Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/142672
how's your customer service? services provide tangible they wanted last visit may not be what they would appreciate today. The same principles apply to your efforts at recruiting clients and dealing with occasional client problems. According to Best Practices LLC, "Companies that handle customer inquiries and complaints effectively and efficiently enjoy a higher level of customer retention—not just satisfaction—than their peers." benefits—a prescription, Something Extra When your clients leave a session, what do they take with them? In most businesses, a customer gets something tangible—an iPod, electricity, or a full belly. Even other courtesy, communication, comfort, punctuality, and professionalism. Take the time to set these standards down in writing. If you are comfortable with your ability to meet them, you might even share the list with your clients—but at the bare minimum, tape them to the bathroom mirror where you can review them at the beginning of each day. a shoe shine, a filling. Bodywork customers seek certain tangible benefits—relief from pain, improved range of motion, etc. But even customers with very specific goals also seek the intangible benefits of these services—a sense of balance and well-being, respite from stress, a feeling their individual selves and needs have been attended to in a caring way. Proficiency is still the foremost prerequisite to providing a good customer experience, but in a service profession built on intangibles, there is considerably more to customer service than professional ability. Practitioner Standards The most basic level of customer service is defined by your vision of your practice—what are my minimum standards for each session I provide? Because this level of customer service represents your personal ethic, it can only be defined by you, but it should include specific, tangible standards for all customer contact, including cleanliness, safety, Client Standards You know what your definition of good customer service is— now, it's time to ask your customers for their definition. While the practice of massage involves objective, scientific principles, a "good" session is not one that is simply technically proficient. Because "good" is defined by the customer, even the session itself, the most tangible part of the experience is evaluated according to unique criteria by each customer. This is why it's important to let your clients' desires guide the sessions. Ask them what they want. Listen carefully and with empathy, and then act on their requests. Don't assume you know even long-time clients' needs. What Asking clients point blank what they want is an effective tool for aligning yourself with their immediate needs and desires—but what about unconscious needs and desires? The very best sort of customer service involves not just a good knowledge of and rapport with the client, but also the judicious application of your intuitive powers. Lagniappe is a term used in the Louisiana Bayou country that means a little something extra. Familiar examples might be the foil-covered chocolate a good hotel will leave on your pillow or free knife sharpening offered by your local supermarket. Providing a little something extra means knowing your clients well enough to suggest something new. This might be a new technique, something you have been honing your skills at, or it might simply be a new lotion or oil, hot packs, following a session with a steaming towel (just like the airlines), making a client a cup of herbal tea, or sending that client off with a bottle of good mineral water. It needn't be expensive or time-consuming—the most delightful things rarely are. SPH