How To Make Your Client Feel Welcome

It costs five times more to secure a new client than it does to keep an existing one. Existing clients are also often a strong opportunity to get referrals for your business too. But how do you keep giving your clients a great customer experience?

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Making your clients feel welcome is an important part of positive customer experiences. Technology combined with good old-fashioned good manners will place you at the top of the list in today’s competitive market. Making clients feel welcome costs next to nothing and can be implemented with very little planning and coaching. 

Smile

The biggest and easiest thing that you can do to make your clients feel welcome is to smile. Even if you feel stressed or distracted, smile when clients come in. Putting their needs ahead of your own personal accounts and worries is the mark of a real professional.

Smile on the phone too, even if your client can’t see you. Positive energy comes across in your tone, inflection, and rate of speech. Your mood also lifts when you smile and you will feel more willing to be helpful.

Office Appearance

First impressions last, so they’re very important. An attractive, neat reception area tells clients that you care about their comfort and that you are operating an efficient business that they can trust. 

A messy office tells others that you don’t care, which is never going to impress a client. It says that you don’t take pride in or respect your company. Don’t let being busy give you an excuse to let your office get into a mess. This just says you don’t have time management skills or the staffing resources to keep on top of everything. To clients, this could suggest you don’t have the time to give their business your full attention. 

Keep the outside looking good. Your car park or the sidewalk outside should be swept and free of litter, and well-lit. If you have landscaping, look after it. You can keep it looking good with minimal environmental impact by collecting rainwater for watering in plastic water tanks. 

Check if the magazines in your reception area are current. Throw out old copies of last year’s Good Housekeeping and swap them for new issues of industry publications. 

The experience your client has with you starts before they even meet you. Everything from where they have to park to the restrooms in your office should be kept tidy and clean. Making a bit more effort, such as offering some refreshments or having relaxing music playing in your reception area, shows your clients that you appreciate them.

Greet Your Clients

As soon as your clients walk in the door, acknowledge them (whether you’re there to greet them yourself, or your reception staff is ). If you can address them by name. If you’re on the phone, or otherwise busy with another client, still make eye contact and smile when they arrive. As soon as you can, greet them verbally with a handshake and a smile.