When considering customer service, it is easy to think about more obvious areas that may impact a patient’s perception of your business. There are, however, many areas that can be overlooked that will be considered important by patients. In this month’s Business Bites we will consider a few examples.
Ways we communicate and connect
This is not just about what is said in the practice. The connections you have with customers start much earlier and will include areas such as social media pages, your websites, and interactions with your business by email or phone. Communication is more important than ever with customers desiring more information and being willing to search for it. We see the desire for information in other areas too, such as wearable technology that may monitor health, apps that will deliver information or allow the purchase of goods, loyalty schemes where customers can see their purchase history and any rewards earned (and used). Do your website and social media pages offer the levels of information that your patients are looking for?
Convenience is valued more and more
How are you able to offer the convenience and flexibility that your patients desire? This may again be fulfilled by allowing customers to use your website or social media pages to start their encounter with you before they even visit or call. Online catalogues, information on services offered, special offers and extended services are all items that will help to enhance your service levels for customers and customer satisfaction. Being able to interact with your business out-of-hours could be a huge win for patients.
Disruptors and disruptive technology
What is perceived as disruptive by one person may be another’s ideal solution to an issue. There are more and more suppliers of products online, be those glasses or contact lenses. It is most likely that convenience has driven customers to use the online route and not price. What ways could you also be a disruptor and offer a package that cannot be replicated elsewhere? Should the package you offer be more geared to service that needs the human connection that many customers desire and value? Disruptive technology is just the technology that we will take for granted in one or two years’ time and then treat as the norm. Just think back to times not so long ago where retinal photography and optical coherence technology were new and cutting edge. Are you keeping on top of technology? Do your patients expect you to have and use the technology that they may see advertised elsewhere?
Personalisation
When thinking of personalisation, it is possible to consider different ways of delivering this and different parts of the supply process that can fulfil it. Personalisation may be in the form of a completely bespoke frame, made to measure and completed to the customer specifications. It may be in the progressive lenses that are dispensed to the patient. It may be in the multiple pairs that you dispense – be that for fashion needs, hobbies and/or occupations. Personalisation will take place during the in-practice encounters with the team. Treating each patient as an individual will deliver a level of personalisation. At collection, the advice on care and use of glasses will be personalised based around the patient’s needs and how the glasses fulfil those. You can of course recommend care products to enhance the products already purchased. A choice of glasses case may fulfil a personalisation requirement.
A more polarised patient base
The pandemic has widened the gulf between those individuals who accumulated wealth and enjoy high levels of disposable income, and those who are struggling to make ends meet. Inflation is rising, and prices have been going up especially in core commodities such as energy and groceries. The Bank of England recently raised interest rates for the first time since August 2018. Patients now more than ever may be looking for something different from their previous purchases. It may be that they are now more budget conscious, and willing to spend more than on previous visits. Can you accommodate the new needs? And will your team be equipped to establish these new needs?
Purpose and ESG
ESG stands for environmental, social, and governance. Jo Causon, CEO of the Institute of Customer Service, states: “We have seen a huge growth in the importance of inter-related areas such as purpose, values and ESG. The experiences endured by individuals, communities, and organisations in 2021 make organisational purpose especially compelling. Refocusing and restating purpose can be a powerful way of engaging both customers and employees. While in the wake of COP26, and with consciousness of the critical importance of sustainability and low carbon growing across the board, a strong, meaningful, and measurable approach to climate and wider ESG issues has become an imperative. Communicating and, more importantly, acting around these issues will be critical to engagement and loyalty amongst whole swathes of the customer base during 2022.”1
One size doesn’t fit all
We have been hearing for some years about the ageing population and how this will change healthcare needs. A worrying aspect alongside this is the result of research2 by the Institute of Customer Service, which shows that: “1.3 million people in the UK over 65 have experienced bad customer service, or been treated badly, purely because of their age”. The survey found that of those who had been treated badly, the most common experiences were:
• being patronised (57 per cent of respondents)
• not being taken seriously (47 per cent)
• being overlooked or ignored (46 per cent)
Interestingly it found that only half (47 per cent) of over 65s who had been treated badly said they had lodged a complaint, but three quarters (76 per cent) had told friends and family about their experience.
When considering your offering, does it take into account the different needs of this age demographic? There is a saying, ‘Treat others as you’d like to be treated yourself’. This is wrong. Instead, treat others as they wish to be treated.
Customer satisfaction will be projected as trust in you and enhance your reputation. Fulfilling patient needs will not be static; there is a need to stay abreast of requirements to meet and exceed them
References
1. Causon J. Stay focused on the service essentials in 2022. The Institute of Customer Service.
2. The Institute of Customer Service. Press Release, More than a million over 65s have experienced bad customer service because of their age. December 2020.