eNewsHound

Last summer I took a road trip from Phoenix, Arizona to Nogales, Mexico with a friend of mine.  It was a “dentist road trip”.  Neither of us have health or dental insurance, and I had a tooth that needed to come out while she had a tooth that had cracked up the middle.  We had heard of the dental care one could get in Mexico, but we were nervous about it all the same.  I mean, Nogales?  But we went anyway.  We reached the border, parked the car on the US side, and walked through customs into the hectic hustle and bustle of the border town.

The sidewalks are uneven, the building are brightly painted but are dilapidated and sad non the less.  On every corner there is a man with a donkey wanting you to get you picture taken on the beast, while wearing a sombrero.  We followed our map and found the dentist’s office.  It was small, and hot, and nothing like the pristine offices in the United States.  We, again, were nervous.  We actually held hands in the waiting room.  Two women over forty, terrified.  I went first.

The dentist didn’t speak English and so we went back and forth while the assistant translated.  And yes my tooth needed to be pulled.  I have had oral surgery in the States, one time in Chicago and the technicians and the surgeon were, cold…they did not care that I was nervous and scared.  But, in this situation, the medical customer service was different.  Customer service, as Steve Barbarich will attest, is the most important aspect of running a business.  I was trying to remain calm as the dentist pulled out a piece of equipment that resembled a large set of pliers.

Just as she was about to begin, I got very scared and I just reached out my hand…to nowhere in particular, just a reflex.  And what happened next, brought tears to my eyes, the assistant grabbed my hand and she held on tightly.  She was not thinking of customer service at that moment, I don’t think, she just saw someone who needed something, and she provided.  That is the most sincere form of customer service, and we have been back since then, and it’s actually a good experience to go to the dentist.

It is just simply a fact that in the business world, as with in life, you may not be able to please all of the people all of the time.  Bad luck, mistakes, or problems in even the finest of run establishments will occur and my leave someone dissatisfied.  It is also true that many people will not write a letter to a business about the great experiences they had, but many will write formal complaints when they are not happy.

Some companies will go on, disregarding the complaints as sometimes these can be very trying times.  However, situations like these when handled properly and with sincerity will in many cases, serve to win customers and to make the business stronger for it.  As Steve Barbarich knows from his own experience wherein he was dissatisfied and the the situation was not handled correctly, good customer service will win in the end.  Letters are one of the most common ways of customers expressing their grievance.  Some see this is the most formal approach, while others feel the safety of the distance that a letter allows.  This form will actually give you time to think about the best way to handle the situation and to be thoroughly organized with your response.

Another common form is when the customer speaks directly to an employee.  Having a well trained staff, knowledgeable in the service industry will ensure that these kinds of situations are rectified quickly and efficiently.  And as with the face to face interactions, dealing with a customer over the phone will not allow you the time to plan your response, but with well trained staff these issues will often times be worked out quickly.  These are not the most comfortable of situations in the customer service industry,  but they are the end.  They provide you with an opportunity to fix it, and save the customer.