Gradehacker consultants deal with clients daily. Our customer-service approach is equally important as our consulting service, and sometimes we need to anticipate situations that might create problems within our team structure.
There are a few points you can consider when dealing with unresponsive clients:
1. Anticipation is the key to success
Typically we need to constantly communicate with clients when they are paying for an Entire Class Bundle or Degree Accelerator subscriptions. You, as a consultant, have full access to:
1) The client's portal (so you need to check the Announcements section and stay on top of the class status)
2) Our internal Nifty schedule.
These tools will allow you to anticipate any potential problems better. Examples would be proctored exams, group projects, or complicated assignments where client interaction is mandatory. In this sense, the best thing you can do is to let the team know, as well as the client, that you will need a critical piece of information to perform appropriately with enough time.
2. Taking things personally is a no-go
Many of our clients are busy people; sometimes, they are not the most kind. Taking a reactive approach to a potential problem can be not only harmful to your position as a consultant or Gradehacker team member, but it might also affect Gradehacker's reputation as a reputable and quality college assistance service. The best thing you can do is de-attach yourself from these situations and ignore them when a client gets defensive. Communicate the issue with your supervisors, and together find the best approach for the situation.
3. Use all of your communication tools
Please don't just stick to email communication. As you evaluate how your relationship with your client develops, you'll intuitively know the best contact method for each client. Remember, we have text messages, phone calls, meetings, and emails. Empower yourself to get a proactive response from your clients, and make them understand that being uncooperative will also harm THEIR interest in the class.
4. Communication goes both ways
If a problem happens because a client is unresponsive, please don't wait until the last moment to let the team know. We are trying to find solutions, and waiting until the last minute to drop the bomb on the team might not be the best idea. This might also lead to seeing a more significant problem, so we go back to point number one about anticipation. This anticipation applies not only to your interaction with your clients but also to the internal team.