How do you attract more customers to your lab and become successful financially? Easy! Look at all your points of contact with your customers and work out how “the face of your business” can be improved.
Who are the “faces of your business?” Obviously there is the receptionist who is both the face and the voice of the business when answering the phone and greeting all who walk in your front door. Then there are the individual technicians who sometimes take phone calls and directions from the customers. I bet you also have a customer complaint department …quite often this is you – the owner.
Here is another one: Did you realize that your courier when delivering the case or finished product to the customer can make or break your business too? How well dressed and groomed are they? Are their manners impeccable? Have they a good sense of humour? Do they arrive on time? This position is often overlooked and should not be.
And last but not least, did you as the owner of the business realize that you are THE most important face of all? You are most often the one who brings in the new business. How well groomed, well mannered, prompt, interested and diplomatic you are will influence the number of new customers you attract into your business … and KEEP. Healthcare professionals are not impressed by scruffiness, bad-manners, or lateness.
Once you have acquired a new customer, the next point of contact with your business is often your receptionist. Not only are your front desk staff ambassadors of your lab in terms of meeting and greeting and being helpful to one and all who come in the door, they are also the face and voice of the business when people phone in.
Most staff you hire are well-meaning and want to “do good” for your business. Hiring someone with experience is often beneficial but keep in mind, it could be “bad” experience and you will usually need to do some training to bring them to the standards and needs for YOUR business.
Sometimes your staff gets pulled in several directions at once and they don’t know how to best handle it and can get snarly … which you definitely don’t want the face of your practice to do. Work with them on what to do in situations like that, or what to do if a customer is rude and upsetting to them.
Your front desk staff have everything to do with the success of your practice and just need some training and guidance. They must develop diplomacy and friendliness, enthusiasm for your results, a caring attitude, be welcoming, and so on.
Similarly, any technical staff dealing directly with the customers must develop a strong sense of friendliness and diplomacy in the face of sometimes irate or rude customers. Good communication skills are extremely important. This also applies in spades to your customer complaint department.
And last, but not least, all faces of the lab must have an interest in the business and its success or failure. If it is doing really well, a bonus system is easy to factor in, and the staff have a great deal of control over how well your lab is doing.
The faces of your business are very important to you as the business owner. Help them and take care of THEM and they will take care of YOU and bring success to you and your lab!
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