Gary Chapman, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) expert, emphasizes the importance of customer relationships. His consultancy trains organizations in CRM, and his seminars reach thousands annually. He advises those planning similar events to prioritize building strong delegate relationships.
The registration process is a crucial first impression. It reflects your values and standards. Treat each delegate as a potential long-term connection. Ensure their initial experience is professional and positive.
For new events or inexperienced staff, meticulously script all interactions. This includes phone greetings and handling difficult questions. Role-play these scenarios until they become natural and effortless.
Establish clear performance standards for your administrative team. Some organizations aim to answer calls before the first ring to demonstrate responsiveness. If that isn’t feasible, set a reasonable target, like three rings.
Other valuable standards include:
* Prompt callbacks within the promised timeframe.
* Paperwork dispatched within 8 business hours.
* Emails responded to within 4 business hours.
* Database updated daily.
* Payment reminders sent at 21, 28, and 35 days post-registration.
Implement a system for monitoring adherence to these standards. Ideally, the admin team should have its own monitoring process, allowing you to check progress periodically, fostering ownership rather than constant surveillance.
Chapman encourages his team to apply the same high standards internally as they do with external customers. This reduces stress and conflict by eliminating double standards. As Chapman says, ‘Why have double standards? People will always choose the easier option, and that’s how standards slip. Remove the choice!’.