The Customer Service Champion Guru is on holidays! Please check back May 9th for brand new posts. Have a safe and happy Easter Holiday, and I look forward to responding to your questions and concerns soon.
Cheers,
CSCG
About Me
- Customer Service Champion Guru
- The customer service experience is shared by all. All of us are consumers and some have the pleasure (or displeasure)of serving in the customer service industry. Customer service, on both sides of the fence, can be a difficult battlefield to navigate through. The Customer Service Champion Guru has created this blog, to share tips, tricks, stories, and support in order to gauge a better understanding and respect between managers, customer service reps, and consumers. There is no charge to follow this blog, your information will not be shared with a third party, and you will not find inappropriate content in this blog or its advertisements.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The WOW effect
The wow effect is when a customer service representative or business gives you a memorable experience which leaves you to exclaim "WOW"! It is not difficult to WOW patrons, and usually is as simple as having a positive attitude and doing your job right the first time.
Last week I was Wow-ed by a frazzled nurse at the doctor's office. Imagine the stress the poor nurses endure having to answer to frustrated patients due to long waiting times and the overall stress of being ill. Much of the waiting times can be attributed to people that take advantage of the health care system and fail to follow the rules.
Its very easy. Take a number, wait your turn, have your health care and ID ready when you're called, and turn off your cellphone!
A young woman groaned when denied a band-aid for a superficial papercut, another yacked on her phone so loud the other patients, including myself, were left shifting uncomfortably to her description of problems "down under". Eww! Too much information. Then there were the two children running around tearing up the reading material, while fighting over who hit whom first as the parents ignored the distracting behavior. Imagine twelve hours of that everyday!
It was my turn to approach the desk, and in a harried state I seemed to have forgotten my Health Care information at home. I presented a regional health card but unfortunately, that was not sufficient for the nurse assisting me and I had already waited two hours before my number was called. I had watched patients ahead of me that also were lacking at least one form of I.D., so I sympathized with the nurse when she curtly reminded me I could not be seen without the required information. "Poor lady", I thought to myself, as I was yet another disgruntled patient that would be told cash payment would be required or I would not be seeing a doctor that day.
I insisted my regional card was accepted at the office in the past, and by other health care facilities. My heart sank as she braced herself for the verbal abuse she so obviously had become accustomed to by patients under similar distress. I politely requested the use of her phone so that I may contact my boyfriend to pick me up, but I could tell the tone of my voice was not as pleasant as the Customer Service Champion Guru's should be.
She hung up the phone when the call was complete, and I gently apologized for my demeanor. I explained the reason for my visit and that the obvious physical pain that was impairing my usual pleasant manner. Acknowledging I understood she was just doing her job, she appeared to appreciate my tone was set by an injury and not disrespect for her position. The pain in my right hip/leg were impairing my usually pleasant manners but it was not the nurse's fault I was injured.
No sooner did my boyfriend arrive, did the same nurse call me to her desk. She informed me the doctor would be able to see me and smiled as I thanked her for going above and beyond. You see, the nurse didn't have to allow me to see the doctor. Had I reacted as those before me, I certainly would have not been treated that day. Instead I chose to acknowledge her workload/stress and apologized that I had not stopped at home for my ID first. Not only did the nurse go above and beyond, she remembers my name and smiles when she sees me now.
Thank you Elizabeth, I will take great pleasure in writing your boss to share with him how you Wow-ed me!
Last week I was Wow-ed by a frazzled nurse at the doctor's office. Imagine the stress the poor nurses endure having to answer to frustrated patients due to long waiting times and the overall stress of being ill. Much of the waiting times can be attributed to people that take advantage of the health care system and fail to follow the rules.
Its very easy. Take a number, wait your turn, have your health care and ID ready when you're called, and turn off your cellphone!
A young woman groaned when denied a band-aid for a superficial papercut, another yacked on her phone so loud the other patients, including myself, were left shifting uncomfortably to her description of problems "down under". Eww! Too much information. Then there were the two children running around tearing up the reading material, while fighting over who hit whom first as the parents ignored the distracting behavior. Imagine twelve hours of that everyday!
It was my turn to approach the desk, and in a harried state I seemed to have forgotten my Health Care information at home. I presented a regional health card but unfortunately, that was not sufficient for the nurse assisting me and I had already waited two hours before my number was called. I had watched patients ahead of me that also were lacking at least one form of I.D., so I sympathized with the nurse when she curtly reminded me I could not be seen without the required information. "Poor lady", I thought to myself, as I was yet another disgruntled patient that would be told cash payment would be required or I would not be seeing a doctor that day.
I insisted my regional card was accepted at the office in the past, and by other health care facilities. My heart sank as she braced herself for the verbal abuse she so obviously had become accustomed to by patients under similar distress. I politely requested the use of her phone so that I may contact my boyfriend to pick me up, but I could tell the tone of my voice was not as pleasant as the Customer Service Champion Guru's should be.
She hung up the phone when the call was complete, and I gently apologized for my demeanor. I explained the reason for my visit and that the obvious physical pain that was impairing my usual pleasant manner. Acknowledging I understood she was just doing her job, she appeared to appreciate my tone was set by an injury and not disrespect for her position. The pain in my right hip/leg were impairing my usually pleasant manners but it was not the nurse's fault I was injured.
No sooner did my boyfriend arrive, did the same nurse call me to her desk. She informed me the doctor would be able to see me and smiled as I thanked her for going above and beyond. You see, the nurse didn't have to allow me to see the doctor. Had I reacted as those before me, I certainly would have not been treated that day. Instead I chose to acknowledge her workload/stress and apologized that I had not stopped at home for my ID first. Not only did the nurse go above and beyond, she remembers my name and smiles when she sees me now.
Thank you Elizabeth, I will take great pleasure in writing your boss to share with him how you Wow-ed me!
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