Season 2 | Ep. 39: Client-Driven Success: Client Journey & Engaging Early and Often

In today’s fast-paced business environment, understand the client journey is more critical than ever. No matter what industry you’re in, understanding how to guide clients through every phase of their experience can make or break your organization’s success. In part two of this Client-Driven Success series of the Risk Intel Podcast, Ed Vincent, CEO of SRA Watchtower, sits down with Sharon Campbell, the leader of Client Services, to explore how a proactive approach to the client journey can lead to long-term success, advocacy, and strong partnerships. Below, we dive deeper into the key insights from the episode, focusing on how organizations can enhance their client journey and the importance of engaging "early and often."

If you missed Part 1: Client-Driven Success: Insights on Building a Client-Led Culture, click here.

The Client Journey: More Than Just A Sale

The client journey is often seen as a straightforward process: awareness, consideration, decision, retention, and advocacy. However, as Sharon highlights, this journey is far more complex, particularly for organizations in highly regulated industries like financial services. Understanding each step is crucial for ensuring long-term success.

The five key stages of the client journey can be defined as:

• ‍Awareness: This is the initial stage where someone becomes aware of your offering, whether through marketing efforts, lead generation, or word of mouth. Building awareness is crucial for getting your product or service on a potential client’s radar.
• ‍Consideration: Once aware of your offering, prospects enter the consideration phase. This is where they begin evaluating how your product or service can address their specific needs. In this stage, demos, consultations, and in-depth discussions with your team are key to helping prospects understand your value proposition.
• ‍Decision: After thorough evaluation, the potential buyer then moves into the decision phase. At this point, they have chosen to purchase your offering and the focus shifts toward finalizing the deal and laying the groundwork for implementation.
• ‍Retention: Post sale, the goal is to ensure that clients are satisfied and continue using your product or service. Offering excellent customer support and regularly checking in are vital to maintaining a strong relationship.
• ‍Advocacy: The final stage is advocacy, where satisfied clients become promoters of your brand. By ensuring a positive experience throughout the journey, a clients can turn into advocates who actively recommend your product or services to others. This is the ultimate goal and success factor in client services.

By engaging clients early in the process, as SRA Watchtower does, companies can ensure smoother transitions between these phases, from awareness all the way through to advocacy. Sharon advocates for the implementation team to be involved starting in the consideration stage. This approach not only leads to better retention rates but also fosters long-term client loyalty. Loyalty requires more than just providing a solution—it involves ensuring that clients are fully supported throughout the process, from pre-sale to post-implementation.

The Importance of Engaging Early and Often

One of the most insightful takeaways from the discussion was the emphasis on engaging “early and often.” At SRA Watchtower, the Client Services team is involved early in the client’s journey, well before a purchase decision is made. Unlike many organizations where client services only step in after a sale - Sharon’s unique approach brings client services into the “consideration” stage. This allows them to collaborate with sales teams and provide invaluable input on how to best meet each client’s needs.

“They [clients] feel somebody actually understands my problem and has a vision for the solution of how we’re going to solve the problem using the tool” - Sharon Campbell

This early engagement provides several benefits. First, it builds trust with the client. By showing up before the sale is closed, the team demonstrates that they are invested in the client’s long-term success, not just the transaction. Second, it allows for a smoother transition to implementation. Clients feel more comfortable knowing that the team handling their account fully understands their challenges and goals. This approach also reduces the anxieties clients may have about the technical aspects of implementing new software or a technology platform, as they are already familiar with the people who will be helping them every step of the way.

Creating a Strong Partnership: The Key to Retention and Advocacy

A key theme throughout the podcast episode was the importance of building strong partnerships with clients. Sharon discusses how involving the implementation advisors early helps create a sense of relief and trust among clients. At SRA Watchtower our advisors are experienced professionals who understand the intricacies of banking or risk management and have sat in the same role as many of our clients. An implementation advisor can work closely with clients to ensure that the solution provided is tailored to their specific challenges, creating a more personalized experience.

This strong partnership extends beyond implementation. SRA Watchtower ensures that touchpoints continue long after the product is implemented. By maintaining an open line of communication and offering ongoing support, the client services team fosters a relationship of mutual trust and respect. Clients appreciate this level of engagement, and it makes them more likely to advocate for your product.

"When clients feel that their voice is heard and their needs are met, they are far more likely to recommend your services to others, further fueling your organization’s growth." - Sharon Campbell

Conclusion: Building Trust Through Engagement and Collaboration

Organizations that focus solely on closing sales are missing out on the bigger picture. A client's journey doesn’t end once a decision to buy is made—it’s an ongoing process that requires continuous engagement, collaboration, and support. By embracing a proactive approach to the client journey, as demonstrated by Sharon Campbell and the SRA Watchtower team, companies can not only retain clients but also turn them into passionate advocates for their product or service.

Engaging early and often, creating strong partnerships, and maintaining open communication are all essential strategies for long-term success. These practices not only ensure smoother implementations but also lead to higher levels of client satisfaction and advocacy. If you’re looking to build lasting relationships with your clients, these are the strategies that will set you apart.

Anyone looking to implement a new Risk Intelligence or Enterprise Risk Management Platform can schedule an exploratory call here to learn more about SRA Watchtower