The true ROI of any Client Experience (CX) program comes from the action your firm takes with the client data you’ve gathered. The more comprehensive the action, the higher ROI from your program! That means addressing both negative feedback (to identify and protect at-risk revenue) AND positive feedback (to build reputation and earn new business). 

Below are 3 steps you can take with unhappy clients, as well as 3 steps to take with happy ones (6 steps in total!) to maximize the ROI of your CX initiative. 

Detractors: 3 Steps You Must Take To Maximize ROI
  • Identify unhappy clients as quickly as possible. Research shows that a swift response to a service issue significantly impacts a client’s likelihood of continuing to work with you. According to our 2019 Benchmark Report, a slower response rate directly results in a decreased Net Promoter® score (NPS). Those firms who responded within 12 hours had a NPS of 71% while those who responded more than 48 hours after had an NPS of -10%. You see the trend! Make sure your CX program enables real-time alerts when an unhappy client makes themselves known. 
  • Follow up, immediately. Don’t leave unhappy clients sitting in a void. Pick up the phone, and follow best practices for service recovery to ensure your client feels heard and that their needs are being addressed. 
  • Make the change(s). Simply listening to your clients’ concerns and apologizing for the issue they’ve experienced isn’t enough. To truly maximize the ROI of any CX initiative, you must feed these client needs and insights into your business operations. Work across the organization to make changes and hold your team accountable to practices that the data demonstrates will improve the client experience. According to Hubspot, here are some examples of how to handle an unhappy customer and the proper language to use. 
Promoters: 3 Steps You Must Take To Maximize ROI
  • Ask for referrals. Promoters have gone on the record to state that they would be willing to refer your firm to their network. What better time to follow up and ask for those referrals? Similarly, keep tabs on Promoters so when a future prospect asks for references, you can make an informed, relevant decision about who to put them in touch with. 
  • Leverage testimonials to amplify the voice of your happiest clients. Promoters are the perfect clients to ask for testimonials. Our recommendation is to systematize the collection of testimonials in your CX initiative, so that you have a full library from which you can weave the voice of the client throughout communication channels. Testimonials make great social media content, website features, and proposal additions—to name just a few. 
  • Invite clients to spotlight service all-stars. A remarkable client experience is the outcome of remarkable service. Which means behind every Promoter there is a member of your team who has gone above and beyond to deliver an experience worth talking about. What better way to fuel employee engagement and retention than to invite clients to shout out the professionals that make their day?

I hope you’ve found some actionable information in this post. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my team with any questions about the strategies above, about the ClearlyRated CX program, or about maximizing the value of CX at your firm! 

  • Eric Gregg

    Eric Gregg is the Co-founder and CX Strategist for ClearlyRated, the leading CX platform for B2B service firms. Eric is a renowned thought leader in the B2B service quality space, and enjoys making his marketing team squirm with campy clip art and long-winded personal anecdotes.