Customer Service Secrets – Attentive but not Intrusive

Dr. Nicolas Porter
Founder Risas Dental and Braces

By: Dr. Nicolas Porter 

In the summer of 2010 I took a golf trip with some friends to Lake Tahoe, California. If you’ve never been there, you should make it a goal in your life to get there – especially during the summertime when the weather is as perfect as it gets.

I distinctly recall being on the putting green of hole number 7 when I looked at my friend, Brad, and said, “Do you know what the perfect temperature is?” He quipped, “Certainly not the blazing heat of Phoenix!” I responded, “Of course not! The perfect temperature is when you can neither sense hot nor cold. The kind of weather where you make attempts to feel a flash of warm or cold air, but you just cannot sense anything.”

“What a random thought,” Brad remarked. He then asked, “But I’m sure you have some sort of business analogy to go along with this thought. Am I right?”

Those that know me know that my brain is constantly running at full speed. And, in this case, Brad was right.

You see, many people wonder about the perfect customer service atmosphere that you should create for your business. Like the perfect weather, the perfect customer service atmosphere is one that leaves the consumer feeling that their experience in your business was seamless and easy, delicate and peaceful. The perfect customer service experience, like the perfect weather, is rare and requires such attention to detail that very few companies are able to pull it off.

While in Italy this past May, I stayed in a small hotel that was a former monastery. With only 20 rooms and a max capacity of 40 people, this place boasted of its superior customer service with a staff to guest ratio of 1:1.

Now, many places with this high staff ratio can be too “in your face.” Many times, we frequent retail establishments who overwhelm us with offers to be of assistance or attempts to sell us on something that we do not want. It is like sensing the heat and, as you start to sweat, you can only overcome the pouring of sweat by balancing the heat with the cold. This starts a chain reaction of a customer sensing ups and downs in their experience.

However, this monastery had unbelievable discipline. It was during this stay that I developed what I now teach to our Risas family – that is, we must be attentive, but not intrusive in our interactions with our patients. In customer service terms, this is the perfect weather. You must be able to sense when your customer needs assistance and be there (attentive) yet understand that there is a level that we can reach in trying to help that becomes too intrusive and pushes our beloved clients away from us.

I have a joke each time I visit the mall and walk in to a clothing store. That is, “as soon as the salesperson comes over and asks me to start trying on things I don’t want, I find my way towards the exit as soon as possible.”

Now, I realize this isn’t always the case. Many people mean well and are truly trying to be of service because that’s what they’ve been hired and trained to do.

During my stay at the monastery, I was absolutely impacted by how quiet the staff remained yet as soon as I lifted up my head as though I needed something, someone was there to assist me. It was almost as if they had some device attached to my brain that alerted them that I was in need. They allowed me to remain in peace and quiet yet were there in the blink of an eye when I needed something.

Many of us have experienced both sides of this kind of service. Unfortunately, businesses are becoming less and less enamored with creating this kind of culture. In Risas, though we are not perfect, we try to be as helpful as possible without offending or intruding in your life and business. We realize you are in a place where you have to pay a lot of money for something that hurts!

Next time you’re in a store, pay attention to the culture and atmosphere. You will sense the perfect weather and how much more likely you are to frequent that establishment. We are naturally drawn to places that make us feel this way – whether we know it or not.

Until next week, be attentive, but not intrusive in your life and business. You will create more fans than you could ever imagine.

As always, keep your chin up!

This article is a feature from the series, “From the Mouth of Dr. Nicolas.” You can listen to “El Show del Dr. Nicolas” every Wednesday from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. on 1190AM. Visit the official website at www.DrNicolasShow.com

If you have any questions regarding this topic, and would like to make an appointment for a free consultation, visit RisasDental.com, or follow Dr. Nicolas on Twiiter @DrNicolasShow or “LIKE” his page on Facebook at Facebook.com/DrNicolasShow

Visita la columna del Dr. Nicolas  en el Periodico Prensa Hispana cada semana!