This is going to be a multi-skilled newsletter ... about customer service, personal relationships and your health! If you are interested in any of these, read on.
I've just been for a bone density test. "So what?" you might say - that's not of much interest. Well if you're in midlife please be interested - not in mine but in yours. Do you know how thick your bones are? If not, getting them checked can give you vital information to avoid osteoporosis, fractures and pain in the future. While I was having my test this is what I learnt about how to serve customers well and build personal relationships ... in any setting, with any age group, for any service.
1. Be up to date.
When I got my first referral to a bone density clinic the form my doctor used was out-of-date and the clinic she referred me to had been closed. Similarly I've been in banks and been given the wrong interest rates, I've been in shops and been given inaccurate delivery dates, I've had information on accommodation sent to me with out-of-date prices on. It leaves a poor impression with the customer. If you give out information make sure it's current - whether you're working in a bank, a doctor's, or the education department. Make sure you (and your staff) are consistently accurate and that pamphlets or forms you leave with others are updated.
2. Be helpful and make it easy for the customer.
I called another centre - did they have bone density testing? The answer was that they didn't but another branch of theirs did. I took the information so I could make the next call. Then the receptionist said, "Would you like me to put you through to the other branch?" Yes! Top marks for customer service - it made it easy for me and saved me money. The small things count.
3. Personalise.
I arrived at the clinic and someone said,
"May I help you?"
I explained and handed over my referral.
"Have you been before?"
"No."
"You'll need to fill out one of these", the receptionist said, moving a note pad towards me. The receptionist moved away as I completed the form. When I finished I looked up - there was no sign of anyone to help me and I was unsure what to do next. Finally I alerted someone's attention and she asked me to take a seat. No more information was given.
At no stage was my name used. Later my name was called, not correctly, nor as I had written it but I recognised it. They used a first name and my surname. Once I stood up and was shown to a cubicle I was then called Mrs Green, without my ever having given a title and it not being used previously. I was not referred to by name at any stage during my test, which lasted some twenty minutes. Nor on test completion or on being shown back to my cubicle.
As I went to pay my bill, I was met by a different person. (It would have been far nicer if I had been looked after by one person - this was the fourth person so far who had dealt with me.) I explained that I wanted to pay my bill. She said, "It's Green isn't it?" My quirky sense of humour wanted me to say, "Well actually it was purple last time I looked," but I was on my best behaviour and just smiled sweetly in agreement! All the way through the processing of my payment and being given the clinical receipt I was not called by my name, not even at the end. Finally another anonymous patient exited, unknown. After the initial announcement, at no time was I called by what I consider my correct name. But any name would have been a start. If you don't get my name right how am I to know you have the right person? If you don't bother to call me by name how do I know you'll be bothered when it comes to interpreting my test results?
When you talk to people, whether at home, work, on the phone, socially, in your business or anywhere - address people by name. Show them you know who you're talking to. Show them you care enough to get it right. Show them they are not irrelevant. I once had a gentleman complain that his wife only ever called him "Darling". What bothered him about this? It was the fact that his wife also called their three children "Darling". She failed to differentiate between them. It would have been more intimate to have called him by his own name. Names make a difference.
4. Let people know who you are.
I spent half-an-hour with someone without having any idea who she was or what her name was. She had taken my most personal details, my birth date, my medical history, measured me, weighed me, touched me on my pubic bone, and photographed my skeleton. All without even introducing herself. How personal an invasion that is. Please introduce yourself. "Hi, I'm Betty your radiographer," would have been wonderful and put me straight at ease. But no! Once my name was called she started walking ahead of me and no connection was ever made. I didn't know the name of anyone I met. No-one introduced themselves.
Introduce yourself to people you meet, whether your customers, new colleagues or new acquaintances. Tell people who you are when you answer the telephone. Build a relationship with people - don't be anonymous. Let your customers get to know you. You are less likely to receive abuse or complaints if you do.
5. Be informative.
It is easy for all of us to know our jobs so well that we forget our customers do not have the same ease or familiarity with our systems, procedures or equipment. The absence of information can leave a customer feeling ignorant or stupid. Before the bone density test I was ushered into a tiny cubicle, (I feel sorry for anyone overweight or claustrophobic - there was barely room to move) and told to take my clothes off and put on the gown. With that the so-called assistant left. Have you ever been left with an article of clothing with three armholes in and wondered what you did with them all?! I managed to find 3 different ways to put it on and felt silly for not knowing. They might humiliate me for being the only patient who's not worked out where the split goes! Worse still, I thought, if I've done it incorrectly the bits of my body that shouldn't be seen might fall out at the wrong time - in the wrong places! How was I meant to know? All the assistant needed to do was to gently inform me.
If customers need to follow your procedures tell them what to do - make what is obvious to you, obvious to them, the customers. Tell them - what the procedure is, what you're doing, what's involved. We can't be expected to understand what's involved if we've never worked in a bank, a health care clinic, or in the taxation department! And be kind to us - just because you know, doesn't mean you should think we're stupid for not knowing. We haven't done it all 1000 times.
6. Reassure your customers.
During the test, I was lying flat on the table, never having had a bone density test before. "We're just going to take a scan of your lower back and then one of your hips. Put your legs in the air, I'll move this machine over your head and over your lower body, it won't at any stage touch you," the assistant said. Great! I liked knowing it wasn't going to touch me. But I didn't know how long the test would take nor what else would happen. The machine was switched on and the assistant said, "I'll be back in a few minutes." I was left on my own in a small room with a machine gradually moving up my body. I had some questions to ask. Did she come back and switch it off or did it do it automatically? I didn't know. Was it dangerous - was this beaming out radiation, like in an x-ray? I didn't know. Were they getting good pictures? I didn't know. What would happen if I got anxious or claustrophobic? I didn't know. I had many unanswered questions. Gradually this machine moved up my body getting nearer to my chest. It looked well above my lower back. I do at least know something about anatomy! It kept on coming. Where was the woman? (Whoever she was - I didn't even have a name to call out.) It seemed as though it was well over my chest and heading for my head. Would I move or leave the table if it came closer to my head? Or was it okay? Anxiety made an appearance. The mind can do funny things when people are feeling vulnerable. If it was radiation I didn't want it over my face. Then finally the machine stopped. Phew! The woman reappeared. I said to her, "Did that just scan my lower back? It seemed to come a lot higher up my body?" "Oh", she said, "A lot of people say that." "Maybe", I said in a really nice tone, "you could let people know that in advance then?" "I told you it wouldn't touch you," she said in a defensive tone, and continued by saying, "The next one won't take as long." My point was missed.
Customers trust you with all sorts of things, their money, their body, their personal information - respect them for this and reassure them all will be well. Check in with them in case there is anything they need to know or have concerns about. Inform your customers. Tell them how long things will take, that you're entering details on a computer, that the form requires certain details, that the goods will be kept in a safe, whatever is applicable. Had I been subject to an anxiety disorder I'd have been up and off that table and missed the scan. And refused to pay!
There are some courses coming up to help you improve your communication in all areas:
Friday 8th-Jun-2001, How to Feel Confident, Sound Interesting and Be Natural Facing an Audience, 9.00 am - 4.00 pm, $189 plus 10% GST = $207.90 per person.
The course to help you build your confidence in front of an audience and to make sure you sound interesting even if your material is supposedly dull, detailed or technical!
Wednesday 13-Jun-2001, Being Taken Seriously: Communication Skills For Women, 9.00am - 4.00pm, $189 plus 10% GST = $207.90 per person.
Excellent if you want to come across as confident and clear to your customers, colleagues and friends.
Wednesday 20-Jun-2001, Superbly Managing Phone Calls - Even the Difficult Ones, 9.00am - 4.00pm, $189 plus 10% GST = $207.90 per person. Ideal if you want to leave a good impression with your telephone customers.
All venues are in Central City, Perth, Western Australia.
Bookings are now open directly through the website: Bookings
e-mail:
Other FREE! Customer Service newsletters on the website:
Newsletter No. 20 - Tips for Travellers and Customer Service
Newsletter No. 42 - Turning complaints into compliments
Newsletter No. 52 - Sincerity and Customer Service - do they go together?
7. See life from the perspective of the customer.
So who cares what I thought about the procedure - I had my bones measured didn't I? Yes I did - as far as I know - I haven't got the results back yet! However I walked out not at all impressed. I was also paying for the procedure - it wasn't as though they were giving me a free service - it personally cost me $81. And they expected me to pay before I even had the test results. Had the staff in this clinic understood what it was like to be a patient/customer in their clinic they might have left me with a very different impression. They only way I can judge their service is the way they deal with me. If I have another bone density test - if possible, I will choose another clinic.
Your customers spread the word about you and your services. Each and every customer you have can spread good news or bad news about you. I am a polite, gentle, happy customer - if they managed to put me off-side, I can't imagine what they do to people who are already upset or anxious. Why would you jeopardise the reputation of your clinic, business or office by not taking care of your customers? By not taking care of the small things that you do have control over? By not making a good impression? Maybe these people simply didn't care. I got the impression the woman doing my test was bored. If she was, conveying that attitude to me will not help. Do you convey the best attitude? Do you care?
8. Whatever your age - take care of your body.
Have the right health checks. Eat the foods you need not those you crave. Have enough calcium throughout your life and you are less likely to get bone problems later. If you're in midlife, I encourage you to get your bone density checked, along with your prostate (men), your breasts, your ovaries, your cervix (women), your cholesterol, your blood pressure, your eyes, your hormones, and more! If you detect problems early you have the most chance of maintaining the quality of your life as you age. Better to know now if you're a candidate for osteoporosis than when you fall over and smash a hip and it can't be fixed.
Here's to your health, happy customers and satisfying relationships.
Rachel.
