Brand Audit: Services
Some people feel frustrated with their business for two reasons – they feel that they aren’t spending as much time as they want on a client or personal project and too much time is being spent on administrative tasks. These frustrations are a great reason to re-evaluate your current business situation and achieve your business goals.
STREAMLINE YOUR PROCESS
Are you completely happy with your process? Could your process be streamlined in any way? The only reason a client is going to hire your services is because they cannot do your job themselves. So it’s your task to guide the client through your process as seamlessly, clearly and enjoyably as possible.
Once you are confident in your process, analyse the components of it. Have you got a good client management strategy? Do you have a logical filing structure?
KNOW YOUR PRICES
In order to be taken seriously by your customers, you need to know your business inside and out. The most important aspect to be aware of is your prices. It’s absolutely vital. You need to know what you charge for each service, what that service includes and whether there are optional extras available.
Also if you are not already displaying your prices then I would highly recommend that you start. Most clients don’t feel comfortable contacting a business without knowing something about their rates. However, if you prefer to discuss the subject of cost directly with your clients or perhaps you offer a bespoke service or product that cannot be priced easily, then I suggest you at least display a “starting from” figure on your website.
SET CLIENT SCHEDULES
Schedules can be a huge asset when used correctly. Rather than wasting time working out what and when you should be handling things, you already have a time designated. This is true for yourself, with the general management of your business but also for your clients.
Create client project schedules to help lead your customer through the process. With each schedule, you have the opportunity to be more explicit about when feedback is required, as well as getting a better idea of how things can be improved in the future.
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
It’s critical that you provide terms and conditions, a privacy policy and a refund and returns policy somewhere on your website. These protect both you and your clients. If you haven’t got any or only some of these important documents I suggest you start to include them on your website now. There are many places online that you can find helpful templates if you don’t know where to start.
