Unpredictable things happen all the time, and there is nothing we can do about them; it’s in their name, right? They cannot be predicted. However, a business that relies on serving people MUST have a plan B or a blueprint of what to do in case the unexpected happens.

Clients, whether longtime customers or new ones, will understand if there is some issue that’ll delay their appointment. The difference is when we let them know we are late, we can casually mention it after three hours they’ve been seated in the waiting room or before their appointment, so they can decide what to do with their time. Which one do you think they’d appreciate more? 

In today’s special edition of the show, I run a solo round to talk about what it means to be at service, what we communicate through our behavior, and how we show appreciation for their time and loyalty. I share a few recent experiences I had as a customer where I felt things could’ve been done differently and from which I extracted valuable insights on what it means to be at service.     

In addition, we explore the importance of having our clients and potential customers’ time in mind when making decisions that affect them. I also give away three simple steps to improve customer service when understaffed or overbooked. 

In this episode, you will learn:

• The loop of hiring a “warm body” and “leaving their training for later” (3:30)
• About my frustrating experience at the dentist (7:01)
• We state how much we care about our customers through our messaging (10:14)
• Being understaffed or overbooked is not an excuse for poor service (16:18)
• A business that provides a service is obliged to deliver quality service, period (21:43)
• Three simple steps to show appreciation for your customers’ time (22:54)