These days almost anything can be purchased online. Any type of product a customer could ever imagine is available right at their fingertips with a click of a button. Globally, 54% of all consumers say that they have higher customer service expectations now than they did just one year ago.1
What does this mean for Audiologists and Hearing Care Practice owners?
It means that you have to ensure that you are providing not only quality products but also quality service! You need to add more value to a customer’s sales journey than what they can get elsewhere. In fact, 90% of Americans use customer service as a factor in deciding whether or not to do business with a company.2
You also need to provide great customer service and build meaningful, personal relationships that your customers will value. This is how you create customer loyalty and establish a great reputation as a practice!
“People buy relationships”. This is especially true in the Senior market where trustworthiness and likability are highly valued and often longed for in a world of cold automation.3 Seniors long for the days when the corner drugstore owner not only provided the products they needed but offered familiar conversation and a friendly smile.3
3 Key Elements of Great Customer Service That are Essential for Your Business:
Accessibility –
Is there always a way for customers to get information about your business or book appointments, even if your practice is closed? If customers have to work to reach your reception service or call back a day or several days later, there’s a much higher chance that they will give up and either go elsewhere or forget about making an appointment altogether.
Having a website with accurate, easy-to-find information is absolutely essential. One step above just having your information available is having a website that can actually interact with customers and provide customer service immediately through a chatbot feature.
Response –
Much like the need for your practice to feel accessible to your customers, you also have to have a quick response time when following up on reviews or feedback. If a customer posts a negative review about your business and it takes you ages to respond, other customers who are seeing that review are going to question if you care about your patient’s feedback, and even be more inclined to believe that initial negative feedback themselves.
Besides responding quickly, you also need to respond positively. This is not to say that you have to change your entire business according to negative feedback or suggestions from various customers. You should respond to any feedback in a way that lets reviewers know that their feedback is heard and considered, and provide a positive response of how you plan to address the concern moving forward.
