How Services Firms Can Drive Successful Client Engagements 2023

Sales and Contracting:
A Well-Defined Methodology Helps Services Firms Strengthen Engagement Execution 

KLAS asked participating services firms how they craft a strong methodology for solving clients’ problems. While some explained their approach with clarity and in great detail, others struggled to define their methodology—these firms tend to receive lower ratings from clients in areas like engagement execution and money’s worth. One firm executive explained, “We need to listen and understand the scope of work up front. Us listening is paramount for project success. We have to document and understand exactly what the customer is looking for and be very direct with what is and isn’t in scope. Success starts up front with how we engage, listen, and manage expectations. Those things are critical. We document everything and get everyone to sign off. Then, depending on the type of project, there are stage gates and milestones to check along the way. Even with staff augmentation engagements, there is still an element of follow-up.”

Additionally, firms who use a strategic selling approach (i.e., the representative advises and consults with the client to discuss problems and build solutions) see high client satisfaction across many metrics, like overall satisfaction, quality of staff/consultants, drives tangible outcomes, exceeds expectations, and strength of partnership. Clients of these firms tend to feel more loyal to their firm, though this doesn’t necessarily reduce their perception of being nickel-and-dimed.

Internal Hiring and Training:
Services Firms with Job Shadowing Programs Are More Likely to Exceed Client Expectations

When firms have their employees participate in job shadowing and on-the-job training beyond just the standard onboarding process, it can positively impact the client experience; in general, firms that incorporate job shadowing are more likely to exceed client expectations. Further, clients of these firms are more satisfied with executive involvement. One firm executive shared, “Typically, we hire somebody that has experience, and we give them somebody to shadow. The training is more standardized and prescriptive for onboarding specifics. But after that, the hiring manager assigns somebody to work with the new hire and shadow them throughout the process.” Most firms also offer team- or project-specific training; however, organization-wide training can contribute to higher client satisfaction with engagement execution. Firms with a niche focus are more likely to have organization-wide trainings, thus having more opportunities to strengthen engagement execution for clients.

Engagement Execution:
High-Performing Services Firms Typically Assign One Owner to Be Client’s Primary Contact

At services firms, a client relationship can be owned by one or more of the following people: a delivery team member, an account manager or customer success manager (CSM), a sales representative, or an executive. Clients who are assigned a single contact owner—as opposed to multiple contact owners—are typically more satisfied with the engagement execution and executive involvement and are also more likely to feel they received their money’s worth. Client satisfaction varies depending on who their main point of contact is:

• When a delivery team member is the main point of contact, the client tends to be less satisfied with quality of staff/consultants, the firm’s ability to drive tangible outcomes, and the strength of the partnership.
• When an account manager or CSM is the main point of contact, clients often report greater money’s worth and solid tangible outcomes.
• When a sales representative who typically isn’t involved in delivery or ongoing account management is the main point of contact, clients report lower money’s worth and less satisfaction with the firm driving tangible outcomes.
• Having an executive as the main point of contact can foster a stronger partnership with clients. However, no other areas of the client experience are positively impacted, and some clients even report decreased satisfaction with the firm’s strategic expertise.