Last Word
Training TIPS
by Lindsey Aspinall

Research from Accenture, a management consulting firm, has shown that consumers feel customer service is getting worse—yet it's one of the easiest ways to keep customers coming back. This month we asked several ECPs to share how they teach their employees to provide good service.

Our approach is to treat customers the same way that we want to be taken care of when we're the consumer. We sell by having great product and knowledge, which helps customers make a better-educated decision. Problems are minimal due to our great attention to detail and our dedication to put out the best quality product.

— Jamie Berkson, managing partner, The Eye Gallery Buckhead, Atlanta

I believe it is customer service that has people coming back again and again. In today's society, customers are not willing to forgive you when something goes wrong, so it's essential to get it right the first time. This is what sets a smaller practice apart from the chains. I go to seminars about customer service and impart what I learn to my employees.

— Steven Weisfeld, OD, Spectacles, Englewood, N.J.

Because the average consumer can get eyeglasses anywhere, it's great customer service that can differentiate your practice. I teach my employees the customer is always right. I also teach them to try their best to accommodate the customers' needs. It's important to try to understand the customers' perspective.

— Dana Cohen, optician and owner, Medford Optical, Medford, Mass.

Training starts with the first interview. You can teach most skills to people, but my experience has been you can't teach personality. I try to hire someone with a nice smile and good personality. My theory has always been you should treat your patients like you want to be treated. My staff is instructed to answer the phone with a smile. And, if a patient complains, I want to know about it so the problem can be rectified.

— Neil Boderman, OD, FAAO, Allentown, Pa.

[ stats on service ]

In a recent Accenture survey, researchers found that good service is essential to retain customers. Here are some of the results:

■ 46 percent of respondents have stopped doing business with a company because of poor customer service.

■ Women were more likely to ask to speak with a supervisor after poor customer service than men.

■ 72 percent of respondents said being kept on hold too long frustrated them most, followed by having to repeat information to multiple people.