What’s “Client Engagement” and why should we even care?
Here we are staring 2019 in the face-already! Can you believe how fast 2018 flew by?
I’m sitting here giving thought to what’s around the bend for the next 12 months. It’s always a little bit hard to take a break from the hustle of “right now business” and try to see over the horizon, but I know that those of us who want to do more than survive in a changing (again) market need to get a sense for what’s most important.
Unlike the seers and prophets in ancient times, I’m not reading tea leaves or rattling animal bones in a cup to try and grasp the future. However, I think we can take a look at modern buzzwords to get a sense for what’s coming and how we should handle it.
Here’s one such buzzword: ENGAGEMENT
If you pay attention to marketing thought leaders, this is the Holy Grail-“client engagement.” What does it even mean, though?
I looked it up. Here’s the definition written in corporatese:
Customer engagement is a business communication connection between an external stakeholder (consumer) and an organization (company or brand) through various channels of correspondence. This connection can be a reaction, interaction, effect or overall customer experience, which takes place online and offline.
Huh.
Let me see if I can translate that.
Engagement is a connection between customers and us. It means communication. It means strengthening the connection by paying attention to the way our customers react and interact-before, during, and after a transaction. It means caring about the overall experience and how they feel as they move through the whole “customer journey” from lead to prospect to buyer and after they have closed the deal.
In other words, I see the future of real estate and lending and it looks like we better embrace this thing called Engagement. Customers are being trained to expect high levels of real-time service and communication. They are being trained not to put up with anything less.
Those of us who commit to learning what this means and invest time into figuring out how to do it will be rewarded over and over again as our clients come back for repeat business and happily send us referrals.
Fancy buzzwords aside, I think this comes down to really listening to what our clients need (and what’s bothering them), finding ways to relieve their anxiety through timely, relevant communication, and delivering on our promises.
I’ll write more about each of these things in the coming months. In the meantime, I’d love to hear back from you. What do you need most from me in the coming year? Where can I improve my service? I’m asking because this matters. I can’t do it without you!
Give me a call or reply to this note if you’d like to set up a time to discuss this or anything you need. I’m here to serve.
Reprint from Tod Weber of Gold Financial Services of Richardson,TX