Last updated on 31st May 2024
Okay, here’s the thing…
98% of people say it’s important that a business communicates effectively with them as a customer.
BUT…
94% of people also feel the businesses they buy from have room for improvement when it comes to effective communication and project management.
Source: Communication Statistics 2024.
So, it’s clear that improvements can and should be made. But where do you start?
You start right here.
In this article we’re going to take a look at all things client communication: what it is, how important it is for your business and, most importantly, tips for making improvements!
What is client communication?
Client communication is the communication between a business and its clients. Client communication comes in many forms, like emails, phone calls, meetings, and serves many purposes, like keeping customers informed and collecting feedback.
Client communication is important for building trust between a business and its customers. When done correctly it can make your clients feel valued and heard while giving you the information you need to make more effective business decisions.
The importance of effective client communication
Effective client communication couldn’t be more important. It’s the lifeblood of your business! Without effective communication, you risk wasting customers’ time and your own time, losing customers left and right, and even losing future clients by building a poor reputation.
When you master the art of effective client communication, you can manage customer expectations better, reduce misunderstandings, and improve customer satisfaction. This all leads to more positive reviews for your business, and increased revenue in the future – either by repeat clients who love working with you so much or by new clients who see how much your current clients love you!
5 Elements of client communication
Of course, there’s more to client communication than simply communicating with your clients – especially if you want to excel in this area. You need to consider certain elements, like:
2. Transparency – being as open as possible
3. Empathy – understanding your client’s POV
4. Flexibility – being adaptable to your client’s needs
5. Context – make sure communications are relevant to each specific client
1. Frequency
Your clients have their own things going on. Make their life easier by being clear about when you’re going to communicate with them so that they don’t have to chase you. Set a precedent for when all messages will be responded to, for example, one business day (or whatever you know your business can successfully stick to) and be clear on that with your clients.
2. Transparency
All clients will appreciate transparency in your messaging. This kind of open communication helps to build trust and could become the difference between clients sticking with your business for the long haul or choosing to go elsewhere.
Transparency isn’t always easy, but the more you open up to your clients about how your business operates or why you charge X amount for X product or service, the more understanding – and perhaps appreciation – they will gain.
3. Empathy
This one’s kind of a given, right? We all know that empathy can go a long way when building relationships with anyone – business or otherwise. Adding a touch of emotion to your communications will let your clients know that you care.
Acknowledge their feelings, whether it’s frustration or joy and always remember, there’s a human on the other side of the screen (or phone).
4. Flexibility
Having business processes in place is extremely important for efficiency, however, it’s equally as important to show your clients some flexibility (when required).
Clients will always notice when businesses are adaptable to their needs. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, but if they complain about Google Meet because they are used to MS Teams, then offering to switch meeting software can be a huge help to them and only a minor inconvenience (if that!) to you. That’s just a simple example, but hopefully it portrays the idea that being flexible here and there is a great way to strengthen client relationships.
5. Context
This means remembering to treat your clients like individuals and make sure every communication is relevant to them. For example, if you’re making a change to your business processes then this will likely need to be explained to existing customers in a different way than you would need to explain it to new clients.
Similarly, if you know you’ve already discussed something with a client and/or you have some information about them that would make a blanket communication that you’re about to send to everyone seem out-of-context for them, take a couple of minutes to personalise it.
How to improve communication with clients: 10 tips
1. Start with a kickoff call or meeting
A kickoff call or meeting is a great way to start your project off right! It’s a way to put a face to the name – both for your clients and for you!
If you’re able to, meeting in person can help you build a genuine connection and rapport with new clients. But for most people, meeting in person isn’t practical, and that’s where video calls come in!
Video conferencing tools, like Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet have made it quick and easy to set up a face-to-face meeting with anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Starting the project with a call like this is the perfect opportunity to outline everything that’s going to happen, give a breakdown of the project timeline, and also offer your client the chance to ask any questions they have before getting started.
2. Respond promptly
In this age of instant gratification, your clients expect you to respond immediately.
Prompt responses ensure your clients feel heard and valued. Even if you just send a quick reply to let them know you’ll review their message the following day, or get back to them by the end of the week, that’s so much better than radio silence.
3. Always explain the next step
Another simple and effective way to improve client communication is to always explain what’s coming next. Don’t wait for your customers to ask.
Be proactive.
By explaining everything that will happen throughout your project, you offer clients a level of transparency that builds trust and allows you to manage expectations.
4. Have one clear contact
Most modern projects involve a number of different people – but your clients should always know who to contact if they have a question or problem.
We think this is a great way to improve client communication because it makes things simple. We’ve all been on those terrible customer service calls that pass you from department to department and ask you to repeat your information over and over again – nobody likes that!
Clients like having someone that they can contact who knows their name, and just as importantly, knows exactly what’s happening with their project.
With Project.co, it’s easy to pass on important client information internally using the Notes tool. The Notes tool is private, so clients can’t see what’s on it – but you and the rest of your team can.
5. Keep communication in one place
By keeping everything in one place you can eliminate the risk of losing important information, and in doing so, eliminate the risk of asking your clients to repeat themselves or re-send files.
With Project.co, all communication is kept centrally. And all communications happen via the Discussions tool. Here, both your team and the client can view every single comment or message (dated and time-stamped) that has happened throughout the entire project:
Files can also be added here (or via the Files tool) to keep those all in one place too.
The power of using a project management tool for client collaboration really shouldn’t be underestimated. The figures speak for themselves!
6. Facilitate real-time collaboration
With the rise of tools like Invision, Google Drive, and Miro, real-time collaboration is easier than ever. And this is a great way to make speedy progress and keep your projects moving forward.
Real-time collaboration can also help you ensure there is only one live file or document floating around, eliminating the risk that people will comment on the wrong version and waste valuable time.
With the Project.co embeds tool, you can embed your live files (from tools like those mentioned above) to your projects so that you can all work on them together in real-time, all without leaving your project management tool!
This further improves communication because it allows you to keep everything – your messages, payments, and your files – all in one secure place, easily accessible by everyone involved.
7. Be flexible
While it’s important to have a solid communication strategy in place to ensure you are consistently offering your clients clear communication, it’s also important to be flexible to your clients’ needs.
If you have a client that’s finding it difficult to use the tools that you typically use, and this is creating a negative experience for them, be open to using the tools they prefer.
Perhaps you use Google Meet but your client is more comfortable on Microsoft Teams – it’s a small adjustment for you to make to ensure they have the best experience possible.
And this flexibility shouldn’t just apply to tools. For example, if your client wants to have regular meetings to touch base, it’s good to be open to that.
Even if you don’t find them particularly productive, it’s important to consider that all clients will have different requirements and needs, and if regular meetings are going to reassure your client and keep them happy, what’s the harm?
8. Add a personal touch
We all spend a lot of time at work and – especially if you work on long projects that run over weeks and months – you may spend a lot of time communicating with your clients.
Adding a personal touch is a small but effective way to elevate your client communication to the next level and improve your clients’ experience.
So, if your client tells you something about themselves – for example, if they just dropped their kid off for their first day at school or if they’re looking forward to a vacation – try to remember that and ask them about it later.
This will really show that you care and it’ll help your business stand out!
9. Make sure internal communication is perfect
If you want your client communication to improve, one of the best ways to get started is to first improve your internal communication. When your internal teams communicate effectively this will be reflected in conversations with clients.
Improving internal communication is imperative right now with more and more companies working remotely.
One of the best ways to do this is to create a company-wide communication guide so that everyone knows how they’re expected to communicate with each other and exactly what tools to use.
Project management tools, like Project.co, and chat apps, like Slack, are particularly great at facilitating clear communication.
In addition to using both of those tools, you might find it useful to schedule internal handovers when projects move forward through your workflow.
In these handover meetings team members can pass on any important information about the project so far, including things the client likes, things they don’t like, things the client specifically requested, and any other useful tidbits that have been picked up along the way.
10. Resolve disputes effectively
You can do everything possible to improve client communication and disputes will still arise. It’s inevitable.
The trick isn’t to try and stop disputes from happening. It’s to resolve them quickly and effectively when they do!
Final thoughts
With a communication strategy like the one we’ve outlined and a powerful project management tool to help you, you’ll be able to massively improve client communication and reap the benefits.
Feeling inspired and ready to take control of your client communication? Click here to find out more about how Project.co works.
