Posts Tagged ‘customer service’
Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice Private Pay Conference: Think Big!
My keynote speech this morning at the Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice, “Bigger & Better Customer Service: Winning and keeping clients in today’s market,” shared my version of ‘lagniappe’ and how we add that extra dollop to home care. Today’s home care market has competitive and economic challenges that require new tactics and tools to succeed. Providing excellence in both the quality of the care provided and the way it is delivered necessitates a concierge state of mind. How have you made your customer service bigger and better?
Take it from me, the core of customer experience is understanding lagniappe.
- A lagniappe (LAN-yap) is a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase, something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure.
Customer service with a concierge mentality is not a one-time event; rather, it is a process, and it permeates all components of the business:
- Attitude: Bright, friendly, and helpful
- Meeting Customer Needs:
- From introduction through the relationship, any contact must be knowledgeable, helpful and responsive
- Handling Conflict/Issues: Resolve conflicts or issues with respect, courtesy, and a genuine desire to help the customer
- Special Requests, Services or Needs: Going out of the way to not only meet needs, but exceed expectations, making certain requests, services, or needs are not only met (baseline) but exceeded
Listeners today learned:
- How to identify the concierge approach: what it is and how it looks
- How to develop a plan to add in a concierge mentality for staff at all levels
- How to identify any issues and/ or barriers to developing this approach to excellence
If you need some one-on-one consulting for great home care marketing and concierge, give me a call!
Ask the customer first
Traveling is such a wonderful way to get a fresh new look at work! Just fresh back from two weeks off, I could not help but notice, while traveling what efforts worked to satisfy me, and what efforts were well intended, but wasted. The key, for the most part, was asking me if I wanted something first. Then delivering.
On Delta (economy class-argh!) and the flight attendant was giving our pretzels. I asked for peanuts! his reply, “Lady, I am giving out pretzels.” End of story. Positive note? The flight attendant on the other end of the cart, retrieved peanuts, and blessed me with them.
That small gesture took the bad taste out of my mouth, and made me smile. Simple gesture, but she met my need, and I felt like I was in first class. Well, almost.
Checking into our hotel in Athens, Greece, we were met with literally throngs of demonstrators outside the hotel in front of parliament. Not a fun sight, nor was it especially settling, since we did not know if the action would escalate or not. The manager was at the front desk, and, when we checked in, obviously unsettled by the commotion, she said, “Oh, it is your anniversary! Why don’t we give you a nice surprise today for your celebration?” And, she proceeded to give us a suite. And what a suite it was, and with a perfect view of the demonstrations! Also, however, with a perfect view of the Acropolis. So, she turned what would have been a huge disappointment into something that is memorable. Get a first hand visual below.
So whether you are selling services or products, when a customer asks you to do something, try and find out what it is you CAN do for that customer. Keeping customers happy is really just one at a time.
Count your blessings – and thank your clients
Well Thanksgiving is a week past, but still on my mind. Imagine for a moment that it’s 1621 and you’re a member of the Plymouth, Mass. Colony. Times have been hard, and food scarce. The wheat your ships brought over from England refuses to grow in this rocky soil. You don’t know how to build shelter you’re unskilled at hunting and fishing in this type of terrain. Half your fellow colonists have already died and winter is on the way. (more…)
