While clients are great, representing both additional income and a professional contact, there are times when a client may not be right for your company. They may have been right when you took them on but may not be now, or they may not be right from the start. Well worded, constructive complaints are a natural part of the process you go through with your clients. These complaints give your company the opportunity to grow and expand in more ways than one. Or at least most of them do. There happens, every so often, a complaint which is in no way regarding your company, products, or services. Complaints where there is no reasonable way for you to resolve them- or at least only a limited ability to resolve them.
When To Let A Client Go
If you run into a problem which is pretty much out of your ability to resolve, you will want to take a good look at the situation. First listen to the clients complaints. If they are of a personal nature, you should first try to assess whether you have another person in your company who may be better suited to work with this particular client. Sometimes these issues are only perceived and not real. If you suspect this is the case ensure you have investigated the situation to your fullest abilities. Speak to all parties involved and look at any evidence that may have been presented to you when the complaint was brought to your attention. If in the end it turns out to be one of those situations, you may simply need to let a client go. Other reasons it may be time to let go of a client is if they ignore phone calls, disregard emails, or otherwise avoid you when you need necessary information.
How To Let A Client Go With Tact
Writing a polite email to let the client know you can no longer do business with them at this time is the best way to approach the matter. Follow up with a phone call in twenty four hours if you have not heard from them. The truth of the matter is that it is much easier to stay calm and collected when writing an email. Phone conversations can turn ugly fast, and you don’t want to say something you will later grow to regret. Have someone else read your email prior to sending it to the client in order to ensure it is as polite as possible. After letting a client go you should take some time to look over the case file and assess what did not work and where either party went wrong. This can help you move forward by learning from your mistakes.
