Account Management Best Practices | Treat Every Customer Like a VIP
A great account management program can help your business soar. Likewise, an account management program that’s lacking can drag business down, so it’s important to make sure your customers feel happy, loved and understood. When you nurture client relationships, you’re actively working to increase customer confidence and, in turn, loyalty to your brand—and that alone makes it worth every bit of effort you put in.
Today’s customers are smart, online savvy and intuitive, especially when it comes to comparing brands to find the one they trust. For example, a recent Gallup survey revealed that slightly more than half of Americans now view the health insurance industry as subpar, leaving plenty of room for improvement—and for shopping around. Similarly, younger Americans are increasingly looking for healthcare advice and information online, leaving room for growth and new clients for companies that are willing to stretch their capabilities to the online offerings today’s customers crave. Finally, consumers in general demand more personalization, and according to McKinsey & Company’s Next in Personalization Report, 71 percent expect companies to provide a personalized experience, with 76% becoming frustrated when they don’t receive the personalized experience they expected.
76% becoming frustrated when they don’t receive the personalized experience they expected.
With everything pointing toward consumer-centric marketing, personalization and relationship building, VIPs have a lot of room for creativity and behind-the-scenes ingenuity when it comes to building and enhancing key accounts. Sound daunting? Not when you’ve got the creative pros at Hallmark Business Connections on your side! We’ve got lots of ideas to help you focus on strategic accounts and let them know throughout the year how important they are to your business.
Why You Need a Great Account Management Program
A great account management program delivers long-term benefits for your clients and your business. With account managers in place to strategically handle key accounts, you’ll be able to identify challenges early and drive solutions for your clients that result in increased profitability, growth, innovation and, ultimately, customer loyalty. Overall, a great account management program will help you learn client expectations, build stronger relationships and attract new customers because of the feedback from your already-satisfied clients.
Similarly, for service account management best practices, several challenges exist when it comes to maintaining and securing shared software and services. It is key, however, to focus on regular monitoring and auditing to ensure compliance and to be able to respond quickly to security issues. While service account management occurs behind the scenes, it is essential to the success of your business because security of service accounts means that your business—and your client information—is secure.
Prioritize Client Relationships
Businesses used to be able to lean on honesty, fair pricing and their good name to win in the marketplace, but today’s tech-savvy, ultra-busy consumers demand more than that. They expect companies they do business with to really know them, to know what they need, when they need it … and even how they feel about needing it! For you, that means doing a little bit of upfront work to ensure your clients are happy and their needs are met throughout their entire business lifecycle with you.
When looking at your account management program, assess to be sure key client issues are being addressed, relationships between clients and account managers are prioritized and changing client needs are understood. Clients want to know their needs are being met before they have to ask, and with a little bit of diligence and relationship-building on your part, you’ll be exceeding expectations and surprising clients in no time!
Looking for some great ideas to help you boost your client outreach and build better relationships? Try a few (or all!) of the following to really stand out and leave a favorable impression:
Connect with clients throughout the year. You’ll make a positive impression and let them know you care when you take a few moments to send a Birthday Card or send them a Wedding or Anniversary Card on their special day with your words of congratulations. If they happen to mention a big move when you’re on a phone call, make a note of it and be sure to send a New Home Congratulations Card. And plan ahead for holidays and stock up for professional greeting cards that will surprise them on Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and more. When you set up touchpoints throughout the year to make intentional connections with customers, you’ll build relationships that will keep customers coming back to you.
Thank clients for their loyalty. Even though you’re continuously building your portfolio, don’t forget about the clients that have been with you for a while. Thank them for their continued patronage and surprise your key accounts every now and then with a treat to let them know how much you appreciate them. Thank existing clients or celebrate milestone anniversaries with your company by sending a gift of decadent artisanal chocolates from Christopher Elbow or brighten their office space with a fresh cut bouquet of Hallmark flowers. When you acknowledge the anniversary of your business relationship, you’re letting your customer know how much you value their trust and their repeat business with your company.
Apologize when necessary. It’s never fun to mess up, but it’s always respected when you own your mistakes and offer up a genuine apology to make things right. We offer a range of Apology Cards that are appropriate for business sending, so whether it’s a missed deadline, an incorrect price or a flubbed communication, you can make things right with genuine and heartfelt greeting cards. Not only can a thoughtful card help you resolve a potentially uncomfortable customer situation, but it can also help you salvage the relationship and move forward on the right foot, too. To read more about how you can turn a frustrating experience into a relationship-building opportunity, read Turning An Apology Into Appreciation.
Add value to your relationship. Share your industry knowledge and expertise with clients to boost confidence in your business and to show your thought leadership. For example, consider including tips and healthy reminders when you send an annual calendar or include helpful checklists with a springtime health and wellness greeting or a Just Because Card that reminds members to get wellness screenings and tests at their yearly doctor checkup. Having a retail back-to-school sale? Be sure to include a coupon to help customers save money on their school supply shopping or celebrate teachers with a Teacher Appreciation Card that includes a coupon on creative supplies. Whatever your business, select top reminders and helpful tips for members so that no one misses an important deadline.
Personalize your outreach. This one is easy with Hallmark Business Connections on your side! From greeting cards to fresh cut flower delivery to inspiring corporate gifts like bookmarks and notebooks to write all their creative plans in, you decide the way you reach out to clients and the messages you want send. With greeting cards, tailor your personal messages to say exactly what you want to say or use our Mail to One service which allows even more personalization. With Mail to One, you can personalize your message for an individual recipient online, then Hallmark will stamp and mail the card for you. To save time and to create timely touchpoints for clients on a regular basis, be sure to check out the brand-new Automatic Mailings feature that allows you to personalize a card and have it mailed by Hallmark Business Connections each month.
There are quite a few things account managers must do in order to keep clients happy, but at its core, great account management nurtures clients and makes them want to stay with your company. When it comes to best practices for account management, Hallmark Business Connections helps companies engage their client base, attract new clients and build better relationships by making genuine, meaningful connections. After all, when you treat every customer like a VIP, every customer wants to stay.
To learn more about Automatic Mailings and how AI is leveraging creativity and emotional intelligence to deliver meaningful client touchpoints, read Automation With a Human Touch.