Retail stores and medical practices have become similar in their challenging customer service environments. While medical staff deal with ill patients, over the last year or so, retailers have been forced to manage the consumer symptoms of a “sick” economy.

If you’re on staff at a medical or dental office, your customers are more likely to be feeling extremely vulnerable, which makes them cranky. They can be confused and scared. They may have insurance that allows them to go to a different doctor, so they expect to be treated well. You have to guide them through the process of following your office’s procedures in a patient and nurturing fashion if you want them to be happy and come back.

Today’s retail customer is hypersensitive, which makes them crabby. Many feel that their jobs are at risk and their financial lives are precarious. They want to hang on to their money and if you don’t appreciate them, they’ll bolt to your competitor.  Your job? Guide them through your store’s processes in a patient and nurturing fashion if you want them to be happy and come back.

All business that have customers should have a strong interest in learning anything and everything about how to excel in customer service.

While I’m choosing to compare medical and retail environments, all business that have customers should have a strong interest in learning anything and everything about how to excel in customer service. Here are a few quick tips to share with your staff or coworkers:

Start each day (or shift) with a quick team meeting.
Spend ten minutes connecting as a group at the beginning of the day or work shift. This time should be used to get focused on serving customers at the highest possible levels. You can do that by informing everyone about any changes in the routine, giving updates on new product offerings or sales, and generating an overall positive start for the day.

When a customer needs to be directed, do it carefully and politely. Customers want to be in charge. If there are times they have to direct someone to follow a process, “give” the directions as a question. For example, if you have to close a register line, you could ask the next customer, “Would you please move over to register 9?” If you have to ask them to wait, try “Would you please wait for just a few moments, while I wrap up this transaction? I’ll be right with you.”

When things go wrong, learn from it, then shake it off.
Mistakes are the currency of learning. While they can be expensive, the lessons you and your staff learn are unforgettable and invaluable. If you’re a manager, do a “post mortem” analysis to see what can be done to avoid the recurrence of the problem. Discuss it with the involved employee and ask their input on solving it. Put a process or system in place to prevent it from happening again. Then share the learning with the entire team in a way that educates everyone.

If you are the person who made the mistake, find the lesson, then let it go. Beating yourself up when you’ve made a simple human error doesn’t change what happened. It also makes it harder to move forward with positive energy.

When things go well, celebrate! During morning huddles and staff meetings, talk about happy customer interactions and give positive feedback to reward excellent service. Employees love to be recognized when they’ve put significant effort into caring for customers. Have small staff gatherings every so often at the usual huddle time, perhaps bringing in breakfast or a snack once a month to celebrate service success.

Wrapping it up…Today’s economically challenged consumers – whether they’re retail, medical or business-to-business – are all hypersensitive. They want the most for their dollars. They’re financially, physically and/or emotionally stressed and their expectations are higher than ever. Put these ideas to work at your place of business and you and your team will be well-equipped to handle whatever comes their way.

What do you think? What new customer service practices can you put into place for 2010?

written by Lori Jo Vest, co-author of “Who’s Your Gladys? How to Turn Even the Most Difficult Customer into Your Biggest Fan”