For example, if I ask people, “What is your unique differentiation in the marketplace?” or “What does your organization really excel at?” They will almost always reply, “It has to be our client service.” Almost no one will admit to being “lousy” in client service, any more than they will talk about living in an average town with average kids. Instead I see the “Lake Woebegone Syndrome.” In Lake Woebegone it seems all the t https://npfinancials.com.au/women are pretty, all the men are handsome, and all the kids are well above average.

If while getting to know someone’s agency or company, I ask the question, “If I hauled you into a court of law and accused you of being a ‘world class’ client service provider, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Many times, unfortunately, their answer is, “Probably not.”

Therefore, if so many people think client service and satisfaction is so critical to the success of the vision and the execution of the strategic plan, why is it not usually monitored with the same intensity as the financials? After all, financials are a lagging indicator (telling what happened after the fact) while client satisfaction may be a leading indicator (it can be predicting what may happen in the future).

Many organizations go through all sorts of trial and error and purchase various software programs to keep their finger on the pulse of dollars and cents because they want to know where they are and minimize opportunity for loss. For years it has been known that “what gets measured gets done.”

If that is the case, why is it that many organizations choose to almost ignore measuring client satisfaction? By doing so, they run the risk of losing established clients to the competition.

Client Service as Overarching Philosophy
In 1960, Professor Theodore Leavitt wrote the groundbreaking article, “Marketing Myopia,” in the Harvard Business Review. To paraphrase, he basically concluded that the purpose of all business is to attract and maintain customers while generating adequate profitability today and improved profitability in the future. That balancing act still holds true today. How many organizations do you know that are masters at bringing business in the front door only to lose it out the back door just as quickly? We have also dealt with organizations that service their existing business so well that the owners and principals “never get around to develo