Client churn is never a good thing. It downright sucks. More so when clients leave you in droves. It can be tough to determine why this is happening and even tougher to do something about it.
3 Ways to Prevent Client Churn
Build Relationships
One of the best ways to reduce customer churn is to build relationships with your clients. This means taking the time to understand their needs and what motivates them.
How can this prevent churn? It involves being proactive in addressing any issues that may arise. By developing a solid relationship with your clients, you show that you care about their success. And when clients feel appreciated and valued, they are less likely to leave. In our experience, this goes beyond a project’s day-to-day operations or the weekly updates.
You don’t have to become BFFs, but remember that the people you meet with each week are humans. Don’t be robotic and cold with them. Talk about your weekend, your upcoming wedding, your kids, your TikTok that went semi-viral. People relate to people.
Build a strong rapport, then those “can we have a quick chat?” conversations are less likely to be awkward. Strive to have the kind of relationship that makes uncomfortable discussions easy. Also, when you know your clients better, it’s easier to recognize when something is off. The nuances associated with tone of voice, slack DM style, response rate, etc., are all signs the temperature might be cooling. This is when you need to be proactive in addressing any issues.
Reach Out to Past Clients
Another way to improve customer churn is to restore relationships with those who already left. This may involve reaching out to them via email, phone, or social media.
It’s also important to be responsive and attentive to their needs. If you can make things right, then forget your ego and do it.
Not everybody who churns does so on bad terms. Sometimes circumstances force a happy customer to churn (hello slashed budget).
Your customers will appreciate the effort and may be more likely to return or refer you to their network to win you more clients.
If they don’t return (or can’t), you can learn from their feedback to improve the service you provide and prevent future churn of your current clients.
Implement Feedback Procedures
Finally, it’s essential to gauge how your clients feel about working with you. Do this through surveys or by asking directly. Collecting feedback from your clients helps you identify any areas of improvement. If there are issues to address, you can act before they cause too much damage.
We recommend sending periodic surveys to current clients (once a year should suffice), and also upon exit, click here for templates.
Client Churn: Keep Your Customers
In conclusion, there are many ways to prevent client churn.
- build relationships with your clients
- restore relationships with those who have left
- gauge how they feel about working with you
This puts you in a much better position to succeed. So don’t wait – start implementing these strategies today!
