|
Have you ever had a
notoriously bad client that you inherited or maybe one that just evolved
into a bad situation. If you have a bad client, then step back a moment
and take a deep breath. Any bad client situation is actually an
opportunity in disguise. It may be hard to see the opportunity when you
are mending the wounds but try to take the approach that there is a
positive outcome to the situation in there somewhere.
First a few comments:
-
Don't settle
with just your staff's perspectives.
-
Apples are
apples and oranges are oranges. You may not have either.
-
Turning a bad
client around is fun so think about the good times ahead.
-
In over 90% of
the time, there is a logical reason for the dissatisfaction.
Let's
discuss this a bit. |
Practical insight to manage effectively
Improve
your IT management skills and achieve more.
Clique aqui para maiores detalhes |
First, I suggest that you not take your staff's
perspectives as fact. I've seen too many cases of a "bad client" being
portrayed that way because the staff or manager doesn't know how to handle
the situation. In fact, many times it is because your IT organization doesn't
know how to get to the root of the problem. Before you write off any client,
you should always inspect the situation until you are confident there is no
reasonable solution to the problem. In my opinion, there are only rare cases
where you can't turn a bad situation around.
Second, I mentioned above that the two fruits
are different, or maybe you aren't even dealing with "fruit". When you
inspect a situation, you may find that what you have been hearing about a
client situation is not at all the full picture. Many times you may be
surprised to find that not only does the client have a legitimate reason for
their dissatisfaction but that they are actually being more than reasonable
toward you and your company. The key is to determine what the real issues
are.
Third, helping someone is always fun,
especially when they appreciate what you have done. Your client has no
desire to be dissatisfied with your company's products or services. Solving
the problem is helping both your client and your company and when you solve
it, everyone takes notice. Like I said, fun times are ahead and opportunity
can result from the most disastrous situations.
Lastly, almost every single client
dissatisfaction situation I have seen had a logical reason underneath it. If
you hear things like, "They don't know what they are doing." or "They always
break their system.", get ready to go fishing. General comments like these
tend to tell you that the person making the comment doesn't actually know
what the real problem is.
Okay, so what do you do if you have a terrible,
unreasonable client?
Steps to take
1. Determine the problem
in specific terms
- Meet with the client with the purpose to
determine in very specific terms what the problems are. Before you meet, do
your homework and gain as much information as possible to help you
understand the situation. DO NOT look for reasons why the client is in the
wrong or ways to defend your company; you must listen to the client and be
objective because the reality may be that your organization or company is
actually causing the problem.
Guide the client to discuss specific issues and
not generalities. Every generality has to be converted into specific issues
or thrown out for you to determine whether a problem truly exists. When you
hear a general statement, ask for examples or specifics to narrow the
comment down. Remember, you can't fix a client dissatisfaction problem
unless you know what the specific problem issues are.
2. Quantify the issues - At the end of
your meeting, quantify the issues by summarizing in as specific terms as you
can what the client has stated to be the problems.
3. Gain your client's agreement on the list
of issues - After you quantify the issues, ask the client if he/she
agrees that those are the issues. Ask if there are any other issues that you've
missed. If there are, add them to the list. Be sure that when you leave the
meeting, you quantify all the specific problems that are
causing the client heartburn.
4. Gain your client's commitment - Ask
the client for their commitment to what you want to see happen when you
resolve the quantified issues. The desired outcome may be to gain a positive
referral, to have the client pay an outstanding invoice owed your company,
or to purchase a new release of software. The bottom line here is that you
need to quantify the positive result that the client takes when you solve
the problems. The resulting action by the client will fully indicate you
have solved their issues.
5. Do not solve it today - Bad
situations don't get there over night. Solving them shouldn't be immediate
even if you might be able to. The worst thing you can do is to do a "fire,
ready, aim" and give the client a quick fix that ultimately does not solve
the issues. It only deepens the problems and adds to the lack of credibility
your client already has for you. Take your time to discuss the issue with
others in the company and to develop a sound approach that works toward the
ultimate goal before you deliver possible solutions to your client.
Give the client a timeframe when you will have
a response and plan to address the issues.
6. Follow-up in writing - Send your
client a follow-up letter or e-mail as soon as possible that summarizes the
meeting and lists the issues and client commitment that was agreed upon. In
the letter, give the client the timeframe that you plan to provide a
recommended solution.
7. Develop a plan - You must
develop a plan that is achievable and one that addresses the need that will
solve the problems identified in your client discussion. Certain that when
you do this part, you take a conservative approach to help insure you
deliver what you say you will do. This may be your last chance to turn your
client around so now is not the time to misfire.
-
Develop a detailed plan that will address
the issues identified by your client. The approach may require the
client to pay more money for your services. If that's the right answer,
don't hesitate to ask for more money; just be aware that until you
establish some level of credibility, asking for more may be considered
inappropriate, even outrageous. If the solution requires more cost to
provide higher levels of client service, be sure you have a tight
proposal that defines the reasons and the benefits the additional costs
are going to give the client.
-
Develop specific approaches to solve each
issue and be specific.
-
Prioritize the initiatives. As much as
possible, place a "quick winner" at the top to get off to a positive
start. Both the client and your IT organization need to see some
positive progress quickly.
-
Identify specific responsibilities of each
party to achieve successful outcomes.
-
Quantify how you both will be able to
determine when the issue is resolved.
Put it all in writing.
8. Deliver the plan and gain the client's agreement - "Don't leave home
without it." What I mean is that you can't leave the client without an
agreement to your proposal, even if you have to modify it slightly. Leave
without the client's agreement and commitment and you might as well go ahead
and "throw in the towel" because you will not succeed. Both of you have to
be committed to a positive resolution and the plan that gets you there.
9. Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up - Make it a point to check on the "client
turnaround initiatives" status every other day in the beginning to ensure
all of your commitments to the client are taking place. You may have to be
the catalyst to make certain things happen, even with your own staff.
Remember, your staff may believe that there is absolutely no way to please
this client when the problem has actually been that your team has not really
heard what the client is saying to them.
Sometimes it helps to have a bit of gray hair and the experience that goes
with it. It's also easier to view a problem when you're not down in the
midst of the battle; that's why the generals seek the high ground. Be
certain to meet or beat every deadline or let the client know well ahead of
time when an unforeseen problem risks completing an initiative. No one likes
to hear bad news but bad news delivered in advance allows you to plan for
the impact it will have.
10. Communicate often - For a change, contact the client before he is
expecting you to. Now is the time to communicate very proactively. Before
you call, be sure you have the latest update on every outstanding issue and
any new events that might affect your progress. Lack of communication is
probably the greatest contributor of client dissatisfaction. All of us
dislike uncertainty, having a need to depend on someone else to do our job
and not knowing where they stand on an important issue, or not getting a
response when we need their help. Keep your client out of the dark and in
the light and see the difference in their attitude toward your support
efforts for yourself.
Final comments
A
few comments that will help you as you work through a client turnaround
process are:
-
Everyone likes to deal with nice people. Be
nice and you may find your client can be nice as well.
-
Be polite but firm. When you need the
client to do his part, quantify it and expect it just as he should with
you.
-
Take charge. The client is looking for you
to take the initiative and to lead the way.
-
Be conservative in your response planning
so you are absolutely sure you can deliver what you say you will do.
-
Be objective. The client is always right
even if he is wrong. It's still up to you to manage his expectations
properly.
-
The worst case is that you lose the client.
The world still turns on its axis if that happens.
-
The best case is you develop a highly
referenced client who buys more from you. THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT !!
Copyright© 2007
MDE Enterprises,
Inc.
____________________________________________________________________________
Se você também
deseja participar desta seção, envie e-mail para
artigos@tenstep.com.br
Teremos o maior prazer em publicar seu artigo.
|
