It’s the third and final installment of the Consistency Series! In case you missed the first two installments, check out Part 1 (showing up consistently) and Part 2 (creating a consistent business aesthetic). And today is going to be all about providing a consistent client experience for each and every client!

I could go on and on about the importance of an excellent client experience. Your work will speak for itself, but it’s the experience that people really remember and what ultimately sends them singing your praises! The client experience refers to every single interaction you have with your clients- from the inquiry all the way to the final image delivery! And it’s important that that experience is not only excellent, but also consistent.

Providing a consistent client experience to each and every client will instill trust in those clients. As they get further and further into their experience with you, they will trust you more and more as they are treated well. And this trust is what is going to send them referring you to their friends because they will trust you to treat them well too! And even those that are not your clients will be able to see how you are treating you clients well and take notice. So here are some of the ways that you can intentionally provide an excellent and consistent client experience!

 

Consistent email reply time

Of course, the sooner you can reply to a client’s email the better. But not everyone’s lifestyle lends to being able to be behind a computer checking emails all day. Maybe you have kids or a full time job that keep you from being able to answer emails right away. In that case, you’ll want to manage the expectations of your client. Make it clear from the beginning that emails will be answered within a XX hour period. You may want to try having an auto-response to all incoming emails that states your email response window. This way you are setting an expectation with your client and meeting it over and over which leads to that trust!

 

Always exceed expectations

You want to create a theme throughout your client experience of underpromise, overdeliver. Your client will come into the experience with a certain level of expectations. And if you are consistently exceeding those expectations throughout the experience, then you are keeping the excitement high and elevating their overall experience! Some simple ways to do this are responding to emails quickly and thoroughly, delivering images quickly, sending surprise gifts, doing a same-day slideshow and more!

 

Deliver images quickly and consistently

The final image delivery (or whatever product or service your provide) is a big part of the client experience. It’s what they hired you for in the first place! So this is a great opportunity to finish the experience with a bang! Delivering images quickly and consistently will end the experience on a high note while also making you appear more professional to your audience. If your following sees that you are blogging weddings and sessions in a consistent time frame, they will take you more seriously! This shows that you have your own deadlines within your business that you consistently meet, as opposed to just showing up to your business when you feel like it. So I recommend figuring out the turn-around time that you feel you can consistently keep up with and stick to it!

 

Always treat them well!

This point may seem obvious, but it’s worth keeping in mind! It’s easy to be helpful and cheery when emailing back and forth with a client. But what about on a wedding day when everything seems to be going wrong? Can you be just as positive and helpful then? I’ve seen some great photographers allow their client experience to suffer because they struggle with maintaining a professional and positive attitude on a wedding day. I can be hard to stay cool, calm and collected on a hectic wedding day, but it’s SO important! The way you handle yourself on a wedding day is going to leave the biggest impression not only on your clients, but on everyone else in attendance!

 

And these are just a few of the ways that you can provide an excellent and consistent client experience! As long as you treat your clients well and like friends, you can’t go wrong!

Well, that wraps the Consistency Series! Could you imagine if this was all ONE blog post like I originally planned? Oy! But I hope you guys are not only convinced of the importance of consistency, but also feel equipped to make it happen in your business! Go back through the past two posts, make a list of action items and check them off one by one! You’ll be transforming your business through consistency in no time!

 

And here are some other posts that you may find helpful!

Top 3 Ways Brides Find Me

4 Ways To Create A Personal Brand

5 Way to Make Your Online Presence Inquiry Friendly

3 Steps to Attract Your Ideal Client

 

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