Your Personal Promise to Your Customers

Not long ago I wrote about Dr. Neil Baum’s Win-Wynn story. A few people went to his website and read his promise to his patients that he appropriately calls “My Personal Promise to You.” The feedback and comments about this promise were excellent, so I thought it was worth sharing with everyone. By the way, at the end of this article, I’ve shared a very important call-to-action for you. Be sure to read the entire article – or at least the last paragraph.

For those that didn’t read the article or watch the video, Dr. Neil Baum is a world-renowned urologist. He not only prides himself on being an excellent doctor, but he also prides himself on delivering a great patient experience. I’m sharing his personal promise, and as you go through this list, keep in mind three things. First, this is a promise about the experience you’ll get when visiting his office, which is all about customer service. Second, notice how he’s working convenience into the promise, like how he arranges for prescriptions to be waiting for you when you arrive at the pharmacy. Third, he obviously cares. How many doctors give you an email address and promise to respond the same day?

Now, here is Neil Baum’s Personal Promise:

1. We will answer the phone in less than 3 rings … most of the time.
2. A human, not an answering machine, will speak with you and make your appointment or take your question.
3. We can usually make an appointment to see you on the same day that you call or the very next day.
4. If you call for the doctor or one of the patient assistants, we will call you back the same day and we tell you about what time that call will take place.
5. We use an electronic medical record and we will send your prescription to the pharmacy so that the medication will be ready when you arrive at the pharmacy. (This does not apply to the sleeping medication or pain pills, as the law does not permit the electronic transfer of these prescriptions.)
6. We will send a letter to your primary care doctor or your referring physician while you are still in the exam room listing your diagnosis, the medications that I have prescribed, and the treatment plan that I have outlined for you. Now, if you need to contact your physician, they will be knowledgeable about what took place during your visit to my office.
7. We will provide you with educational material on your condition. Most of the articles that I will give you have been written by me and are also available on my website.
8. You can communicate with me or one of my staff via e-mail and I will answer you, usually within the same day. Please don’t use my email for emergencies or urgencies. For those situations, please call my office and I will call you immediately.
9. We have a very energetic, enthusiastic, and smiling staff who will help exceed your expectations regarding your visit to our office.
10. We will make your visit almost “magical.”

Here is your assignment. Look at this list and answer the question, “If I were his patient, what would I like about this?” The question becomes important when you ask the follow-up, “What can I take from this promise and apply to the way I treat my customers?” Maybe it’s time for you to write your company’s version of Dr. Neil Baum’s Personal Promise.

Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.