I always look forward to my weekly Shephard Letter from my good friend Shep Hyken, and this week’s episode was exceptional.
Shep reported that according to the Five9 Customer Index 2017 report, seventy seven percent of customers in the B2C space will not do business with your business again if you give them bad customer service the first time that they do business with you.
What this means is that over three-quarters of your customers will not give you a second chance if you don’t give them the customer experience they expect on the first time they do business with you.
For dentistry this is really important because the first time that someone does business with you could be on the telephone setting up an appointment time.
And a lot of dentists forget this.
A lot of dentists believe that the first time they do business with a customer is when you have them in the dental chair.
Have you ever wondered why you have cancellations and no-shows from patients you have not met who have yet to have “officially” become your patient?
This statistic could shed light on the probable answers….
Shep goes on to write that in any business, the customers are now smarter than ever before when it comes to the customer service side of things. This is because if they have experienced and are now getting used to and accustomed to world class customer service from OTHER types of businesses, then they will start applying THOSE levels of service as a standard they will now expect from you and all other businesses that they have to deal with.
Rightly so, Shep points out that providing great customer service is now your competitive advantage.
There will always be customers who value great service more than they care about price.
And this is a significant number that is increasing…
For many, a great customer experience is a key reason that helps them decide which company to do business with. And, that reasons trumps price, product quality, and even recommendations from friends, according to Shep.
So, what do you need to do?
Here are a few suggestions from Shep..
1. Customer service doesn’t just happen on the front line. It is a culture that needs to be present throughout the entire company.
2. Be present in the moment. Whatever you are doing right now, in THAT moment, with that patient, is going to ensure that the next time they need dental treatment, they will come back to you and only you. Make their day!
3. No company and no person is flawless. You can’t deliver a perfect customer experience all of the time. So, when there is a problem or complaint, don’t just fix it. Restore the customer’s faith in you. Go Above and Beyond!! The way that your business recovers from these occasional service defects will validate the patient’s original choice to do business with you in the first place and proves to them why they should come back.
4. Always show appreciation to your customer. Repeatedly thank and praise your patients over and over again. They want and expect to know you care.
Hyken reminds us that although these ideas are common sense, sadly, they are not always as common as they should be, and are often forgotten and brushed over and are overlooked by businesses.
Don’t allow your business to overlook the importance of having a great Customer Experience Culture in place.
Your customers will value that experience.
Because today more than ever they are now expecting that experience.
Don’t let them down!!
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Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a customer service expert, hall-of-fame speaker and New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. He works with organizations to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. He is also the creator of The Customer Focus, a customer service training program that helps organizations develop a customer service culture and loyalty mindset. For more information contact him at +1 (314) 692-2200 or www.Hyken.com
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The Ultimate Patient Experience is a simple to build complete Customer Service system in itself that I developed that allowed me to create an extraordinary dental office in an ordinary Sydney suburb. If you’d like to know more, ask me about my free special report.
Email me at david@theupe.com
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