CHEDY KALACH, director of the Australasian College of Audiometry, and VIRGILIA READETT, a senior trainer with the Australasian College of Optical Dispensing, give some valuable tips on providing the best customer service for your patients.
Can you recall the best customer service you ever received? Did you feel like they were ticking boxes? Or did they “get” you? It probably felt effortless, like their service and product were tailored for you. That is because it was.
Adapting to the person you are serving has been at the forefront of customer service training for decades. How should we tailor our approach? What methods suit which customer? It can be trial and error. You’ll hit the mark for some – creating loyal customers but for others, it can seem a mystery. What do they want?
We’re drawn to those we have similarities or common ground with; look at your friendship circle or co-workers you click with. This can be applied to customer service in audiology and ‘mirroring’ can be the feather in a successful salesperson’s cap.
To mirror your customer and quickly and accurately profile their behavioural type, the first step is knowing how to respond to their category or “bird”. The D.O.P.E model – Dove, Owl, Peacock, Eagle – was developed by Richard Stephenson, based on the work of Dr Gary Couture and Dr William Marston.
Doves are natural diplomats; patient, sensitive, supportive and loyal, seeking a sense of belonging and wanting to feel like a supportive and caring member of groups. Logical, analytical and reserved are traits we associate with the owl. Owls look for predictability, they put logic before feelings and seek structure, facts and figures.
The peacock – charismatic, outgoing and animated – prioritises people before tasks, seeking recognition and popularity. Eagles are confident, ambitious, decisive and impatient, seeking results and looking for a challenge. Power and authority are high on their agenda.
These traits have tell-tale signs in the audiological environment. The customer who sneaks in unnoticed and waits quietly until no-one else is waiting to ask for help; classic traits of the dove.
Owls are prepared with quotes and pamphlets, a list of devices they’ve researched and a question for every aspect of the dispense.
The clinic knows when a peacock arrives. They involve family, friends, every staff member and other customers in their selection and concentrate on the process rather than result. They may not have booked an appointment but will expect to be seen that day and are the perfect walk-in as they make fast, decisive selections and usually a same day purchase.
Once you identify the type, how do you adapt to them?
Doves are high-risk as they talk with their feet and may never come back if they have adaptation issues, don’t like their hearing aids or don’t feel welcome. Let them make decisions but be pre-emptive about what to expect adapting to the device. Open the door for them to feel safe and welcome. If you win them over, they will be a customer for life.
Owls may seem time-consuming because they are. Pull out your arsenal to impress; detailed quotes and information, multiple methods to explain features and benefits, samples, digital displays or technical explanations. Jargon, if used correctly, will impress. If troubleshooting, let them see the step-by-step procedure you go through, keep a checklist or fill in an adaptation or troubleshooting report. Impress them with technical explanations and they’ll continue to come back.
Engage and assist peacocks. They want your guiding support but will confer with others; don’t feel offended if they don’t take your advice. They need to hear five other people tell them the same thing. Offer samples, make the experience hands on, pass options to try on. They thrive on interaction and enjoy having you talk them through the process. A happy peacock will be your biggest advocate.
Eagles want concise explanation. Let them witness your efficient systems. Eagles value when you go the extra mile to find suitable appointments and inform them on timeframes. If you win them over, they’ll trust you to offer them the best device and options.
The common thread is people over product; even for decisive results-driven eagles, it is people who draw them back.
Take the richardstep.com quiz to discover your “bird” and the customer type you feel most at ease serving. Your second highest score is the type you can easily access but your lowest two may take more effort to adapt to. Work as a team to let staff shine where they have the best potential to do so.
