What Chick-fil-A taught me about client experience (and why it justifies your premium pricing)

Ever since I started my business, I pay way too much attention to customer service.

I can’t help it.

I notice when someone wows me — when one tiny part of the experience is so good it almost feels suspicious. (Looking at you, Chick-fil-A. How are your people that nice? Is there a manual? Do they hand out joy at orientation? I have questions.)

And I notice when it’s… not so good. Like the birthday party booking process that left a lotttt to be desired.

That’s the funny part about running a service-based business. You start collecting little moments from random corners of your own life — the good ones you want to steal, and the bad ones you swear you’ll never put your own clients through.

The customer journey starts way before anyone pays you

Here’s where I’m a tough customer: I need a lot of info before I buy.

Not as much as my husband (the man reads every review ever written before purchasing a phone charger). But a lot. I ruminate. I compare. I go spelunking through testimonials at 9pm like it’s a true-crime documentary.

So if I land on your website or your Instagram and I can’t quickly tell:

• what you do,
• who you do it for,
• what it costs, and
• how to get started…

I’m scrolling on. To the next one. I don’t care how many people swear you’re amazing.

That’s not me being difficult. That’s most of your buyers. Clarity is part of the client experience — and it’s the part that happens before they ever fill out your contact form.

The part everyone drops the ball on: after the invoice is paid

But honestly? The post-purchase journey matters even more. And I’ll be transparent — this is something I’m constantly working on in my own business.

Once someone says yes and pays you, there’s usually a stretch of “quiet” — at least from their side of the screen. You’re deep in the strategy, the research, the troubleshooting. The unglamorous, brain-bending work that actually moves the needle.

But your client can’t see any of that.

And it’s so easy to think: “Well, I walked them through my 3–4 week onboarding on the kickoff call. They know I’m working on it. I’ll check in when I have something shiny to show them.”

(That, right there, is me calling myself out. I’ve been actively clawing my way out of that exact mindset.)

The problem is that silence doesn’t read as “she’s working so hard for me.” Silence reads as “…did she forget about me?”

Why this matters even more when you charge premium prices

This is the part I really want you to sit with.

If you’re charging premium rates — and you should be — your process needs to feel premium too. Not just your final deliverable.

Because here’s the thing: it’s easy to look impressive when you hand over a finished product. The hard part is making the invisible work visible. The strategy. The research. The “I redid this three times until it was right.”

If you’re frustrated that people don’t get why you charge what you charge, or you keep hearing “no” on sales calls… that’s often not a pricing problem. It’s an experience problem. Make your process so clear and so high-end that your pricing becomes the obvious conclusion.

You can command premium pricing. (Just in case you were wondering.)

People hire you because they can’t do what you do. So don’t assume they understand how you do it, either. Err on the side of more information, not less.

How to add one touchpoint without blowing up your workflow

Now — before you go build some elaborate 12-step client communication machine that you’ll abandon by week two — don’t.

Keep it simple. Pick ONE thing.

A few ideas that work depending on your business:

• A short weekly email that tells them exactly what stage you’re in.
• A Domino’s-pizza-tracker style progress view so they can literally see where things stand.
• A quick weekly recap video — even a casual one shot from your phone between the school pickup chaos.

The point isn’t to add busywork. The point is to send a tiny, consistent signal that says “I’m on it” — especially during the seasons where there’s no big deliverable to show off.

So here’s your homework: take a bird’s-eye view of your own process. Find the one stage where clients tend to go quiet, or where you suspect they feel a little unsure. Add one small touchpoint there.

Then see what happens.

Frequently asked questions

What is a client experience touchpoint? A touchpoint is any moment a client interacts with your business or hears from you — from the first time they find you online to the update email you send mid-project. The strongest ones happen during the “quiet” phases, when there’s no deliverable but you still want them to feel taken care of.

How do you justify premium pricing to clients? Make your process as polished as your end result. When clients can clearly see the strategy, research, and care happening behind the scenes, your pricing stops feeling like a number to negotiate and starts feeling like the obvious cost of working with an expert.

Why does communication matter during client onboarding? Onboarding is often the period with the least visible output and the most client anxiety. A few intentional check-ins reassure clients they made the right choice, reduce “did they forget about me?” worry, and set the tone for the whole relationship.

Want my take on where that one touchpoint should go in your business? That’s exactly the kind of thing I dig into during a [Social Media Audit] — but you don’t have to book anything to get a little direction.

Send me a DM over on Instagram and I’ll tell you the ONE thing I’d focus on if I were you. Totally free. No pitch. Just an outside set of eyes from someone a little more removed from your business than you are.