Earlier this year, and prior to the current government guidelines being in place, tml Partners hosted the latest in our CMO roundtable series, bringing together marketing leaders from leading professional services firms to discuss Closing the Client Experience Gap and the future of client experience.

Download the full report from this roundtable here.

We were once again joined by the brilliant Rosa Wilkinson, B2B and Professional Services lead at Clear, M&C Saatchi group’s global strategy consultancy, who started the conversation with an introduction to Clear’s ongoing Experience Gap Study.

Rosa began the presentation by defining the Experience Gap as the perceived difference between the promises you make and the experience you deliver. She highlighted the stark reality of lost revenue and opportunity cost for not delivering on a value proposition. Through their research, experience gaps were costing large brands in the UK up to £390m a year in lost revenue.

Where client experience is key to the service proposition within professional services, Rosa outlined three observations to be aware of when identifying an experience gap, and what this means for the future of client experience in professional services. These were:

1. Beware of ‘levelling up’: Advantage comes from not just resolving client frustrations, but in identifying where your firm can uniquely win and deliver an ownable experience.
2. Defend your distinctiveness: Client experience is the most tangible demonstration and reinforcement of your brand’s most differentiating asset – your culture.
3. Maintain momentum and collective responsibility: Done well, client experience is everyone’s responsibility – and should create a powerful ‘firm effect’ beyond individual partner-client relationships.

 

This then opened a lively discussion around the table, derived from our guests’ experiences, which centred on five big questions:

1. Who should own and drive responsibility for client experience?
2. How can brand be used to direct client experience?
3. What are the metrics that matter for client experience?
4. Can you really achieve distinctiveness in client experience?
5. Where should you start to close the experience gap?

To read the full report download a copy of the full report here and to discuss any of the points raised get in touch with David Price, head of tml Partners market leading professional services practice.