdue bill to collections. We make policies about when to follow up on quotes we?ve provided, when to check in with a client that hasn?t responded to a proof, and what clients we do and don?t want to take on. We do this because that?s how we keep our businesses running smoothly. Without policies, our businesses would be a free for all.

When The Customer Service and Polices Conflict

So, what happens when a policy that protects us interferes with giving great customer service? Do we ignore policy and do whatever we can to keep the client happy, or do we stick to hard-nosed policy and tell the client ?sorry, it?s our policy??

There?s no one-size-fits-all answer to that question. There will always be times that just come down to making a judgement call, but we can eliminate a significant portion of these conflicts by building caveats and qualifiers into our policies.

Your policy may be to never start working on a job until you have a 30% deposit in hand, but what happens if a long-term client with a good payment history wants something done without a deposit? I think most of us would do the job without the deposit, but the decision is made easier if you adapt your policy to require a 30% deposit before starting work for new clients. Or maybe for clients without a reliable payment history. This type of qualifier is especially important when there are employees involved, because the company needs to be consistent, and it can?t be if you?re relying on the judgement calls of employees.

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