The Art of Client Care

As an operations assistant at Dragonfly, one of my jobs is to help make sure our clients are happy with the work we’re doing and see that their needs are met.

Over the past year, the Dragonfly team has been refining that process. So I thought I’d share some tips and tricks for all of the writers and editors out there who run freelance businesses who might benefit from them.

Frequency

First, let’s start with how much you should reach out to your clients. This is completely up to you, but doing it too often will overwhelm you. I typically reach out to clients on a continuous 6-month cycle, but sometimes I stray from that if there’s a special case.

Topic

Not sure what to reach out to your client about? Here are some topics to consider.

  • Radio silence
    Haven’t heard from your client in a while? This is a great time to reach out. Ask them if they have any projects on the horizon that they may need help with.

    This is also a good chance to find out if anything went wrong. Sometimes clients drop off the face of the earth without a word, and this gives you the chance to recover the relationship, or at least find out what happened.


    Hi Wiley,
    I hope you’re doing well.
    I was looking at our records and noticed that we haven’t worked with Acme Corp. since December of last year!
    I’m not always involved in the day-to-day operations in the editing department, so I didn’t realize how long it’s been. Has there been a change of protocol in how editing is handled, or did we do something wrong?
    I appreciate your insight, Wiley.
    All the best as always,
    Sam
  • Project-specific feedback
    Just wrapped up a project? Ask them for specific feedback. Was there anything you could have done better?

    Bruce,
    Thank you for the opportunity to partner with you and the Wayne Enterprises team on your proposal.
    I wanted to quickly check in with you. Did your project go well?
    Is there anything we can do to improve and help you better in the future?
    Sincerely,
    Sam
  • General feedback
    Ask them if there’s anything you can do better to help them or anything that you can improve on. It shows your clients that you’re open to constructive criticism and that you’re eager to make your working relationship as smooth as possible.

    Hey Tony,
    I hope you’re doing well!
    When the kids start going back to school, I like to do a quick check-in. So I wanted to give you an all-purpose one to see how things are going.
    How are our editing projects? Is staffing still a painless process for you?
    Is there anything we could do better to help you?
    We love working with you and the Stark Industries team, and feedback you have is appreciated.
    Sincerely,
    Sam
  • Advertise your services
    Do you offer any services that you know would be a great fit for your client? Now’s the time to tell them about it!

    Hi Michael,
    I hope you’re doing well.
    As the school year gets started, I like to check in to see how things are going. How are things at Dunder Mifflin? Are there any changes coming on the horizon?
    I wanted to ask if you might need writing and design support as well? I know you work with ABC Company for design support, but we’d be happy to help with any overflow projects.
    Thanks for reaching out to us, and for being so great to work with.
    Sincerely,
    Sam

Tracking

To help keep track of the conversations I have, I use Highrise CRM. It also allows me to log my emails, add notes, and even set up tasks for myself so I don’t forget to check in.

No matter what you reach out to your client about, it shows them that you care about your relationship and are committed to improving. Plus it’ll put you and your business at the forefront of their minds!

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