When Ardent Lift Consultancy was formed in 2012, customer service was identified as a key consideration for the business. The thrill of getting a new client is always rewarding and building on the initial introduction to our business is a priority for the team. By working on these relationships, we find that our client retention rate is excellent.
One of the original initiatives we introduced back then was a ‘hot line’ for Property Managers to contact us on a Monday (11am to 1pm) to discuss their lift issues and obtain free, impartial advice from our team. This approach worked for an emerging business and the mindset has remained with us to this day.
Whilst most of our day-to-day communications are conducted over email these days, there is no real substitute for a conversation with a customer, whether it is someone you have known for years, or someone new. Both parties get more from a conversation than they do over email and this one-to-one connection helps to build on these relationships.
This has never been more applicable than during the lockdown periods we have all encountered over the last 12 months. Teams became fragmented working from home. The isolation this has brought on has been felt by us all in some way, shape or form and a 10-minute chat to break up a morning can help enormously.
Whilst the ‘hot line’ initiative is not something we outwardly advertise any more, we do underline to our clients (existing and new) that we would rather spend 10 minutes talking through a potential problem with them in a bid to resolve it, than have them spend hours looking for an answer we may already know.
Consultations
We have found that face to face consultations with stakeholders has worked extremely well for our projects. During these consultations:
- We give the stakeholders the relevant information on the upcoming project.
- People with a vested interest in the project are given an opportunity to ask questions to gain clarity.
- Issues can be highlighted allowing us to offer a resolution.
- The programme timings are discussed and agreed upon.
If we did not hold these consultations, risks and issues could escalate and become bigger problems further along into the project. Having consultations improves transparency, promotes buy-in, and instils confidence in the project’s successful delivery.
We are committed to lead the way in customer service in the industry and continually improving in this area as we seek better ways of working.
