Six Steps to Improve Client Relationships When an Employee Leaves

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A staff member’s departure from your team can be sad, good, messy, or downright awkward. What do you have the bakery write on the cake? “Goodbye”?” “Good Luck”? “Good Riddance”?

There are a lot of emotions and ripple effects, especially if the employee who is moving on is someone who works directly with your clients. No matter what led up to the departure, giving your clients some extra TLC is crucial to limiting any fallout and loss of accounts.

The good news? You can manage the transition period after someone leaves your team in a way that makes your clients happier than ever and more confident in your firm.

Put a plan in place

Don’t wait until an employee leaves your firm to create a plan. Staff changes inevitably shake things up, but having a process minimizes fallout and confusion for your clients and the rest of your team, along with keeping any bumps from jostling your client relationships. Are your junior colleagues being trained, encouraged, and given adequate opportunities so that they can step up when needed? Are they getting any “face time” with the clients so that they can establish relationships and cross-train? Are client details stored in an individual employee’s head, or are they logged with your firm’s CRM? Are there any pain points for the client that haven’t been resolved? Conducting regular client satisfaction surveys and reassessing goals, needs, and progress is a great way to keep tabs. Collect information about your clients beyond the numbers so that your client relationships adapt just as smoothly as your team roster.