Leadership and the Grocery Store

My wife and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary yesterday by having lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. On the way home, we stopped by a local grocery to pick up a few things and my wife said, "I hate this store." Of course, I was curious and asked why. She went on to tell me they have very poor customer service and the employees are not very friendly. She finished her story by saying, "I am not sure why this is, other grocery stores are much friendlier." As you might imagine, being a consultant, I have an answer.

Clear and simple, poor customer service is the result of poor leadership. For years customers of a leading computer manufacturer enjoyed some of the best customer service; that is, until the founder retired. Sadly, today, this company is struggling because their product quality has slipped and their customer service is poor. But, how does this happen?

As I stated, poor customer service is the result of poor leadership. Simply put, if the owner or senior management doesn't put customer service as a priority, nobody else in the organization will. And, it goes further. Simply stating the goal does not make it so. Owners and senior managers have to live it! You have to know what is going on in your business - Inspect What You Expect!

Living and breathing excellence in customer service is everyone's responsibility, but it begins with the owner. Make sure you are delivering your very best every day. Train your staff properly. Inspect what you expect. Conduct a practice performance survey to find your weak areas and improve them. Enhance and broaden those aspects of your practice's customer service that already excels. Think about the businesses you like doing business with and emulate their level of customer service.

Delivering good customer service to your patients should be an expectation. Believe me, your patients expect it.