Tips to Develop and Follow A Great Customer Service Philosophy

Customer service is one of the most integral parts of business processes that fuel revenue growth and boost profitability by improving customer relationship management. The ultimate winning tip for an exceptional customer service strategy is to create truly effective strategic customer service. Businesses of any size should focus on the latent opportunities that help retain their customers for a lifetime. This can be practiced only if there is a consistent focus on the day-to-day tactical customer service.  

CRM plays an indomitable role in efficiently managing clients and optimally meeting their expectations at every touch point on a day-to-day basis. Sales and marketing teams compile large volumes of data from multiple sources and channels to personalize customer experiences and cater to their specific needs. The data analysis helps to forecast customer buying patterns and behavior, which enhances the retention rate and increases overall sales. 

In this podcast discussion, we are catching up with Maxim Privalov, the Business Development Manager at Peiko. 

Peiko is a software development company based in Keiv, Ukraine. The company specializes in developing technical web-based projects and providing a wide range of software services, such as blockchain, cryptocurrency development, application development, web design, DevOps, and more. 

The Key Highlights of this podcast are

1. Understanding the customer service philosophy
2. How new businesses can establish relationships with customers 
3. Key challenges of meeting large companies' expectations 
4. Tips for handling your first client 

The podcast will also discuss core aspects like

• The most demanding type of clients
• Ways to manage larger projects
• Has remote work and communication affected client relationships
• Fundamental pillars of software development
• How Goodfirms helped Peiko meet the expectations

Since this is a topic about customer expectations and client management, we'd like to start with Peiko's Vision and the customer service philosophy that you live by.

If I had to answer this question in one line, I would say that Peiko adopts a Win-Win or third-best solution philosophy. I know that this Win-Win general philosophy has been overused, but I think people still use it incorrectly.

Most clients have an approximate idea about how they want to implement a business strategy or plan. Before incorporating a specific approach, we want to ensure that it should be profitable for us too.  So, we provide clients with a viable and optimal solution for the projects and receive profits on our side. We tell the clients directly if the idea is invalid or nearly impossible to execute. By doing so, we try to maintain complete transparency and honesty, which helps nurture and strengthen client relationships. It also motivates our teams to do better and find the best results. 

What can new businesses do to establish relationships in the current business climate when customer retention and client acquisition depend on reputation?

“Get so close to your customers that you tell them what they want, well before they realize themselves.” Steve Jobs.

Today, businesses of all sizes and types face steep competition in acquiring new customers and retaining existing clients. Here, I would like to suggest three essential tactics, based on my experiences, that will help new businesses and startups to establish and fortify their customer relationships to survive the challenging business climate. These are

• Become Professional- By professionalism, I mean that you should back all your solutions with substantial knowledge and a valid reason for why you are taking a particular development approach. For example, if you are involved in mobile app development, you need to understand and analyze why this app-building methodology best suits the client's needs. Clients appreciate the fact that you work on certain business ethics and think of the best possible solution for their projects.

• Be Honest With the Clients- Let’s be fair that many businesses are not honest with their clients and fail to follow their own set rules. They may not act fairly but think they are honest. So,  even though it is very hard and inconvenient to say something, even if you think that your client will end the work, you have to be honest.  The opposite is telling the truth and leaving the client with that. So if something bad happens, you always think of possible solutions quickly and then discuss them with the client.
• Have a Flexible Approach- Businesses like web development firms that have adopted flexibility and implemented agility into their approach will have a better chance of succeeding and completing the project within the stipulated time. But the solution must be profitable and legal for you to consider it further.

You may have worked with a variety of clients. Which types of clients—startups, small to medium-sized firms, or enterprises—prove to be the most demanding in terms of resources?

I’ll be honest with this. From my personal experience, I can say that self-funded startups are usually the most demanding in budgeting questions, whereas large enterprises are most demanding in the case of documentation. Many startups want to start the project quickly without chalking out a future plan or strategy. But once the budget estimate starts climbing up, they start planning for cost cuttings and saving time rather than improving the project. So, my advice is to start planning in advance and think about the risks beforehand so that you can achieve more fruitful results. 

If you have a large enterprise, the start may be slower as there is a wide range of rules and regulations to comply with. And the issue with these rules is that most people don’t remember them. But since the employees and internal workers don’t want to get into any sort of trouble, they prefer to follow this cargo cult.

Large companies are particularly brand-sensitive, meaning they are really firm about you adhering to their brand book. What difficulties have you encountered when working on projects for large firms, and how do you ensure that you surpass their expectations?

I agree with your statement that large companies are very particular about their brands. If you have landed a popular brand as a client, it is obvious to feel excited, but at the same time, it adds more responsibility and focuses on the project. 

For me, the biggest challenge while working with large companies is that they are very precise and particular about what they want you to deliver. For example, you may have to create a stunning website design with an attractive UI and intuitive UX.  It becomes difficult to exceed or surpass their expectations at times as they might not approve of your work, citing different reasons. Also, they are strict on deadlines, and you cannot cross the set lines or ask for more time to deliver the project. Time is money for them.

I’ll suggest a few tips to help you exceed their expectations here. 

1. Firstly you need to learn all the details and understand why it was done like that.
2. You must master those rules that help you perform well. 
3. Once you have understood all the reasons, you can give suggestions for improvement.

“You never get a second chance to establish a first impression." This is especially true for new IT enterprises starting out. Can you give some tips for the first meetings with new clients?

Getting the first customer or client on board is very crucial for any new IT startup. Hence, here are a few tips for meeting your first client. 

• You should always prepare for the first call. Always. Even if you've worked on such projects million times before. You need to learn all the details of the client's project and write all your propositions and how to work with the project. Also, it's better to think about what questions you will ask. Not only about the project but also about the client criteria of choosing.
• Sometimes, preparations for the call may take several hours. For the first time, you must prepare for long calls or conversations. And all through the interaction, note down the crucial points. 
• Also, it will be helpful to discuss how the client sees the call and what they want to discuss. Maybe you will need to take somebody with you on this call to cover the questions which you don't know.
• And yeah, don't try to sell on the call. Try to understand the client first (so the client should talk at least 80% of the time).

We've heard that communication is the key. Yet, changes in the workplace have also created a number of difficulties in effective client and organizational communication. What key points would you like to make regarding the rise of remote working and how it may affect client relationships?

I’m not sure that remote communication and working have affected client relationships. I follow three key rules;

1. Standups,
2. Plannings,
3. Milestones 

It helps to gather all things and be more effective.

What are some fundamental pillars of software development that are consistent while producing great software, regardless of the size of the project or the size of the client?

Maxim has pointed out a few fundamental pillars that help developers to create exceptional and unique software, regardless of the size of the client or business. 

Planning- The first vital aspect is considering how to go about the project. It may sound uninteresting and tedious. A lot of developers tend to miss this part.

Plan the security measures—You will have to go the extra mile and take all necessary measures to safeguard your sensitive data from leakage. This becomes paramount if you are developing cryptocurrencies or providing blockchain technology services. However, to secure your confidential data, you first need to think about what critical data information you need and then plan accordingly. 

Plan what instrument you can use. Sometimes, developers spend much more time "reinventing the wheel" rather than planning the architecture right. So, I think it's better to create and understand a clear concept about such solutions. In the future, you will have your own working methodologies, which you can share with the team for quick and reliable turnarounds.

Effective customer relationship management is a delicate process that takes time and practice to master. When bringing on a new customer, you want to convince them that you would not overpromise or underdeliver. How do you ensure that your client's expectations are reasonable?

I suggest a couple of ways to meet your client’s expectations.

• First, by reputation. Of course, you have a renowned and leading IT research and review platform like GoodFirms that can help increase your brand awareness and reputation.

It may sound like clients can disappear, negatively impacting their reputation when they give negative feedback. The company may lose future potential clients. 

• I always explain my solutions to our clients and their potential benefits to all my clients. When they come to know that I have devised a full-proof plan backed with substantial reasons that meet their expectations, the trust factor becomes stronger.

Since we're talking about client expectations, we'd like to know how Goodfirms as a platform has met your expectations and what more you expected from your future partnership with Goodfirms.

GoodFirms is a reliable and reputable research, rating, and listing platform. Currently, more than 110,000+ B2B companies and software are listed on it, and I believe it can potentially be a reliable source of new clients. It is one of the best places to search for new clients and pitch to them. However, I suggest focusing on your company profile to get a genuine client. 

You must tell the client you are the best fit for the task. Another scenario is when the client self-discovers that your company is an optimal choice with a good track record. 

If you want to listen to this podcast,  click here. 

What’s Next

Most startups and new firms hanker after getting their first client that can kick-start their businesses. However, getting the first client on board is not as challenging as retaining them and building a robust trust. The two most important traits of client management and customer service are maintaining consistent transparency and regularly communicating with the clients or customers to understand their needs and deliver those requirements within the set time frame. 

Maintaining a strong relationship with clients helps to enhance customer service and increase client and company revenue. It also helps to close the deal faster and improve cross-selling and upselling of products. This tactic of developing and following a great customer service philosophy is critical for software development companies. 

About Leaders Roundtable 

Leaders Roundtable is a great initiative by GoodFirms to help and support all young business owners and startups by addressing their key challenges and issues. In this podcast series, we communicate and interact with successful startup leaders and people holding key positions in the company to share their expertise and experiences on the journey so far. 

To enlist your company name in the platform or to participate in a podcast, please email [email protected].