In just a couple short weeks, HIPB2B is moving from its 5-year home, down the road to a new building. Even though the move is short (less than a mile to the new building), there have been several logistical challenges.
The lessons we learned from the unpredictability of an office relocation are also applicable when it comes to creating and maintaining customer relationships.
Brainstorm Before You Build It
When the creative and marketing team sat down to plan out its working space, we sat and brainstormed ideas.
We had a large Creative space to work with. Prior to the meeting, it was assumed that we might want a more lounge-like layout for the purpose of collaboration, which meant the space was an open layout room as opposed to offices.
But when the team met, we explained it’s harder to focus on creative work, like the work my soon-to-be-space-mate and I do, when there’s someone else moving around in your periphery.
Sometimes, following trends might seem like a good idea, but it’s important to determine if than trendy concept design works for those that use it. An open lounge might look nice, but it doesn’t work as well for focused work.
You’ll need to do your research and anticipate potential logistical challenges that customers might have with your solutions, so you don’t have to scramble every time something goes wrong.
Listen to Feedback
Luckily, we gathered as a team to discuss the space before proceeding with the plan. So, we’re able to sit down and listen to the pros and cons of each arrangement.
My suitemate and I were able to voice our concerns about an open layout. You should give your customer a way to give you feedback so you can adjust accordingly.
Examples of effective ways to let your customers give you feedback are:
- Give clients a dedicated point of contact
- Contact us buttons in convenient locations
- Multiple choice answers to “Was this service helpful?”
- Record all client conversations for later reference
- Ask for feedback on forms and in other communications
All the tactics listed above are ways to make communication a two-way street between you and your clients. Customers relationships shouldn’t be one-sided. It never works.
Give Customized Solutions
Every bump in the road is a chance to learn something.
To give us the space we need, we will arrange our desks to create natural barriers between us and the main entry and adding privacy screens to give us the antisocial, private spaces we crave.
Be ready to make changes that are customized for the customer, but that can also adapt to other customers who may fit a similar profile.
Roll With the Punches
What works for a customer at the beginning of a relationship won’t work for that same client later in the relationship. As a customer continues to use a product or a service, they will run into problems or have new questions.
That means you must be constantly asking for feedback, accepting the inevitable changes in customer wants, and adapting to satisfy those needs.
When we created the new headquarters, we customized each office space for individual employees. After the plan was in place and the contractors were building, a long-time member of our team decided to leave. That means we had an extra office space that wasn’t being utilized. We were able to adapt, splitting the one office into a workspace for two people.
You never know what will happen to a customer using your offering. The emergencies or issues they might have. Each potential crisis is a place where your company can prove to the customer that they made the right choice using your company’s offering. Alternatively, if you fail to deliver in moments of crisis, your customers will lose faith in your brand and are less likely to buy again.
Let us know what you think:
- How do you keep your clients happy?
- Have you ever moved your HQ?
- What did you learn from that experience?
