Customer service plays an absolutely crucial role in allowing independent businesses to retain their current clients. This is certainly true in the optometry and eyecare sector, as customers and patients are looking for the personal touch and an optometrist that they can trust. It is essential then that you are doing everything you can to provide the customer service that your clients deserve.
Existing clients are vital to hold on to, given that it is much harder to gain new customers. Here we take a look at the some of the ways that your business can utilise great customer service to retain your clients.
Get feedback on your performance
Want to know what customers love about your customer service (and what they hate)? Ask them! There is no better way to gauge the job you are doing with your customer service than by getting feedback from those people who you count as customers.
It is important to regularly get feedback from your customers – and to do so in a number of different ways. Collecting information face-to-face is important, but some customers may not be willing to give their true opinions. Allow them to fill in an anonymous questionnaire and you might get more honest answers.
Treat customers like people
Don’t treat your clients simply as a task; this might seem obvious – but it is a trap that some businesses fall into. When you come to speak to customers, remember that they are real people, not just something that you need to tick off to move on to the next person.
When you talk to a customer, treat them as someone who deserves your time. When a client feels like they are valued by your business they are much more likely to stick with you long-term.
Make things as simple as possible
Remember that what customers really want from your business is for it to benefit them. And one of the best ways to do this is to ensure that your eyecare practice keeps things very simple. Don’t overcomplicate your service or confuse customers with what you are offering.
Exceed your customers’ expectations
The holy grail of customer experience is when you provide a service that is so good that clients will actively tell their friends about you, and how good you are at what you do. If you want to do this you are going to need to exceed their expectations. There is no cookie-cutter way to manage this – and certainly it will involve ensuring that every member of your team is dedicated to providing exceptional service.
If you are interested in learning more about you what you can be doing to retain your current clients, get in contact with us at Optical Success Academy. We have years of experience working with independent optometrists and can provide practical advice and guidance to help take your business forward.