Last month, we talked about how your agency’s online impression plays a huge role in whether a prospect will decide to contact you or not.

But once a prospect decides they’re interested, that’s when they want to engage—so it pays to remove any reason they may find for taking their business somewhere else.

During the Sale

Ask yourself a few questions here: Is it easy to engage with my brand? What’s it like to walk into my office? Does my website follow a logical flow? Are the people answering the phone friendly and professional? Is there any type of promotion I can run?

The answers to these questions will lead to new ideas for improving your sales process. Here are four that will put you on the right track toward improving your customers’ experience during the sale:

1) Audit your inbound system. Pick up the phone or go online and make an interaction with your agency. Pay attention to how long it takes, from beginning to end, to service your query. Most quotes take between five and ten minutes, while the average sale takes about 17 minutes, according to internal data here at Infinity Leads. Maybe your team moves too slow, or clients don’t like your hold music. Auditing your systems will give you food for thought on how you might be able to improve your services.

2) Survey your team. Everyone surveys their customers, but how many survey their own team? Your employees are the ones on the front lines, so ask them what they think about your selling processes. For example, maybe your millennial staffers would leave because they’re tired of paperwork, which could be a sign that you should upgrade to DocuSign. Your team knows better than you—ask them for the truth.

3) Host VIP-style meetings. If your office is like most, it’s not getting much foot traffic. But for clients with in-person appointments, think about how you can take it up a notch and deliver them VIP service. For example, put their name up on the welcome screen, address them by their first name as they enter and offer them refreshments from a well-stocked fridge.

4) Give free gifts. One way to entice more clients is with free giveaways for quotes. Sure, giving away a free gift card or small gift to get a quote decreases profitability upfront. But what’s giving away five $20 gift cards to win a client that will bring you $50 a month?

After the Purchase

Today, most clients have short memories. Here are three ways to maintain a relationship once they’re officially clients:

1) Build community. You and your clients have a vast set of interests and skills in common. To go above and beyond, identify areas of overlap and capitalize on them. Maybe you could host a monthly webinar on a topic of interest and invite clients to join. Or you could form a group for moms that refers trusted local childcare service providers. Your relationships can—and should—go beyond a simple financial transaction. Your task is to find a way to mine them for additional value.

2) Get digital. How many quick customer problems could be handled through the web, without any human interaction? Think of all the common questions you get from clients, and then make sure to include answers to them on the homepage of your agency website. Invest in tools like chatbots and SMS automation to make things more convenient for your increasingly tech-savvy prospects and clients.

3) Say thank you—often. Embrace the digital wave, but never discount the old way of doing things. Technology doesn’t have to kill human interaction. Be that sense of warmth that’s missing. Tell your clients that you appreciate them—write them the handwritten note, or just give them a phone call to say “thanks.” These little efforts still go a long way.

The largest digital brands in the world got to where they are today because of customer experience. Want to compete in the digital age? Do as the giants do.

Cam Bob III is founder of Infinity Leads, a customer acquisition agency for insurance, and author of “The Digital Insurance Agent.”