Good customer service is crucial for the survival of any business.
Here are some common sense ways to provide excellent customer service.
- Listen to your customers/patients.
There is nothing more frustrating than telling someone what you want or need just to discover they have not been listening to anything you have said. Let your customer talk and show them that you are listening by offering solutions to their problems.
- Deal with complaints.
Learn to seek honest feedback from your customers. Solve problems for your customers – never dismiss their concerns as meaningless. Learn to say “sorry”. Though it can be difficult, it is extremely important to be accountable for our mistakes and to apologize to our customers when appropriate.
- Answer the phone.
No one likes an answering machine or an automated phone system.
Make sure someone is there to answer the phone (even if it is an answering service). Keep your promises. “Under-promise and over-deliver”. Don’t just “plan” to keep your promises – keep them! Dependability and reliability are keys to a good business relationship. Your customers need to be able to depend on you.
Do what you say you are going to do – no matter how trivial it may seem.
- Go the extra mile.
Never do the minimum amount necessary to “get by”. Always do more than the patient expects.
Be helpful – even if there is no immediate profit in it.
Do not make decisions based solely upon how much you will make. Do the “right” thing in all circumstances – help people just for the sake of making their life easier.
If you are willing to do these simple things, your customers will notice a big difference. They will enjoy their appointments and they will look forward to coming back.
Take these ideas and begin to implement them in your practice today!
