Making your clients feel welcome when they visit your office needn’t be difficult; by following certain protocol you can make your clients feel valued.
Client visits to the office
Before the visit:
Confirm the appointment: the date and the time.
Confirm the client has directions to the office and make your clients aware if your building has security that requires photo ID, or if there are multiple occupants in the same building. Let them know where they can park as well, if parking is a challenge.
Confirm the agenda: Much aggravation can be avoided by simply reviewing the agenda ahead of time to ensure you are covering what your client wants to during the meeting.
During the visit:
Greet the client by name: If you have a receptionist, let the receptionist know the client is coming into the office, when, and how to pronounce their name.
Offer to hang the clients’ coat and offer the client a beverage. If the client has been to the office before, keep track of their beverage choice.
If you have papers or documents for the client, organize them in a neat folder or binder.
If signatures are needed, clearly mark the location the signature is needed, using post-it notes and highlighter. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope with the package, so they can easily return the required paperwork.
Have soft background music playing in the lobby. It can help preserve privacy by not allowing conversations to be overheard and pleasantly distract clients. Be sure to choose music that matches your brand identity and your client profile; if you are a conservative business, rap music doesn’t work. When implementing background music, I always recommend Business Voice, a vendor with whom I’ve worked for years.
After the visit:
Follow up with the client to find out if they have any questions within a few days.
Let the client know when you’ve received the paperwork back, and set expectations as to what they can expect next.
It’s the attention to detail, the little things, that will differentiate your firm from your competition. Next time we’ll talk about making people feel welcome when they visit your store …
