Juggling multiple client accounts requires exceptional organization. Can’t say that I have exceptional organizational skills, but I AM a total nerd in the sense that I love organization! That being said, and considering where I work…a structured system ensures consistency and prevents errors (most of the time! )
So let’s start by asking yourself where and how will you collect and use your information. Use spreadsheets, or a dashboard of some kind to keep and track clients, communications with those clients, leads, even assets. Even if you’re a very small company, having a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform in place will help immensely! Some suggestions are: Hubspot and Salesforce.
So let’s assume you have one of those or maybe another CRM in place. If you have several people using it you’ll likely find yourself with just as many different ways of creating, naming, and labeling the assets kept there. Unless it’s your desire to actually loose your mind, I’d strongly suggest establishing naming and viewing conventions. For example- when you pull up your client you should see all the same information: name, contact method, service provided, account manager, date opened… you get it. If you’re not sure what is most helpful or if you have large groups of clients and employee groups that focus on different things- you can limit and control access to information for ease & convenience to those involved.
Be sure to document and make known all office procedures and protocols. Employees are generally happy to do what is expected of them, but some (like me) flourish when given specific instructions an parameters of autonomy. Your CRM should have some way to funnel work- like workflows, or tickets. Utilize these! Let automation keep you and your people on track with tasks, prompts, emails, and more!
Establish clear lines of communication and be consistent! Set and evaluate internal and personal professional goals. I had a boss once tell me, “Kelly, people do what you inspect, not what you expect.” I hated hearing that at the time, I was a lot younger and less cynical.
The thing is…he was right. I’m out of “wise words,” so I’ll finish with two quotes:
- "What gets measured gets managed." — Peter Drucker
- "If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it." — Lord Kelvin
