Customer Service One Minute at a Time

Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on June 10, 2009 under Communication, Customer Moments | Read the First Comment

I had to have an MRI today.  I’m struggling with back and leg pain and after months of other treatments the doctor said “I think it’s time for an MRI.”

NOT THE COFFIN THING.  I cried.  You see I have a little bit of an issue with small spaces.  Being a rather large person – tall and big boned, if you will – small spaces give me the creeps.  But I’m tired of the limited mobility and wanted some answers.  So my son took me to the doctors because they said they’d give me something to relax.

The nurse took one look and said “Hmm, we usually only give one pill but you look like you need two.”

I climbed on the table as she explained the procedure and what to expect.  Tight space, no movement, really loud jack hammer sounds.  She placed radio headphones on my ears, squeezed my shoulders and told me it would be okay.

Soon, I heard her reassuring voice in my ears through the headset.  The first test was to last for five minutes.  It was the longest five minutes I’ve ever experienced. 

“Could you count down the time for me,” I asked before the next test began. 

My nurse, Denise, was really understanding and encouraging and said all of the right things, but the one thing she missed was just how long five minutes can be.  From then on she let me know as each minute passed. 

Just four more minutes, you are doing great.

That little extra information was what I needed to finally calm down and make it through the following four tests. 

She told me afterwards that she hadn’t realized I would be able to hear her over the noise of the machine.  However, her voice and the message of how much longer I had was a life line that I strained to hear.  It was a little thing – as great customer service details are – and yet it truly was the make or break moment for me. 

Some times our customers have to go through a bunch of steps to use our products or services.  We know the process by heart and for us it doesn’t take any time at all.  But for a customer who hasn’t ever experienced working with us – they might need a little update now and then.

Sometimes just communicating that you don’t have anything new to tell can be of value.  Think of how long you wait for a car repair.  They tell you 45 minutes and round about an hour you start to wonder if they’ve forgotten you.  Giving our customers little updates along the way shows we care – we know their time is valuable and we haven’t forgotten them.

Is there a customer service moment you can offer – one small increment at a time?  Take the time to do it – it can make all the difference in the world.