|
|
| Performance Dental Coaching
Monthly Newsletter
|
July 2009 |
|
What's your Customer Service Strategy?
|
|
"You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best. You want to be considered the only ones who do what you do."
Jerry Garcia
This month's question: What if you were the only dental office that anyone considered visiting...in your market?
Here's my story. |
|
I met her by accident in the very inaptly named Murray's Discount Liquors, in Savannah, Tennessee. Her name, she informed me with a playful look, was Jetta. "Just like the Volkswagen Jetta," she smiled. Average height, she had longish silver hair and glasses that had swirls and geometric shapes on the earpieces. I've met plenty of people in my forty-odd years but I knew it right away; Jetta was cool. The look on her face said she knew her inventory and could anticipate my need. Her voice could stop a freight train. Let's face it; if you want to talk about wine, Jetta Conway oozes authority.
I've been on a self-imposed discovery process around the topic of customer service for the past few months. I had gone into Murray's on a last-minute wine shopping trip before the state-imposed 4th-of-July hiatus of wine and liquor sales. If you know nothing about Savannah; know this: it's the lone shopping choice in an area devoted to all things water-centric. Located on the edge of the Tennessee River, Savannah draws fishermen, boaters, campers and nature enthusiasts who crave the escape the river offers. It was my first visit to Murray's. Jetta saw me looking around and intervened across a store studded with shoppers. She told me right away she didn't have what I was looking for, but promised that the next time I come back, she will. I believed her immediately.
"I'm all about customer service," she offered. When I asked if she had any competition, she quickly pointed to a store a stone's throw away. "Listen, Angie," she said; "that guy and I sell the same thing. I have strategically stocked more product than him. I have the best selection of wine. I'm the only female-owned liquor store in three counties, and I'm at a disadvantage. When I took over this store, the previous owner had depleted the stock level. I cleaned this place until my fingers hurt and installed more shelves; then I stocked them to the hilt." I looked at the gleaming bottles, at the spotless store. "The only thing I can fight the guys with is service, and you can bet that what you'll get here is different. They just can't touch me on it. The bottom line is this: I love my customers. Service is what sets us apart." |
|
|
|
|
| Training Equals Results |
|
 |
Your team isn't that different from the top producing dental teams in the nation.
You're missing only the ability to implement simple, executable systems.
If you haven't mastered organizational control and it's keeping you from being profitable, you aren't alone; many of our clients used to feel exactly the same way.
Turn the tide on your systems today with a combination of powerful training and personal coaching.
Call Angie today.
888-400-0569
|
|
|
|
|
Okay. Stop here. Why here, why now, do I meet Jetta Conway? It has to be fate, because I believe her philosophy ought to be yours, with only a few minor industry tweaks. Let's get started on what I learned. | |
| Jetta is a master detective. |
Before I left, she knew my name, what I did for a living, where I was from, what I liked to do for fun and how she could best serve me. I think dental offices, in an attempt to be professional, often miss the personal connection that's up for grabs simply by asking questions. If you're proud because you take notes and can mention something from a patient's previous hygiene visit; listen up. That isn't what I'm talking about. I'm talking about customizing a patient's experience based on what they like. This requires thought, planning and action steps. What system can you put in place to get to the heart of what a patient wants, so you can give it to them? What questions do you need to ask; strategically, every time? What I'm saying is this; if you aren't being a detective...someone else will. |
| Jetta has a customer service philosophy that's written down, and therefore concrete. |
No one's doing any guessing at Murray's about how to behave. The philosophy is as firm as the lady who owns the store. No one is allowed to relax/sit down when customers are present. Employees are charged; they must learn faces and names. Never point customers toward anything, deliver the person to the goods instead. The expectation is simple: speak to every person like a friend; educate with an open mind; ask questions before you make suggestions. Confirm each choice before you ring it up. And, if you work here...the customer pays your check. Never forget it. I thought those philosophies were profoundly like the ones dental businesses should have in place.
|
| Jetta has a nature that picks apart her competitors, so she can improve on what they do. |
Never once did she detract from her competition. The focus instead was on how she could improve and do remarkably better than the other guy. Operational issues corrected; Jetta's next plan of attack is how to out-serve the competition and gain a customer who won't even consider going back to the old provider. If this isn't what you're doing, be advised: Dentists who are less busy now have the unique leverage to work on their businesses, not just in them. Take a hard look at your competition. How do they outshine you? Is it how prospects are handled on the phone? Is it an elevated image that's marketed in the community? Is it simply how patients are made to feel when they come into the office? Pick apart where you need work and get to it. There's not going to be a better time.
|
| Jetta religiously asks for referrals. |
|
While she was ringing me up, Jetta said, "Angie, please tell your friends about us. We will take great care of them." It was a powerful lesson for me, since I watch clients struggle all the time with the simplest referral request. Jetta asked with no affect. It was as natural as asking my name. She seriously believes she can give my friends a better experience. End of story. Her confidence and candor were appreciated, not repellant. In keeping my word I'm telling you, now. You should visit Murray's. |
|
Before I left, Jetta and I traded cards. She mentioned she has a niece who is a hygienist in Laurel, Mississippi. (The world is full of dental professionals.) Before I walked out she looked at me full square in the face. "The next time you come back," she laughed, "I will know you on sight." I believe she will. I certainly do.
I checked out Jetta's parking lot as I pulled away. She had nine cars parked outside. Her competitor had two. Coincidence?
I think not. | |
Angie Skinner is the founder of Performance Dental Coaching. She has been training and developing dental teams since 2001, most recently as a principle in Dental Genius™. Angie's dynamic teaching style and flair for fun is suited to both in-person office training and large meetings. Her articles have been published in every major dental trade journal; she's been honored as a 2008 and 2009 "Leader in Dental Consulting" by Dentistry Today magazine.
|
|
|
