I’m old fashioned. I like pleases and thank yous. I expect people to turn up when they say they will and to do WHAT they promised to WHEN they promised to do it by.
I call it manners, the world of business calls it “customer service” and I think it oils the mechanics of the world turning.
So, why do I mention this? I’ve had a new kitchen put in recently and like most people in business, I wanted a great deal. Lots of cool bang for my buck. I’m really happy with how my kitchen has turned out and it’s a million times nicer to be in than the old one. I had a few revelations on my road to the new kitchen being completed. What I find interesting is that they are largely NOTHING to do with the quality of the work itself but in the main about how I felt as a client and I wanted to share these thoughts. Here’s what I realised are vital, if not basic behaviours when you are a service provider.
- Be there, answer phone calls and emails within the hour, 2 at the most, to help me feel relaxed with my decision to employ you
- Turn up at the time we agree
- Do a little bit more than we agree
- Share creative ideas with your employer or client
- Compliment them on their great (if not slightly surprising) choices – they tend to be right ????
- Be able to recommend other experts and call on them quickly if required
- Let the client have your full attention
- Negotiate for extra services fairly and within the context of the project
- Check your client is happy with your work
- Thank them for choosing you in a competitive world
These are 10 very obvious points, I appreciate that, but it was good for me to be on the client side for my kitchen project and to see this world very clearly.
What else would you include here?
Applying these points to MY business is something I endeavor to do for all of my Voiceover projects and I find that if my clients are happy then it puts an extra spring in my step too.
Voiceover artists tend to work remotely for most of their projects and it’s amazing how a relationship/job can be built and established purely on email. So good manners (and demos!) can go a very long way…
Thank you very much indeed for reading.
Clare prides herself on her customer service and making sure all her clients feel great about the Voiceovers she supplies. Email Clare now to find out how she can help you bring your next project to life with some speaking of quality.