Category: service

I was in a hospital gift shop where the two volunteer clerks were engrossed in conversation about the sparseness of the vending machine outside the store. “We should be in charge of that,” said one. “It’s terrible that there is nothing for visitors to eat when the cafeteria is closed,” said another.

They were both right: the vending machine had a meager selection of non-nutritious offerings, and if it were to be the source of your only “meal,” it would be seriously lacking. But in their attempt to provide better service to the hypothetical customers, they completely ignored the one in-person customer they had. Moreover, the conversation did not include any hint of action steps, and I got the sense that they were complaining, rather than improving.

Think about your response the last time something irked you. It’s easy to post a grievance on social media, complain to a confidante, or curse to yourself, but taking steps to resolve it takes some work. Your response may be as simple as using a city’s portal to report a need or sending an email to someone who can address the issue, or it could be more involved, such as preparing a proposal for the action you recommend. But the key is to do something to make things better, rather than just grumble about it.

I have been engaged with two veterinary practices while I deal with a torn “ACL” in my dog Emma. Both could have done the surgery that was ultimately required, and I believe both would have done it well, but it was an easy choice to pick one vet over the other simply because of their communication practices.

At one place, Emma would go in for therapy, I would pick her up, and not much more was said. They didn’t share the plan, benchmarks, or progress; instead, they counted on me to trust that they were doing the right things. At the hospital that did the surgery, I received a packet of information and a meeting with the doctor to discuss options before I even booked the operation, and then throughout, I received regular texts, “Emma is going into surgery,” “Emma got through surgery well and is in recovery,” etc. I met with the doctor when I dropped her off and had an extensive review and “saw pictures of Emma’s new hardware” (i.e., x-rays of the pins and plates in her knee) when I picked her up. The same communication occurred when my other dog was spayed, including a weekend call from the doctor to check on her. As a nervous “Dog Mom,” the communication was comforting.

Remember that you are always delivering more than the product or service itself. The communication surrounding it goes a long way toward determining how people feel about what they received.