It was time for my semi-annual doctor’s check-up and the accompanying annual blood tests that goes with it. However, my doctor’s office switched to a different lab for doing the tests. I had to go online, find its location in my area, call to see if an appointment was necessary (thank goodness not so) and make my way to the lab for the routine blood test. New lab, new office-location, and a new set of office people (receptionists, file clerks, lab-technicians, etc.) to deal with; I was nervous…, why?
Every business office has its routine expectations and demands for receiving new clients—especially medical offices—sign-in sheets, first time entry forms required by the receptionist, including membership card id’s, and so-on and so-forth. The particular details of an office’s expectations as to steps and procedures can sometimes be a bit staggering if not befuddling to new clients.
Thus, how one is received by the office-people makes a huge difference to a client. Their attitude, posture, manner of greeting, and welcoming spirit (or lack thereof) will say a lot about the business.
I have often gone into medical offices (to continue picking on this particular business genre) where the reception is cool or indifferent if not down-right rude. Everything from being ignored for minutes on-end, from when you first walk in the door, to short, curt, and impatient answers to your questions, by an irritated receptionist who seems annoyed by the fact that you even have a question to ask.
Thus, I was greatly and pleasantly surprised when, upon entering this new blood-testing lab, I was not only greeted with a pleasant and positive spirit, I was immediately asked if this was my first visit, and upon clarifying that it was, I was promptly told what I needed to do with kind, polite, and gentle clarity. But here’s the clincher: as it turned out, my doctor’s office failed to provide me with the appropriate paper-work, the lab-test order, describing what kind of testing was required. I half expected the receptionist to say, “Sorry, you don’t have the appropriate forms. We can’t help you. Go back to your doctor’s office and get the necessary paper-work. We will help you then…, NEXT!”
That’s not what happened. I politely asked, “Can you call the doctor’s office and get what you need.” The receptionist said, “Sure I can.” She called. She was put on hold. After a few minutes, she told me, “Mr. Meneses, I called your doctor’s office. They’ve put me on hold, I’m still waiting.” She said this to reassure me that she was indeed following up on getting the necessary paper-work that I needed to get my lab test done—a reassurance I greatly welcomed as I was actually sitting in the waiting room wondering, “Will she call, will she get through, am I wasting my time waiting here?” I relaxed and was grateful for her reassurance. She did get through and they did provide her with the necessary paper-work, via fax.
Only a few short minutes later, the same receptionist called me, “Mr. Meneses, you’re next. Please follow me, please step through here and wait in this room, the lab technician will be with you shortly.” It turned out to be an overall pleasant experience—notwithstanding the needle piercing my arm to fill three tubes with my blood.
Pleasantness, being welcoming and polite and courteous, and especially being willing to assist, to fix a problem, to make it all work out in the end, that is what makes all the world of a difference. Businesses, if you want happy customers who will return again and again, train your employees to be pleasant, courteous, considerate, and helpful—no matter what the disposition of your clients may be. If you do, I have no doubt that your business, of whatever type, will shine and will thrive.
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