Clients Day

Did you know there’s such a thing as Clients Day? It’s always on March 19, and is all about appreciating our customers, because without them, I wouldn’t have a business!

The day was first celebrated in Klaipeda, Lithuania in 2010 to acknowledge the support of customers for all businesses, however large or small. The idea of the holiday quickly spread, and was added to the calendar in Lithuania.

In 2012 the idea went viral, and companies throughout the world used the day to thank customers.  By 2013, Client’s Day was commended by the President of Lithuania, and even began spreading into Russia.

How can you celebrate the day?   Be creative about how you might find a special way to thank customers. You might offer a give-away sample if you are a product-based business, or a free nail painting deal for customers who make a purchase on that day. 

You might offer your clients, cookies, or sweets, or as we are somewhat restricted during lockdown, you might just give them a call to let them know how much you appreciate them.

Working with my clients

As I’ve mentioned before, customer service is central to my business, and in a way, by me putting that foremost in my thinking, I hope that I’m thanking my clients every day I work with them.

Clients come back to work with me again and again, because they see how I and my team go that extra mile for them and their residents. I am committed to putting people first in my business.

Relationships are most important, and if they are not working well, then my business will not progress and grow, and without them, my reputation will not be as good as I aim for it to be.

An example of how I deal with issues:

Back in 2019, a client reported her apartment had an issue with reoccurring damp that was starting to affect the standard of living for her tenants.  The reports received consisted of mould spores on walls and belongings and walls that were heavily contaminated by salts.  This therefore suggested an issue with both a level of condensation and damp.

Initially, we investigated any external issues that may be affecting the flat.  This consisted of checking pointing to brick work, damaged downpipes, render cracks etc. 

As it happens, in this instance there was a blocked downpipe that we cleared out, but there was also an issue with a leak from the bathroom of the neighbouring property where an internal pipe was leaking. 

It also became clear that the tenants were not following our advice to ventilate the apartment appropriately. Simple things such as, opening windows, not drying washing inside, opening windows after showering and when cooking. 

Although the issues were coming from multiple sources, by working with the client and contractors, and through my own experience, plus discussing certain aspects with a chartered building surveyor, we were able to resolve the issue quickly, efficiently and within a reasonable budget. 

Had we not been so dedicated to providing the best service to our client, we could have stopped our work, having sorted out the issues of the first apartment. However, we followed up on the neighbouring property too, because that also needed repairing. It is always important to look at problems from several viewpoints, and ensure that all possibilities are explored.

Also, we took the time to talk and give advice to the tenants about ventilation.

Taking time to treat people with care, communicating with them clearly and in a way that they fully understand is all part of excellent customer care.

I like our clients to know they are more than just names and numbers on a balance sheet. I hope our clients all recognise how much we care for their well-being, and appreciate the trust they put in us as their management team.