I want you to consider and think carefully about the following quotation … “The speed at which you respond on social media has a direct correlation to how much you care for your clients.”
Liz Cable a social media lecturer from Leeds in the UK asked the following question when I tweeted this statement of mine. Is it actual correlation or perceived correlation? (although I’d argue the latter is more important than the former)
My answer to Liz was as follows:
It is an actual correlation to the way you handle clients – the perception is from the clients themselves!
Let me explain this more simply. If you respond slowly or take a day or two to respond to your clients then I will definitely say you don’t give a damn about your clients and if they leave, well you did not deserve them in the first place.
There are types of clients to consider here, the first is the actual client as mentioned in the last paragraph. For him everything is actual and he will tell you that he was not cared for by the seller or supplier. The second are your other real or prospective clients who will be judging the seller or supplier as caring or not according to the way you respond to the actual client.
Perceptions are formed when your intention becomes clear to your clients that you either care or don’t, and this is based on the speed at which you respond to your clients online.
Oh I know there are hundreds of reasons why you can’t respond. Those reasons may even be an honest and legitimate good excuse.
The real question is are you giving the client what he wants or are you doing what is easier for you? Remember your competitor may just be willing to listen and give the client what they are looking for.
I would honestly welcome your comments, especially those that have a completely different opinion on this subject.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
RichSimmonds 
Interestingly enlightening. Come to think of it, I have witnessed clients who get more excited by the promptness of the response than the quality and clarity of the message/service itself. In my instant responses I have learned to be as honest as possible.
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Yes it is not always possible to give an immediate answer, but a prompt response gives you time to find the right answers.
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This is a good article it answer my inside thoughts questions about replying speeding to a client. Well as the saying goes people generally don’t know what they want. Many times as creatives we set out down a particular part and the process down that path leads else where sometimes it’s for the better good of the project opening up another sphere or creative gem. Life is only beautiful because it’s filled with thousands of possibilities. Client’s are sometimes very stubborn and they are the ones that ruin the creative process. I call it the selfless dream killer from within.. I respond really quickly on all my social pages sometimes i use to have that subconscious thought like thinking what the client thinks.. Questions such as whether I am hungry designer? haha or if Iam just always online? I guess it doesn’t matter after all I am producing quality work sometimes the client is often times more excited to talk with me than i expected. Good read. Cheers!!!
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I agree 100%. 7 out of 10 times when I send a request or enquiry on company websites or FB pages, they either don’t respond or take ages. My daughter needs to go to varsity next year. University took 2 weeks to respond to a website enquiry. I replied immediately and it’s been more than a month….no reply…. Why bother to have Social Media and website presence if you have no intention of managing it?
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