If you don't think client service excellence is important to the success of your business, think again. The price you pay for anything less than excellence can be high indeed. 
 
It can cost up to five or six times more to attract a new client than to keep an existing one. Retaining two percent of your clients is the equivalent to cutting costs by 10 percent. 
 
Excellent client service is not a one-stage process, but an ongoing effort. Achieving excellence in delivering service is the accumulation of many little things - all of which have to be delivered with passion and a smile. 
 
From my own experience, five essentials are necessary to deliver the high level of service that clients demand:

• Competency. Delivery of your service must be through experienced client service employees.
• Consistency. That high level of service must be consistent-delivered 24 hours a day, seven days a week--all year long.
• Empathy. Your employees must make clients feel important - clients want to deal with employees who sincerely care about them and their concerns.
• Passion. Your service must be delivered with passion. And I do mean passion, not just half-hearted efforts.
• Responsiveness. Your service must take precedence over policy. Clients have certain perceptions of what they want in terms of excellent service, so your employees must be able to meet those perceptions or risk having the client take his/her business elsewhere.

There are a couple of other points that I think are important on the subject of service excellence.  
 
First, your business must train in all areas of client services, starting with such simple tasks as answering the telephone and greeting the customer at the front desk. Each and every employee from the CEO to the clerk in the mailroom must participate in the training, including the required frequent refresher courses. 
 
Second, your employees must be empowered to go the extra mile to deliver superior service. Of course, you never want to risk profitability or the company, but employees should be empowered to go beyond policy when it's called for. Equally important is to recognize employees when they do what's right.
 
And here are two more thoughts. 
 
Don't overlook the value of listening. Always listen to what the client is saying - don't just pretend to hear. Take notes to help show that you are listening and restate what clients are telling you. 
 
And, don't think for a second that technology is a substitute for excellence. It's not. Technology should only be used as a tool supported by great service. Clients should experience your people not your technology. 
 
Happy, satisfied clients tell four to five others about a positive experience. Unhappy, dissatisfied clients tell nine to 12 people about a bad experience. Excellence may cost a little more in the short term, but it truly pays off in higher revenues and profits. 
 
Indeed, client service excellence can help ensure the success of your organization for many years to come.