How do you handle employee transition?

This past week I ran into an old client at the GLI Small Business Expo and he immediately seemed excited to see me and ready to bash my old employer. It was very disappointing for me as I truly admire my old employer and its employees.

However, one thing I have learned since I decided to leave after 14 years was that we never really mastered how to handle client relationships when an employee left the Company. It seems so simple, but we really did this bad. People didn't leave that often so maybe that could be used as their excuse.

When a person announced their resignation, it was kept very hush-hush, even within the department. Typically, if they were going to a competitor, they were escorted out. (This is common as they don't want client information walking out the door.)

But then, this is where the ball always was dropped. They would then begin analyzing the client portfolio assigned to the person leaving and decide if it should be split up, hire a new person to replace, which accounts should go where, etc. This would take days, weeks, months. I'm not exaggerating. Not only would this take too much time, they would almost try to hide the fact that the person left the Company. No one would call and say, "John, I'm sorry to say that Joe Banker has decided to pursue other opportunities and has left the Company. I wanted to call you personally and assure you that I will work with you directly during this transition and will begin introducing you to the new person handling your account as soon as this is possible. In the meantime, consider me to be your main contact and call me directly if I can be of assistance."

This simple phone call and message would eliminate the pain the clients experience when they call and learn their contact left the Company months ago and no one there felt their relationship was important enough to even make a simple phone call with the message above. Then they get even more mad when they ask, "Well where did Bob go?", and their told they can't disclose that.

I have always believed that open, honest dialogue is the best thing in all interactions with clients, even if the message is not exactly easy.

What is your Company doing during these times of transition?