Marcia White
When you need information from your customer, help the customer to be prepared.
Recently I visited my doctor’s office. Walking to the window, I signed in with the obligatory information and the receptionist handed me a clip board with several forms to complete. I sat down and took a few minutes to complete the forms. Satisfied I had finished with the check in process, I returned the forms to the receptionist, picked up a magazine, sat down and began reading.
A few minutes later I heard my name called. I thought, “Wow, that wasn’t a long wait to see the doctor!” Then I looked up and saw that the receptionist at the window calling me. I went back to the window and she said, “Could you please give me your health card?” “I need to make a copy for our records.” I then walked back to my seat, picked up my purse, and ruffled through it to retrieve my health card, all the while wondering the obvious, “Why didn’t she ask for my health card when I first signed in?”
If the receptionist had prepared me at the beginning, it could have saved me a double trip to the service window. By letting customers know what will be needed for a process, you can eliminate a lot of customer frustration. Can you think of any examples that you would like to share here?
