Image: Pelletier Wedding in Cancun, Mexico. #Pellicheers

The Importance of Client Experience in Business Success

This summer, surrounded by friends and family, I said “I do” at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico. The day was everything we hoped for – perfect location, excellent staff, and fun from start to finish. My wife even said it was the most fun day of her life! Yet, despite the joy of the event, the months of planning were overshadowed by frustration due to operational inefficiencies that impacted us and our guests. In this article, I’ll not only share our celebration but also highlight how I help clients navigate similar challenges and offer tips for your next event.

Throughout the planning process, we encountered numerous issues with the reservation system – something that should have been the easiest part of booking through a large resort. We faced challenges at every turn: from inefficient technology to a lack of formal processes, and the even more frustrating reliance on a group email inbox. Each unanswered question and unresolved issue led to unnecessary stress and confusion.

While the celebration itself was amazing, the experience leading up to it convinced us that we wouldn’t return to that resort.

This experience reinforced a crucial business lesson: how you operate behind the scenes directly impacts the client experience.

What Is Client Experience (CX) in Financial Services?

The concept of CX dates back to the early 1920s. At its core, CX is a way of managing your customer’s experience in all interactions with your company – from engaging with your website to interacting with your employees to purchasing your product. As technology capabilities have increased over the decades, CX has become a foundational element for businesses. It became more prevalent in the 1970s and gained even more traction with the rise of customer relationship management (CRM) systems. While many companies primarily use CRMs as a database, their true purpose is to support your efforts to provide the best possible client experience (CX) – a topic for a future article!

In today’s fast-paced and competitive world, new roles at both mid-level and executive levels are being created solely to manage Client Experience. For larger companies, a specific role with a specific client experience job description may be necessary. However, for mid-size and smaller companies – such as the different Member Firms I work with – this extra overhead may not be feasible. So, who is in charge of your client’s experience? The answer is simple – everyone at your company!

Image: Last Dance

Communication Breakdown: Just Like in a Dance, Coordination is Key to Customer Satisfaction

Throughout our wedding planning, clear and timely communication was one of the biggest challenges. Whenever we requested information, we received inconsistent responses from multiple individuals—or no response at all. Guests, required to book through a wedding-specific link, had frequent questions about rooms, transfers, and payments. Yet, customer service couldn’t assist them because of the booking link, and no alternative contact was provided. As a result, all unresolved issues were funneled to us, leading to unnecessary stress for everyone involved.

The handoff between departments was equally disorganized. We sent our reservation link to guests during Black Friday for affordability, but it took six months before we were even connected to a wedding planner—just three months prior to the event! We ended up creating our own wedding website, reaching out to guests directly, and doing our best to shield them from the chaos behind the scenes.

For this specific company, the solutions seem simple: a single platform, a capable point of contact, and a service level agreement (SLA) to set clear expectations. Internal processes should resolve issues behind the scenes without the client ever noticing. When clients are forced to search for their own answers, their trust in the company diminishes.

How to Prevent and Spot Poor Client Experience in Your Business

During our experience with the resort, we encountered several business pitfalls that should be avoided at all costs:

• No response – Unanswered emails, deferred calls, and being passed around to multiple points of contact.
  
• No follow-through – There was no clarity on when or if we would receive a response.
  
  • A great habit that I’ve used in my past roles when dealing with issues that were out of my control was to send a simple email: “I’m looking into this for you and wanted to make sure you knew I didn’t forget. I’ll update you as soon as I hear something and check back in a few days either way.” This can go a long way in reassuring clients and building trust, even if it wasn’t the answer they were looking for.
    
• Group email inboxes – While this works well for service or transactional departments like IT, they’re a nightmare for relationship-based departments like Sales. Group inboxes often lack personal touch and accountability.
• Assumptions – We all know what happens when you assume! In our case, no one informed us there was a resort app available. We happened upon this information ourselves while angrily searching for answers to our unanswered questions. Clear communication should never rely on assumptions.
• Placing responsibility on the customer – One representative tasked us with sending individual payment links to each guest and manually confirming all 52 reservations using their outdated system. The links expired every three weeks, and we had to request new ones. When asked why guests couldn’t manage their own reservations online, the response was, “That’s just the way it is.”

This phrase should never be used when aiming for a good client experience.

Setting clear expectations from the start is essential. In industries like financial services, where processes can take months, it’s even more important to communicate when things deviate from the original plan.

Clients value clarity and transparency. Knowing what they’re signing up for, who is responsible for what, and when actions need to be taken helps avoid confusion and creates a smoother experience.

I’ve seen firms struggle with this over the years, often lacking a documented process. The panic call usually comes when a key, long-term employee leaves, taking all their institutional knowledge with them. That’s when 3G Practice Consulting steps in to build and strengthen the foundations needed to support a better client experience through Practice Management.

Image: Everyone to the Dance Floor

How to Achieve a Great Client Experience

This should be the fun part of your business. Not only is retention important, but current clients are the number one referral source for most of the firms and RIAs I work with. In this scenario, we treated our guests similarly to how you would treat your clients. We knew that if they had a great time, we would too. Here are some tips we used during our wedding planning that can also apply to different client or prospect interactions and events:

• Know your audience – If you know your clients well, you can prepare accordingly. Your CRM system should store these nuggets of information specific to your clients and help you serve them in a more meaningful way. We curated each song on our wedding playlist, including songs and artists that connected us to specific guests. We knew exactly who to watch when each song played, anticipating their reactions. Once one song ended, the next was ready to keep the momentum going. It was July in Mexico, and the dance floor was never empty!
  
• Create an inclusive environment – Every event has “wallflowers” – people who prefer to sit back. To engage the entire group, you can orchestrate activities that naturally include everyone. Before the dancing began at our wedding, we had the DJ call all guests to the dance floor for a group photo. As soon as the photo was taken, the music started (with a crowd favorite, of course!). This led to an organic group dance party without putting pressure on anyone. By leading the group where we wanted them, we made the transition seamless and fun.
  
• Keep it moving – Have you ever been to an event that feels like it’s dragging? Timing is crucial for a successful event. While we hand-picked every song, our DJ knew exactly when to fade out and move to the next, some only playing for half their time. In a fast-paced world, keeping things dynamic and transitioning smoothly is essential. Our DJ ensured no song overstayed its welcome, keeping energy high.
  
• Follow up – No, we didn’t send surveys to our wedding guests! But feedback from clients and prospects is crucial. Our wedding was as much for our friends and family as it was for us – and the same applies in business. Whether their experience was great or poor, they will remember it and associate it with your company. Our guests were our top priority, and it paid off. When we asked for photos afterward, the best feedback came when people said, “We were having so much fun, we didn’t even take out our phones.” In today’s world, that’s as good as it gets!

Taking the time to prepare and create an engaging atmosphere makes all the difference in how clients perceive their experience. The same principles that made our wedding unforgettable apply to any business event or client interaction – and the impact is long-lasting.

Image: Always End with Fireworks

Conclusion – Always End with Fireworks

We did a traditional last dance to Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years,” with our guests circling us, holding giant sparklers. At this point, most weddings are over, and guests head home – but not ours. Just as the final song was ending, Katy Perry’s “Firework” started playing, leaving guests a bit confused at first. Then, everyone looked up in amazement as the sky lit up for 2.5 minutes of fireworks. A month later, it’s still the part of the evening people talk about the most.

From the moment we saw the vendor offerings, I knew I wanted our wedding to end with fireworks – and this was where I used my one veto vote 😊. Was it a bit extravagant? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Definitely.

While good food, music, and a fun party are essential, the fireworks added that extra wow factor that made the night unforgettable. It not only kept our guests talking, but it also caught the attention of most of the resort.

No matter the event, content, or environment, how your guests feel at the end is what they will remember. It’s sales 101: People do business with those they like. Or in other words: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou.

Investing in the things that set you apart makes a lasting impact. Just like the fireworks at our wedding, when a company goes above and beyond to deliver exceptional service or a standout product, that’s what clients remember. In the end, it’s those extra touches that provide the most value – and often the most memorable experience.

To better understand how I and 3G Consulting help producer groups, firms, and companies build better foundations to support a stronger client experience, please review our 3G Brochure or reach out to greg@3gpconsulting.com.