The Hidden Costs of A Bad Client Experience
(And How To Avoid Them)
The True Price Tag Of Poor Client Experiences
It’s Monday morning and you’re scrolling through your phone, sipping your morning coffee when your phone pings. There it is – a notification from Google about a new review for your business.
You cross your fingers and open it up.
Three stars. Ooof.
As you read through the feedback, you reflect on the project. Sure, you delivered quality work and the client seemed satisfied during your final call…but if you’re honest with yourself, there were some bumps along the way.
There were endless emails to onboard the client, a crucial meeting rescheduled at the last minute, and the project dragged on 10 days longer than you initially promised.
You thought you pulled it all off though since the end result was good.
But the truth is, those little hiccups along the way? They cost you more than you might realize. And I’m not just talking about a less-than-stellar review.
So let’s dive into the real costs of a bad client experience – and more importantly, how you can turn it around to save yourself the heartache of a poor review and put some money back in your pocket.
Good Client Experience vs Bad Client Experience
Think a good client experience is just a nice-to-have? Think again. Here’s what the data tells us about businesses that prioritize client experience:
- They grow their revenue 1.7x faster than competitors
- 66% of them reported better customer retention
- Over half saw more opportunities to upsell or cross-sell
But here’s the flip side of having a bad client experience:
- 64% of customers said they would find another company due to poor service, even if they loved the final result
- 85% of customers are willing to spend more time and effort to work with a company that offers a better experience
Let that sink in for a moment.
You could deliver top-notch work, but if your client experience is poor, you’re missing out on potential revenue and pushing your clients into the arms of your competitors
Because it’s not just about the final deliverable. It’s about the journey from the first point of contact to the final handoff and beyond.
5 Hidden Costs Of A Bad Client Experience
1. Your Brand Reputation Takes A Hit
A bad client experience that goes viral can tank your reputation faster then you can say ‘missed deadline.’ It’s not just about losing one client. It’s about losing all the potential clients who now have a negative first impression of your business.
Bad Experience Example: A client complains about a delayed timeline on Threads and it reaches thousands. Think about it: when was the last time you chose a business with a bunch of complaints floating around online?
How to improve: Get proactive and develop a client experience strategy that keeps your clients coming back for more.
2. You Miss Out On Referrals And Testimonials
Referrals and testimonials are the cheapest (and most trusted) form of marketing out there. And every client? They’re a megaphone for your business. Treat them right, and they’ll sing your praises. Disappoint them and hope all they do is stay quiet.
Bad Experience Example: Your client tells a friend, ‘They got the job done but it was pretty stressful.’ Just like that, your chance of landing a new client evaporates.
How To Improve: Make gathering testimonials a seamless part of your workflows so you never miss a glowing review.
3. You Spend More Money Acquiring New Clients
Without glowing referrals, you’re forced to buy your way into clients’ hearts (and wallets). Suddenly, you’re pouring money into ads and hiring a social media marketer to create Instagram posts just to keep new clients coming in.
Bad Experience Example: You find yourself dropping $1000 a month on Google Ads to drum up business. Each morning, you anxiously check your ad performance, hoping for leads and missing the good ol’ days of word-of-mouth marketing.
How to improve: Add a re-engagement step into your offboarding workflow to leave the door open for future collaborations.
4. You Throw More Cash At ‘Quick Fixes’
A poor client experience turns your business into a money pit of quick fixes. You’re constantly in ‘put out the fire‘ mode, throwing cash at new tools and extra hands. Meanwhile, the real problem – your client experience strategy – gets ignored.
Bad Experience Example: Your credit card statement looks like a who’s who of project management apps. You’re paying for so many ‘essential’ tools that you need a spreadsheet just to keep track. Yet somehow, your client experience is still a tangled mess.
How to improve: Before investing in another tool, audit your existing processes to uncover areas of inefficiency.
5. You’re Doing Damage Control Instead Of Cash-Generating Work
When your client experience is a mess, your days get eaten up by damage control – placating unhappy clients, juggling timelines, and doing damage control. Meanwhile, the work that actually grows your business? It’s gathering dust.
Bad Experience Example: You spend your entire Tuesday afternoon comping an extra round of revisions for an unhappy client. Meanwhile, that proposal for a big dream client? Still unfinished.
How to improve: Discover how effective templates for everything from proposals to canned emails free up your time.
The Flipside Of A Bad Client Experience: A Personalized One
- You become the go-to in your field with clients lining up to work with you
- Your business grows organically, fuelled by raving reviews and referrals
- Your systems run like clockwork, freeing you up to scale or expand
- You have the resources to invest in professional development (or an extra week of vacation)
- 87% of her client processes? Automated.
- Admin time saved? 10+ hours weekly.
- Money banked? $8,800 annually.
