Who Throws Away Dry Bouquets, You or Your Client?

Valentine’s Day was one week ago. And by now even the most long-lasting V-day bouquets have wilted. I myself had to toss away some dry roses yesterday. Which got me thinking about customer service and taking care of your client.

I mean, does your work stop after the project is delivered? And when you do work on a project or a task for your client, do you think of the present or the future of the results you deliver. Ok, I guess I better clarify.

Just like giving a great Valentine’s Day gift, completing a task or a project for a client requires more than a standard approach:

#1 – Go beyond roses and chocolates

Just as with Valentine’s Day gifts, there are some stereotypes associated with pretty much any project. Don’t be afraid to offer something different to your client – different format layout, tracking software, status updates schedule, etc – as long as you believe it will benefit your client.

I recently worked on a project where my client required daily status updates with Excel spreadsheet. I suggested that Google Docs might be a better solution for real-time tracking, easy version control, and simplified collaboration. That was a simple change that made my client’s life a bit better.

#2 – Serve breakfast in bed (metaphorically speaking)

On Valentine’s Day (and on most weekends) my husband cooks me breakfast. I know, I know, he’s awesome! But he’s yet to discover a very simple way of moving to the next level and becoming “super-awesome” – buying and occasionally using a simple folding tray.

Most of us already go above and beyond to make our clients happy. But how about (once in a while) doing something super-awesome and really making their day. Here’s what I did for one of my most favorite blogging clients – I created a log file of all their blog posts for the last year (about 60 posts).

This log file included basic information about each post, including number of comments. It also included a “Blogging Ideas” column where I entered ideas based on the previous posts’ content and reaction from the readers. There were a few other nice social media-related features in that file. The client absolutely loved the log file and it has already proved to be a very useful tool.

#3 – Don’t forget to clean up

It sure is nice to get fresh flowers, except that now you have to change water in a vase and, eventually, get rid of the dried out arrangement. Well, that’s another opportunity to move from “awesome” to “super-awesome”, both in personal and business life.

I’m talking about following up even after the project is delivered or the task is completed; making sure that everything works the way it should; answering last-moment questions even after the project is over; and asking for feedback not just to use it as a testimonial, but to improve your services.

The term “great customer service”, much like Valentine’s Day, can be annoying and meaningless. Or it can be real and simple, as simple as taking care of that withered bouquet and maybe even bringing some fresh flowers. What do you think?

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