interact with your customer | Shep Hyken

Customer Service Experience

You do the same thing, over and over each day. Work is a routine. You may even be bored. So how do you stay motivated to be nice to your customers? Before we answer that question, let me share an example with you to set up the lesson. I have a friend who is a very successful orthopedic doctor. He has a reputation for being really good at what he does, which includes both his ability as a surgeon and his bedside manner. One morning we were playing golf and with a couple of holes to go I asked what he was doing the rest of the day. He said he had a hip-replacement surgery to perform in about an hour. I asked him if he needed to leave right away. He said he was in no rush. The hospital was nearby and as long as he was there a few minutes early, he’d have plenty of time to prep for the surgery. I asked if he needed to get psyched up for the operation to get his “head in the game.” He casually said, “No,” and proceeded to take his shot. I was surprised that he didn’t need to spend time mentally preparing. Whenever I do a speech, which I assume is much easier to do than a hip replacement, I need some time to focus. How could he not need time to mentally prepare? As my doctor buddy walked away, another member of our golf group came up to me and said,

“He does this all of the time. It’s like carpentry. For him, it’s as easy as a skilled carpenter hanging a door.”

Carpentry? That’s what hip surgery is? As easy as hanging a door? I don’t think so. But, the point is that it is mechanical. The doc does three to five surgeries a day, four days a week. That’s at least 12 surgeries, if not more, each week, and if he does that at least 40 weeks throughout the year, he is doing at least 500 surgeries a year – for the last thirty years. That means he has done at least 15,000 surgeries. I’m guessing by now he’s finally got it down. Okay, I get it. So, on the last hole, I asked him if he ever gets bored doing his “carpentry” work. He laughed and said, “All the surgeries are pretty much the same, with the exception of the occasional problem. But, what’s not the same are the patients. Each of them is different. They are all people and need to be treated as if they are the only patient I have.” And, there you go! He gets it. That’s why his reputation is stellar. That’s why other doctors refer their patients to him. He’s a good surgeon – and a good person. Isn’t that what you want from the people you do business with? You want them to be good at what they do, sell a product that does what it’s supposed to do, and give you the customer service experience you rightly deserve. And conversely, that is exactly what your customers want from you. So, no matter how long you’ve been doing what you do, no matter how many times you’ve done it, no matter if you are bored by it or still get excited about it, each time you interact with your customer, it’s your opportunity to make your customers feel special… as if they are your only (and most important) customer.

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.

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