Seven Ways To Master Client Engagement

Customer Relationship Management started out as a proactive way to categorize, query, and contact clients in a database, in order to better market products and services to them. But today agencies are harkening back to the days when they looked at their clients through the eyes of human beings, not computers, in order to communicate, connect, and get involved.  

So in the spirit of being human (!) here are seven ways to engage your clients. 

1. The lost art of the greeting
Get off your chair, walk toward your clients, look them in the eyes, smile (showing your teeth), extend a hand, say your name and ask for theirs, and then invite them to discuss their travel needs, plans, and ideas. Each step in the process establishes that initial relationship with the client that sets the mood for a positive and productive discussion. 

2. Don’t misinterpret email
There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, as Paul Simon says, but there must be 500 ways to misinterpret emails based on fonts, contractions, tweet-speak, style, criss-crossing, moods, and emoticons. Sometimes it’s best to ditch the social media and actually talk with a client in person, on the telephone, or on Skype to avoid those downward email spirals and re-invigorate the relationship with a human voice. 

3. Get out the magic wand
The old ways of collecting data included the very basic who, what, when, where, why. Today, with one-on-one communication representing the key for relationship building, you need to find out as much information as possible to affect a connection with the client and the destination. Get into the psychographics of travel—the reasons people want to travel in the first place. This often results in the magically inspired questions: “If you could wave a magic wand, what would you like to do, what else would you want to do, and what would you like to do that you didn’t think it was possible to do?”  

4. Keep in touch
Social media comes into play here. After you establish a relationship with the client, the million dollar question is, “How should we stay in touch?” Phone, Facebook, Snapchat, texting, messaging? Once a day? 24/7? If your client uses a social media platform that you don’t currently use, it may be worth your time and effort to learn it. And again, there are times when that old fashioned phone call is the answer. When a client returns from a vacation, a personal phone call can provide valuable insight into the client’s enjoyment (or lack thereof) and allow you to go into high-drive customer service to resolve the matter and/or book the client’s next get-away. 

5. Show your value-centric foundations
Value is a state of mind that varies by individual. Determine how your client defines value and then engage in the follow-through. Do they want a busy itinerary, a laid back time at an all-inclusive, a wonderful social experience on a river cruise, a niche market (special interest) experience of cheeses, chocolates, wine and Michelin restaurants? Do they want bragging rights to outdo the vacation you arranged for their friends last year? The more you know the client, the better equipped you are to surpass his or her value expectations. 

6. Engage in client centric leadership-by-example
Show clients through your actions that you are worthy of their adulation, trust, confidence, and repeat bookings. Adopt the “power of three” system, where you have back-up resources with the help of the extensive experts network you’ve built up over the years. If you’ve made a special arrangement (a visit to a winery in Mendoza, a day of biking in Hue, watching the full moon over the Taj Mahal), also have alternate plans, just in case; an alternate winery, the option to move the biking to a non-rainy day or to another city on the itinerary, or a special evening event at one of India’s other iconic sights. Maintain engagement with your client-centric “I’ve got your back” attitude. 

7. Have people-centric expectations.
True customer service means understanding your clients, anticipating problems before they arise, and resolving issues with human beings in mind as opposed to hiding behind policy and procedure manuals. Set client satisfaction and enjoyment, with the resulting glowing testimonials and referrals that follow, as absolutely attainable goals each and every time you engage with a client.