What Makes Them Special - or Not?
As we go about our daily life, if we are the least observant we have some great experiences and some not so good ones. Some of these experiences are brought on by ourselves be they good or bad. But many times these experiences are the results of businesses we encounter. Below are a few experiences and a few helpful hints that we might all learn from some of my recent experiences.
In the
One neighbor, Chuck, said, “My insurance adjuster came right out, inspected the roof, and wrote a check while he was sitting I the driveway. When the roofer knew I had a check in hand he was right there the next week.” Chuck’s house was the first in the neighborhood to be re-roofed.
My experience was a little different. I was late getting started, but I finally contacted a roofer to get an inspection. I called a company, that from everything I had heard, was very good and reliable. Other than the fact that I had to leave a phone message, and they didn’t call back for a few days - they are really busy - so far things have gone very well. They made an appointment to inspect the roof, and when the inspector was caught in traffic and realized he was going to be a few minutes late, he called me. He gave me a written proposal and noted some deficiencies that I said I wanted fixed in the proposal. As best I can tell the price seems reasonable.
Contrast that with the other roofing contractor who called me to see if I could use an inspection and estimate for repair. On the date of the appointment, no one showed up. So I called and the owner who said that they were having some difficulty getting started that morning something about being locked out of their building. He assured me that his man would be there shortly. An hour went by, and I needed to leave for an appointment. The owner assured me again that he would leave me a message telling me when his man would be there in the afternoon. When I arrived home there was no message. After another phone call, I finally did get a call from one of his employees who said he was on the other side of the city and would be at my house before 5 p.m. He never showed up. I finally got an apologetic phone message a few days later asking if I would still like him to do the roof inspection. I decided not to return his call.
I took my car into the dealership where we bought it for a routine oil change. My first impression as I drove to the service door was that it looked a little dowdy, not quite as spiffy as the place where I take my other car. As I pulled in and got out of the car, a service manger was waiting with the seat and floor mat ready to jump in the car. He asked me what service I needed and headed to his computer terminal. He was very brisk and businesslike. He asked if I had any coupons. I had a book of them from when I bought the car. I asked him for some assistance in choosing the right coupon. His curt reply was, “Pick any coupon.” I was confused since they were for different amounts and had expiration dates. But I picked a $15 one and disregarded the expired date. He accepted it and said he would call me when the car was ready. During the whole transaction, the man never looked at me, never greeted me, never gave me the impression that he was happy I chose to come to his service shop.
Oh yes, and while I was waiting I helped myself to a cup of
coffee in the waiting area. Standing in the area by the coffeepot were two
salesmen for the dealership. I asked them when they thought
I recently had a hernia repair. As my father, who has had two, said, “It’s no big deal.” However, they do cut into your body, they do put you to sleep, there can be complications, etc. So I went about the whole thing with some care. First of all I chose a surgeon who had done a procedure for my wife, and we found him to be genuine, caring, and not arrogant, as some surgeons seem to be. He does some of his surgeries, like hernia repairs, at a nearby outpatient surgery center which sounded good to me.
From the moment I checked in for my operation, I knew this was a special place. The receptionist was friendly and helpful in getting my paperwork completed. The prep nurse was friendly and encouraging. The surgery nurses were upbeat and clear in their communication. Everything was done on time. The nurse who escorted me to my car was very friendly and professional. Everyone seemed like they were happy to be working there.
The next day a nurse called me to see how things were going. She asked if I had much pain. She genuinely seemed to care about me. About a week after the surgery, I was concerned about some puffiness near the incision. I called the nurse, the one who escorted me to the car and gave me her card. She assured me that what I was experiencing was normal and that the puffiness would go away over time.
Four weeks later, as I reflected on the experience, I decided to call Denise, my nurse, and ask her why they were so good. She told me, “We have a great group of doctors. Our office administrator promotes good morale. We treat people the way we would want to be treated.” I said but don’t you have bad days or bad experiences some times, to which she responded, “Sure we have disgruntled patients some times. After all some of them are dealing with issues that mean they will never fulfill the dreams they had for their lives. We put ourselves in their shoes.” She concluded our conversation by suggesting that I talk to John, their office administrator.
So I asked John what his secret to success was. He said, “We hire the right people. I interview all new employees and after they pass my screen, most of the rest our employees interview the candidate as well. If anyone has a doubt about a person, we don’t hire the person. We hire people who have a mindset for this kind of work. They must have a passion for wanting to help people. We have no stars. We are a team. Everyone does his or her part, and they deal with situations in their own ways. We fill the patient’s need. As an example if we get word that a doctor will be late for a surgery, we will suggest that the patient and his/her family go to a nearby coffee shop or restaurant and bring the meal tab back to us for reimbursement. We just take care of our customers.” And so they do.
So what makes these businesses special?
It sounds simple enough. Let’s all get busy and make some improvements!