Does Client Experience Really Matter? The Impact of Client Experience on Service Based Businesses
Ever wonder if client experience actually matters and how it impacts your business? I’ve been educating about client experience for years now, but I was inspired by Jess and her State of the Online Business Space research survey results to conduct some research of my own.
Over 120 business owners responded to share their preferences and expectations regarding the client experience when working with a service-based business, and boy did they share some juicy info. The participants ranged from new business owners who have been in business for less than a year, all the way up to seasoned pros who have been in business for 5+ years. They shared insight on things like: what type of done-for-you services they’ve invested in, an ideal inquiry response timeframe, whether or not a CRM improves the client experience, and so much more!
In this post, I’ll be sharing the results for each question I asked on the survey, along with my insight and overall takeaways from this research. Whether you’re new in business or have been around the block for a while, I can almost guarantee you’ll find something unexpected in these results! (And if you do, DM me on Instagram and let me know which part was the biggest surprise!)
Who responded to this survey?
Type of Business
Mainly service-based business: 80%
Mainly product-based business: 2%
Coaching business: 15%
Other 3%
Time in Business
Less than 1 year: 5%
1-3 years: 27%
3-5 years: 30%
5+ years: 38%
This varied slightly compared to the 2024 survey, which was:
Less than 1 year: 9%
1-3 years: 29%
3-5 years: 38%
5+ years: 24%
Done-for-You Investments Made
Copywriting: 37%
Branding: 57%
Web Design: 37%
SMM (Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, etc.): 24%
Marketing Strategy: 23%
Systems/Client Experience: 25%
Photography/Videography: 50%
Bookkeeping/Accounting: 39%
None of the above: 5%
Other: 8%
Compared to 2024, this distribution is about the same although this year Branding took the lead whereas Photography/Videography was the most common done-for-you investment listed in last year’s survey.
Overall, the survey respondents were mostly service-based business owners who are 5+ years into their business journey. The most common done-for-you investment is Branding, with Photography/Videography as a close second.
What is most important when it comes to client satisfaction?
In this question, participants were asked to rank the following options in order from 1 (most important) to 4 (least important) in relation to how each element would impact their satisfaction with the project outcome and whether or not they would refer the service provider to others and/or work with them again. The data below shows the average ranking of each option across all submissions.
Quality of deliverables - Average Ranking: 1.6
Communication - Average Ranking: 2.1
Ease of experience - Average Ranking: 2.4
Well-branded experience/materials - Average Ranking: 3.8
When it comes to client satisfaction and whether or not they refer others and/or work with a service provider again, quality of deliverables was most important and well-branded experience/materials was least important.
This is almost identical from the 2024 results, with the only difference being “Ease of experience” shifting from 2.5 → 2.4.
What impact does a poor experience have?
In this question participants were asked to select a response that best aligns with what they would do if they had a poor experience with a service provider (i.e. clunky process, poor communication, unclear timelines, etc.) but the deliverables were still high quality.
Work with them again & refer others to them: 10%
Work with them again but not refer others to them: 32%
Not work with them again, but refer others to them: 10%
Not work with them again & not refer others to them: 43%
Not work with them again & actively discourage others from working with them: 5%
This is slightly different than last year’s breakdown:
Work with them again & refer others to them: 4%
Work with them again but not refer others to them: 41%
Not work with them again, but refer others to them: 11%
Not work with them again & not refer others to them: 41%
Not work with them again & actively discourage others from working with them: 3%
The impact of a poor experience on a service-provider’s ability to gain referrals and repeat clients is undeniable, as 76% of participants shared that they would not refer others to a service provider who delivered a poor client experience, even if the deliverables were high quality. Of that 76%, over half of them also would not work with the service provider again.
The slight shift from last year also indicates that people are now less willing to work with someone again if their initial experience was poor and more likely to actively discourage others from working with them, too.
How does the inquiry process impact your overall client experience?
Inquiry Forms
For the following questions, participants were asked to choose whether they would be more likely to inquire with someone who has an inquiry form on their website, one of the other options listed below, or no preference.
Website inquiry form vs a link to email them
Website inquiry form: 82%
Email: 5%
No preference: 13%
Website inquiry form vs Google form application/contact form
Website inquiry form: 65%
Google form: 3%
No preference: 32%
Website inquiry form vs link to book a call
Website inquiry form: 74%
Link to schedule a call: 5%
No preference: 21%
Across the board, participants are more likely to inquire with the service provider who has an inquiry form on their website.
This data did not see any significant shifts from 2024’s survey results.
Inquiry Response Times
In this question, participants were asked to select the timeframe in which they would expect a personalized response after inquiring with a service provider (excluding automated inquiry responses).
Within 1 business day: 23%
Within 2 business days: 56%
Within 3 business days: 12%
Within 4 business days: 5%
Other: 4%
This is a 6% increase in the “1 business day” responses and a 9% decrease in the “3 business day” responses, compared to 2024.
In the next question, participants were asked to select the time at which, having not received a personalized response to their inquiry, they would begin to look elsewhere / feel like their time isn’t being valued. This is excluding situations where it has been communicated up-front that the response time will be longer due to certain circumstances.
Within 1 business day: 0%
Within 2 business days: 14%
Within 3 business days: 32%
Within 4 business days: 24%
Within 5 business days: 18%
Within 6 business days: 0%
Within 7 business days: 8%
Other: 4%
While “3 business days” remains the frontrunner, compared to 2024, there was a noticeable decrease in the 5-7 day range and an increase in the 2-4 day range.
The shifts seen in these results from 2024 to 2025 indicate that the expected and preferred inquiry response time in decreasing, as is the amount of time someone will wait before looking elsewhere.
impact of slow inquiry responses
In this question, participants were asked whether or no they have ever chosen to not work with someone based on a slow inquiry response time.
Yes: 68%
No: 32%
Automated inquiry responses
A new question added to this year’s survey asked participants to choose a response to complete the following sentence: When inquiring with a service provider, I...
Want to receive an automated inquiry response email to confirm they've received my submission: 25%
Want to be re-directed to an "Inquiry Success" page to confirm they've received my submission: 7%
Want either A or B, but have no preference between the two: 67%
Do not want A nor B: 1%
So, a majority of participants want some sort of automated inquiry confirmation, with an automated inquiry response email being the more popular choice amongst those who have a preference between the two automated options.
Project proposals
In this question, participants were asked to select the timeframe in which they would expect to receive a project proposal or similar booking information after having a discovery or consultation call with a service provider.
The same day: 17%
Within 1 business day: 32%
Within 2 business days: 27%
Within 3 business days: 12%
Within 4 business days: 5%
Other: 7%
This is a 9% increase in the “the same day” responses and an 8% decrease in the “within 2 business days” responses, compared to 2024.
In the next question, participants were asked to select the time at which, having not received a proposal or similar booking information, they would start to feel uncertain about working with this service provider.
Within 1 business day: 5%
Within 2 business days: 26%
Within 3 business days: 32%
Within 4 business days: 14%
Within 5 business days: 12%
Within 6 business days: 2%
Within 7 business days: 7%
Other: 2%
While “3 business days” remains the frontrunner, compared to 2024, there was a noticeable decrease in the 4-7 day range and an increase in the 1-3 day range.
The shifts seen in these results from 2024 to 2025 indicate that the expected and preferred window for providing a proposal in decreasing, as is the amount of time before someone will start feeling uncertain about the investment.
impact of proposal send timing
In the next question, participants were asked whether or no they have ever chosen to not work with someone based on how long it took to receive a proposal or similar booking information.
Yes: 54%
No: 46%
This is a big shift from last year, where the majority (52%) responded ‘No’ to this question. This indicates that the amount of time it takes to receive a proposal is having an increased impact on whether or not someone decides to work with you.
preferred proposal type
In the next question, participants were asked what type of proposal they preferred to receive from a service provider.
A PDF proposal where you have to respond via email to let them know which service(s) you’d like to book: 1%
An interactive proposal where you can self-select which service(s) you’d like to book: 64%
No preference between the two: 35%
The impact of the inquiry and proposal process
A new question added to this year’s survey asked participants to indicate whether the quality of the proposal they receive impacts whether or not they decide to work with that service provider.
Yes: 57%
No: 17%
Unsure: 26%
Another new question added to this year’s survey asked participants if the quality of the inquiry process (getting in touch, scheduling a call, receiving a proposal or booking form, etc.) impacts whether or not they decide to work with a service provider.
Yes: 82%
No: 6%
Unsure: 12%
To summarize the impact of the inquiry and proposal process
A majority of participants:
Want an automated inquiry confirmation, but have no preference between whether that is an automated email or a re-direct to an “Inquiry Success” page
Expect a personalized inquiry response within 2 business days of inquiring and will potentially look elsewhere or feel as though their time is not being valued if they haven’t received a response within 3 business days
Expect a proposal or booking information to be delivered within 1 business day of a discovery or consultation call and will potentially being to feel unsure about the investment if they haven’t received this information within 3 business days.
Indicate that a slow inquiry response time and/or a slow proposal sending time can cause them to choose not to work with a service provider
And prefer an interactive proposal over a PDF proposal
What impact does using a CRM have on your process?
In this question, participants were asked to select which option best aligns with how they feel about working with a service provider who is using a CRM.
Typically makes the process better: 70%
Typically makes the process worse: 4%
I don’t/haven’t noticed a difference: 26%
Crm preference
And a new question added this year asked participants if they had a CRM they preferred to interact with, from a client perspective.
Dubsado 30%
Honeybook: 8%
Moxie: 0%
I don’t have a preference: 55%
Other: 7%
Most of the time, using a CRM results in a better process and experience for your clients, as shared by 70% of the participants. But in terms of whether or not the specific CRM you use impacts your client experience, most people don’t have a preference for one over the other when it comes to interacting with them from the client side.
Key Takeaways
Your client experience matters, especially if you want to prioritize referrals & repeat clients, and it starts from the moment someone reaches out to you.
Focus more on how your client experience functions than how it looks. The quality of your deliverables, your communication, and the ease of the experience all have a greater impact on the client’s satisfaction than having a well-branded experience.
A poor client experience greatly impacts you ability to receive referrals and repeat clients. 76% of participants would not refer others to a service provider who provided high quality deliverables and a poor experience. And of that 76%, over half of them also will not work with the service provider again.
A website inquiry form is a must. Across the board, participants are more likely to inquiry with someone who has an inquiry form on their website than a link to their email, a Google form, or a link to book a call.
Your inquiry response times matter. A majority of participants expect a personalized response within 2 business days, and will start to look elsewhere or feel like their time isn’t valued if it has been more than 3 business days. Plus, 68% of participants shared that they have chosen not to work with someone based on a slow inquiry response time.
Sending off proposals quickly is a boost to your inquiry experience, as most people expect to receive them within 1-2 business days, and 54% of participants have chosen not to work with someone due to how long it took to receive a proposal or similar booking information.
PDF proposals aren’t the vibe anymore—64% of participants prefer an interactive proposal where they can self-select the service(s) they’d like to book. An added bonus: interactive proposals through platforms like Dubsado or Honeybook tend to take way less time to create than PDF proposals, meaning you can send proposals faster and in the format that your potential clients prefer!
Don’t sleep on your inquiry and proposal process. A majority of participants indicated that the quality of the inquiry process (82%) and quality of proposal (57%) impact whether or not they decide to work with someone.
Utilizing a CRM platform not only makes things easier for you, it makes the process better for your clients too, which was confirmed by 70% of participants.
Resources for Improving Your Client Experience
Free Resources
Speed up your inquiry response time with my free Dubsado inquiry workflow. Get instant access to 6 editable email templates that are ready to be plugged into your Dubsado account, and a video demo showing you how to set up and customize the workflow to align with your unique inquiry process.
Get insight right from the source with this free guide for creating an effective feedback form. Includes 3 lessons in audio, video, and written format, along with a bank of over 70 feedback questions that you can use to build your own form!
Don’t have a website inquiry form yet? When you set one up, make sure you check out my tips for creating a contact form that pre-qualifies your leads.
Wanna know what goes into a proposal that converts? Here are the 4 must-have elements.
Paid Resources
If you’re ready to make the switch to an interactive proposal, but don’t want to skimp out on the design, check out my Dubsado form template bundle which includes a badass proposal template that has the 4 elements you need for a high-converting proposal. Use code TPCFRIEND for $50 off.
Time to start using a CRM platform? If you’re interested in Dubsado, you can use code TPC30 for 30% off your first month or year. (Psst that’s $120 off your first year!)
Feeling overwhelmed and want someone to either a) look at your current client experience and tell you exactly what to do or b) do it for you? Check out my Client Experience Audits—a roadmap for my DIYers and the pre-requisite to a done-for-you project with me.
