20 commandments of high-quality communication with the client
Is it possible to answer customer questions before he asks them? Communicate with the client in your own way or in an official tone? How much time do I have to answer questions in the mail? How to make the client happy and permanent?
We filled a lot of bumps in search of answers to these questions. The price of a mistake in communicating with a client is too great, and the rake that you step on is sometimes golden. But as a result, we have gained invaluable experience and have developed a strategy for communicating with customers, which we now want to share.
Here is an excerpt from our internal document, which is mandatory for every new manager at Alconost . So, the 20 commandments of high-quality communication with customers:
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Quick response
Answer customer letters quickly, ideally within one to two hours. If the response to the letter takes time (for example, it takes a long time to read the amount of text to be translated), you should immediately reply to the client, confirm receipt of the letter and report the expected time when we will send the answer. For example, “ Thank you, the document received. We will be able to give a detailed calculation during the day . ”
Fifth-grade student
Treat the client as a child who has little understanding in our work. Remember: what is obvious to us may not be completely obvious to the client. Describe each detail in detail, explain each of your actions, try not to use highly specialized terms.
Communicate with a client like a friend
Pathetic official syllable with long complex sentences is bad. This style of communication separates us from customers. And he is difficult to read. Communicate with customers, as with friends at dinner. Simple phrases, short sentences. Case information plus a bit of humor. Without unreasonable familiarity and with respect. Before you say something to the client, think about whether you would say it in such a formulation to a friend or not.
How many questions, so many answers
Often clients in one letter ask several questions at once. But, unfortunately, few of them draw up questions in the form of a numbered list. We need to do this work for them. Carefully “scan” the client's letter, isolate all the questions and answer them exactly in the order in which they were asked. Forget to answer any question - minus our karma.
Questions list
If we need to ask a few questions to the client, it is better to issue them with a numbered list so that it is easier for the client to isolate all the questions and give an answer to each of them.
What's included
Describing the cost of services, take it as a rule to paint everything, everything that it includes, even very obvious things. For example, the development of a script, voice acting, and musical accompaniment are included in the cost of producing a video.
Constant contact
If the project lasts a long time and the client is no longer involved in it (for example, we sat down for a week and a half to draw graphics), it is important for us not to disappear, but to remind the client about ourselves every 3 days. Best of all, if it will be intermediate results that we assure the client. But if there are no such results, a rather simple “ I want to remind, we are actively working on the video graphics, the result will be shown in X days ”. Constant contact is VERY important.
Progress Report
If in the letter the client asks to do something - not only fulfill the request, but also report about it in the response letter.
Emotions
Even if the client allows himself inadequate statements, we never answer rudely. Instead, you should think about the reason for such behavior of the client and take steps to eliminate it. In dealing with clients, emotions should not prevail over reason.
24/7
Although each of the managers, translators and videomen have working and non-working hours, clients should not be aware of this: there is no weekend for the whole company, the service is open 24/7, we are adjusting to the client, and not adjusting the client to ourselves.
Smell from the kitchen
And still the client should not be devoted to the details of our work: diseased video phenomena, national holidays at the editor in Spain, snow storms and blackouts at translators in different parts of the world - all this smell of our kitchen should remain on it, the client does not need it. The client only needs to know the result: how and when his problem will be solved. Of course, in some cases, one cannot do without explanations, take a decision individually on the basis of your experience and the client's feelings.
Do more than you need: Earn WOW
If you can easily do more than the client asks - we definitely do. The layout of the translation, the short version of the video, the free voice of a couple of forgotten lines - all this costs us not much, but causes sincere wow in the heart of the client. The decision on the threshold dividing “we can do for free” and “it will increase the project budget”, take independently on the basis of common sense, your knowledge of the client and the advice of senior colleagues.
Think per customer
Always try to put yourself in the client's place. “ It seems to me that your product is more suitable for a how-to movie ” or “ I would recommend choosing the Brazilian version of the Portuguese language anyway.” Anticipate the needs and problems of the client and offer their solution: “ You may still need to translate keywords for your page in the App Store ” or “ It seems to me that this video cannot be used to advertise on Facebook .”
One step ahead
Analyzing the client's letter, always try to predict his next question and immediately answer it. The profit from this approach is double: the number of letters is reduced, and the client thinks “Wow, these guys looked into my soul!”. For example: a client asked about the cost of the video, and you answered him immediately about prices, payment methods, and payment stages.
Do the client the way you want other services to do with you.
Seamless pickup
If colleagues sent a letter with the request “pick up the client” - study in detail the entire history of correspondence and pick up the client so that he would not notice that someone else started his project. Try not to ask too many questions, the answers to which are in the correspondence. If you send a letter to a colleague - make sure that the complete comprehensive story goes along with the letter, which will help the colleague to seamlessly pick up the client.
The subject of the letter does not change
In the process of correspondence, the subject of the letter cannot be changed. When filtering letters on a topic in an email client, people read the entire history of correspondence. If you change even one character in the subject of the letter - the letter does not fall into this filter and is lost.
However, if in the process of correspondence with the client the topic of conversation has changed dramatically - start a new branch of correspondence with your topic. For example, you cannot discuss localization issues in the thread with the theme “finished video”.
Talking topic
The topic should be such that after five years you can easily find a branch of correspondence on it.
Reply to all
Very often several recipients participate in the correspondence at the same time. In this case, be sure to answer all the recipients at once (the reply to all button in the mail client).
Summary and call to action
At the end of any letter, sum up your resume and remind you what step you expect from the client. In this way, you “lead” a client along the path you need, program his actions as you need and thereby make his life easier.
CV after chatting in Skype
After talking on Skype, be sure to send a letter to the client with a summary of the conversation and the results to which you arrived. In this case, the information will remain in the history of correspondence and will not be lost.
The last word
Try to keep your letter always the last. Thank for the fruitful cooperation, wish you success with the project or a good weekend.
about the author
Alconost is engaged in the localization of applications, games and websites in 60 languages. Language translators, linguistic testing, cloud platform with API, continuous localization, 24/7 project managers, any formats of string resources.
We also make advertising and training videos - for websites selling, image, advertising, training, teasers, expliners, trailers for Google Play and the App Store.
Read more: https://alconost.com
We filled a lot of bumps in search of answers to these questions. The price of a mistake in communicating with a client is too great, and the rake that you step on is sometimes golden. But as a result, we have gained invaluable experience and have developed a strategy for communicating with customers, which we now want to share.
Here is an excerpt from our internal document, which is mandatory for every new manager at Alconost . So, the 20 commandments of high-quality communication with customers:
')
General principles
Quick response
Answer customer letters quickly, ideally within one to two hours. If the response to the letter takes time (for example, it takes a long time to read the amount of text to be translated), you should immediately reply to the client, confirm receipt of the letter and report the expected time when we will send the answer. For example, “ Thank you, the document received. We will be able to give a detailed calculation during the day . ”
Fifth-grade student
Treat the client as a child who has little understanding in our work. Remember: what is obvious to us may not be completely obvious to the client. Describe each detail in detail, explain each of your actions, try not to use highly specialized terms.
Communicate with a client like a friend
Pathetic official syllable with long complex sentences is bad. This style of communication separates us from customers. And he is difficult to read. Communicate with customers, as with friends at dinner. Simple phrases, short sentences. Case information plus a bit of humor. Without unreasonable familiarity and with respect. Before you say something to the client, think about whether you would say it in such a formulation to a friend or not.
How many questions, so many answers
Often clients in one letter ask several questions at once. But, unfortunately, few of them draw up questions in the form of a numbered list. We need to do this work for them. Carefully “scan” the client's letter, isolate all the questions and answer them exactly in the order in which they were asked. Forget to answer any question - minus our karma.
Questions list
If we need to ask a few questions to the client, it is better to issue them with a numbered list so that it is easier for the client to isolate all the questions and give an answer to each of them.
What's included
Describing the cost of services, take it as a rule to paint everything, everything that it includes, even very obvious things. For example, the development of a script, voice acting, and musical accompaniment are included in the cost of producing a video.
Constant contact
If the project lasts a long time and the client is no longer involved in it (for example, we sat down for a week and a half to draw graphics), it is important for us not to disappear, but to remind the client about ourselves every 3 days. Best of all, if it will be intermediate results that we assure the client. But if there are no such results, a rather simple “ I want to remind, we are actively working on the video graphics, the result will be shown in X days ”. Constant contact is VERY important.
Progress Report
If in the letter the client asks to do something - not only fulfill the request, but also report about it in the response letter.
Emotions
Even if the client allows himself inadequate statements, we never answer rudely. Instead, you should think about the reason for such behavior of the client and take steps to eliminate it. In dealing with clients, emotions should not prevail over reason.
24/7
Although each of the managers, translators and videomen have working and non-working hours, clients should not be aware of this: there is no weekend for the whole company, the service is open 24/7, we are adjusting to the client, and not adjusting the client to ourselves.
Smell from the kitchen
And still the client should not be devoted to the details of our work: diseased video phenomena, national holidays at the editor in Spain, snow storms and blackouts at translators in different parts of the world - all this smell of our kitchen should remain on it, the client does not need it. The client only needs to know the result: how and when his problem will be solved. Of course, in some cases, one cannot do without explanations, take a decision individually on the basis of your experience and the client's feelings.
Empathy and WOW
Do more than you need: Earn WOW
If you can easily do more than the client asks - we definitely do. The layout of the translation, the short version of the video, the free voice of a couple of forgotten lines - all this costs us not much, but causes sincere wow in the heart of the client. The decision on the threshold dividing “we can do for free” and “it will increase the project budget”, take independently on the basis of common sense, your knowledge of the client and the advice of senior colleagues.
Think per customer
Always try to put yourself in the client's place. “ It seems to me that your product is more suitable for a how-to movie ” or “ I would recommend choosing the Brazilian version of the Portuguese language anyway.” Anticipate the needs and problems of the client and offer their solution: “ You may still need to translate keywords for your page in the App Store ” or “ It seems to me that this video cannot be used to advertise on Facebook .”
One step ahead
Analyzing the client's letter, always try to predict his next question and immediately answer it. The profit from this approach is double: the number of letters is reduced, and the client thinks “Wow, these guys looked into my soul!”. For example: a client asked about the cost of the video, and you answered him immediately about prices, payment methods, and payment stages.
Do the client the way you want other services to do with you.
Email communication
Seamless pickup
If colleagues sent a letter with the request “pick up the client” - study in detail the entire history of correspondence and pick up the client so that he would not notice that someone else started his project. Try not to ask too many questions, the answers to which are in the correspondence. If you send a letter to a colleague - make sure that the complete comprehensive story goes along with the letter, which will help the colleague to seamlessly pick up the client.
The subject of the letter does not change
In the process of correspondence, the subject of the letter cannot be changed. When filtering letters on a topic in an email client, people read the entire history of correspondence. If you change even one character in the subject of the letter - the letter does not fall into this filter and is lost.
However, if in the process of correspondence with the client the topic of conversation has changed dramatically - start a new branch of correspondence with your topic. For example, you cannot discuss localization issues in the thread with the theme “finished video”.
Talking topic
The topic should be such that after five years you can easily find a branch of correspondence on it.
Reply to all
Very often several recipients participate in the correspondence at the same time. In this case, be sure to answer all the recipients at once (the reply to all button in the mail client).
Summary and call to action
At the end of any letter, sum up your resume and remind you what step you expect from the client. In this way, you “lead” a client along the path you need, program his actions as you need and thereby make his life easier.
CV after chatting in Skype
After talking on Skype, be sure to send a letter to the client with a summary of the conversation and the results to which you arrived. In this case, the information will remain in the history of correspondence and will not be lost.
The last word
Try to keep your letter always the last. Thank for the fruitful cooperation, wish you success with the project or a good weekend.
about the author
Alconost is engaged in the localization of applications, games and websites in 60 languages. Language translators, linguistic testing, cloud platform with API, continuous localization, 24/7 project managers, any formats of string resources.
We also make advertising and training videos - for websites selling, image, advertising, training, teasers, expliners, trailers for Google Play and the App Store.
Read more: https://alconost.com
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/229005/
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