How much of an advantage does client listening give you? Hear what MyCustomerLens has to say

2020 was a year of change. Client needs & expectations changed. How firms deliver services to their clients changed.

But has the way you listen to your clients evolved at the same pace?

The changing face of client listening

We know about firms that are adopting continuous client listening, to keep their finger on the pulse. They are discovering how the world is looking and how priorities are changing for their clients.

But we’ve also heard about firms who had to pause client listening because they were too busy to deal with the responses.

If this is the case for your firm, here are 5 simple ways to make client listening your competitive advantage again.

5 client listening tips for restoring your competitive advantage

1) Ask little & often.

Long annual surveys are too hard to complete or analyse, and reporting takes too long. Instead, regularly ask 1 or 2 questions that provide actionable insights.

2) Ask open questions.

Multi-choice questions have their uses, but too often they end up putting words in people’s mouth. When your questions start with ‘how’ or ‘why’, give people the space to tell you the real story. These open comments are a goldmine of insights, highlighting emerging trends repeating problems and the emotions your brand creates. They’re also a great source of new client testimonials!

3) Listen where conversations are already happening.

For example, are your clients talking on Twitter, LinkedIn or review sites? Maybe they’re contributing to industry research projects.

4) Share customer stories.

Make customer storytelling part of team and management meetings. Make it a standing agenda item, a 5-minute segment where someone shares a recent client experience, good or bad. This simple routine can spark new ideas, as well as providing a great way to share and reinforce positive feedback.

5) Close the loop.

Demonstrate you’re listening by sharing what you are hearing from your clients, and how you are responding. Showing clients, and prospects, that you are actively listening and taking action, is the biggest driver of future responses. It also reinforces key brand messages around trust, transparency and flexibility.

“It’s no exaggeration for me to say listening to our clients is the most significant influencer of how we shape our business.”

Simon Boss, Chief Executive, Shoosmiths

For more client listening tips, and suggestions for how to keep your listening programme up to date, click here to read our complete guide to client listening (www.mycustomerlens.com/client-listening)