Advice
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3.25.05
Flexibility is key to managing contacts
Dear Kathi,
I have a home-based business and often drop the ball on customer follow
up. My intention is to keep in touch with my active customers on a
weekly basis and to contact my inactive clients and prospective clients
every month or so. What type of system or systems would you recommend
so that I can actually become organized and keep in touch with my
clients.
Keith, Cardiff
Keith,
The most important key to customer follow-up is keeping all of your
contacts organized within some type of database. Computer programs
like ACT or Now Contact can organize and prioritize your client names.
If you don’t have a contact management program, you can also
use your email database or create a spreadsheet in Excel.
Whatever method you choose, it pays to make the right data base choice
in the beginning. Choose a contact management system that will grow
with your company, morph with different tasks and upgrade with improved
technology. Researching and implementing the right system from the
beginning will pay off in spades in the long term.
Once your contacts are saved into one database, you can begin to create
your company follow-through protocol. For this task, you will need
to set up a calendar reminder system.
If you use a PDA, your reminders can be programmed into your schedule.
In ACT and Now Contact/ Now-Up-To Date for Mac, your reminders pop
up in your daily schedule and provide a quick dial option from your
computer. You are alerted every day when a client should be called
or a follow up appointment scheduled. A huge benefit of these programs
is that you can schedule all of your follow up calls and letters as
you input a new contact name. There is also new technology available
that allows you to download your tasks and client info into your cellphone.
The software from your email database or an Excel spreadsheet will
also work but it is more difficult to link directly to a reminder
calendar. To use this system, store each name into a group. For instance,
group your weekly calls, monthly calls etc. into subfolders. This
method definitely requires more time and personal organizational skills.
You will need to print this list regularly, make hand-written notes
and refer to it as you make calls.
If you don’t use computers yet, you can rely on paper methods
for follow-up. As you meet a new contact or gather a referral, record
it onto a master list. Make sure each name has ample space to the
right of it for checkmarks to record each completed task.
While you are recording the new contact info, address several envelopes
to that person and note on each envelope when it should be mailed.
Additionally, mark your schedule for the follow-up calls. At the appointed
time, mail a follow-up letter to the recipient. As you make follow-up
phone calls and send letters, keep track by adding a checkmark and
date beside the name.
Pre-printed postcards are a very cost-effective way to keep in touch
with customers and prospects. Mail these on a regularly basis.The
best follow-up occurs when it is scheduled into recurring time slots
within your workweek. This might sound basic, but calls fall through
the cracks as we get caught up in the “busyness” of our
business. When you block the same hour every day for customer follow-up,
it will become a habit and you will more likely attend to the important
task of generating good customer service, referrals and client rapport.
Kathi is a professional organizer, image consultant and event planner
based in San Diego California.
Please
submit your questions to:
advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
.
San Diego Professional Organizer
