Learn Customer Service From Starbucks and Chic-fil-a

Do you have a Chick-fil-a in your area?  If you do, then you know that when you say, “Thank you,” you quickly receive a, “My pleasure.”  It is just the way they do business.
 
If you walk up to the counter at Starbucks, an employee is going to ask you, “What can we get started for you?”  They view their drinks as creations, so as you order, they are going to create a work of art for you.
 
These shared expressions have power, and when you create them, your customers/patients feel at home.  They sense your desire to work with them, and they know that all of your employees are agreed in their attitude of service.
 
So, where are areas you can create these expressions?  Here are 3:
 
Answering the Phone – This is customer service 101.  Most of your employees will come from various business/retail backgrounds.  Creating a welcoming phone greeting is absolutely necessary, and if its catchy enough, your patients/customers will appreciate it.
 
Personal Greetings – When someone walks in the door, what do your employees say?  When your sales people interact, what do they ask first?  Are they asking common questions to produce common outcomes (welcoming and increasing sales)?  Clichés are true:  you only get one chance to make a first impression.  Don’t miss that first chance to greet the people who are gracious enough to frequent your establishment.
 
At Checkout – How do your people say “thank you”?  Differentiate yourself from the rest of the business world.  While a “thank you” is a must, don’t forget Chic-fil-a.  Their welcome is now iconic.  Makes yours.
 
How do you figure all of these out?  Simple, put together a leadership team you trust to come up with some possibilities.  Create a suggestion box.  Anything.  You make the final decisions for your business, but company involvement is always best.
 
One last thing:  don’t forget that training is going to be necessary once you roll all of this out.  Learning common language takes time.
 
Gordon Duncan is the CEO/Consultant of ProSight Success.  He has worked in the eye care industry for nearly 20 years.  He has consulted in the medical field, manufacturing, accounting, and many other disciplines.  You can contact him at [email protected]
 
P.S. ProSight offers a host of resources for the optometric and small business field.  You can find front desk training for things like common expressions and more at our Front Desk Academy. 
 
P.S.S ProSight Success has a 7 volume playbook to put all of these things in place.  In fact, we recently published this system in paperback.  It has been called the “Optometric Textbook for the 21st Century”.  Typically, this resource costs $199, but in light of seeing another practice fatality, I have cut its cost 50%.   From now until the end of the year, you can purchase the ProSight Success System in paperback for $100.  This 2 lb. (over 300 pages of resources) playbook has been #1 in 7 different countries, and it’s the step by step process that the doctor above walked through. 
 
Additional resources can be found below:
 
Digital ProSight Success System
Paperback ProSight Success System
 
And our best value:  the ProSight Success Workbook that includes a digital copy and a free hour of consulting.

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