“The first step in exceeding your customer’s expectations is to know those expectations.” – Roy H. Williams, the “Wizard of Ads”
EARLY IN MY CAREER, I learned a fundamental lesson: The importance of listening to customers. While this may sound obvious, many businesses still focus on making their customers listen to them, rather than the other way around. A phrase I often hear is, “We need to educate our patients (or customers) about (fill in the blank).” The reality, however, is that most people don’t want to be “educated,” especially when information is so easily accessible online. What customers really seek is someone willing to listen and understand their needs and preferences.
If a business fails to listen to its customers, those customers will find a competitor who will. This is exactly how Warby Parker disrupted the eyewear industry. Had the optical profession paid more attention to what consumers wanted, companies like them may not have found such a lucrative opportunity. And if you think the wave of disruption is over, think again. It’s just beginning.
Innovations, especially in artificial intelligence, will continue to reshape industries, including ours. For businesses to stay competitive, they need to connect with customers more deeply than ever before, setting aside preconceived judgments. This applies equally to corporations and private practices. Fortunately, listening to customers doesn’t require complex strategies. The real challenge lies in genuinely hearing what they are saying, both through their words and actions. Below are two practical, straightforward methods to help you understand your customers better.
Face-to-Face Conversations: Engaging directly with customers sounds simple, yet it’s often underutilized. For instance, how many optometrists make it a point to have meaningful conversations with their patients? Taking an extra 10 to 15 minutes with every third or fourth patient to ask about their experience can yield significant insights. If you see 15 patients a day, this approach allows you to connect deeply with four or five patients daily. Over six days a week, that’s about 25 to 30 customers, translating to over 1,000 customers a year. These conversations will not only reveal how to enhance the customer experience but also build trust and loyalty.When patients notice improvements based on these discussions, it strengthens their confidence in your practice and provides compelling reasons for them to refer others. Additionally, you’ll gain valuable insights into human behavior, fostering more meaningful connections with your customers.
Follow-Up Phone Calls: Another effective method is to follow up with patients after they have received their products or services. One highly successful practitioner calls each patient two weeks after they’ve picked up their prescription eyewear. To make this process manageable, he created a workflow to ensure consistency. The process begins with a lead optician calling the patient one week after the eyewear pickup to address any issues that might have arisen. If there is a problem, the optician resolves it. If not, the optician still checks in, setting the stage for the doctor’s follow-up call the next week. This allows the doctor to ask how the practice could be improved and express gratitude for the patient’s trust.
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Remarkably, even though this practitioner has shared his method with many colleagues — who all agree it’s a brilliant idea — few, if any, actually implement it. There’s a clear difference between understanding what customers want and taking the steps to act on that understanding. The real impact lies in the doing.
Building a customer-centric practice isn’t just about delivering services; it’s about creating a continuous dialogue that makes patients feel heard and valued. By investing time in direct conversations and consistent follow-ups, businesses can build stronger, more loyal relationships with their customers. In doing so, they not only meet expectations but often exceed them, which is the key to long-term success and growth.
