Customer Service Lesson's From My Dental Hygienist

Ok, don't worry this won't be a detailed description of my recent visit to my dentist to get my teeth cleaned. No horrific recounting of the scraping of the molars!

During a recent visit to my dentist and while I was trying my best to relax while the hygeniest was doing her job to make up for my lack of superior flossing, thanks to her, I relized I had been missing a very salient point about customer service.

This realization came from my first hand experience for those thirty minutes. Now, she was obviously very experienced in her profession, I was confident in her ability to do the job. She also let me know what she was doing all the time. Keeping me informed of the process and pointing out any trouble spots and making recomendations. I was absorbing a lot of detail! To much detail!

Her intent was noble and she was doing a good job. But frankly, in that somewhat stessful situation, I don't want all the detail about the process. Like most of us, I want the job done and then I want out of that dental chair ASAP!

She was good but she was to involved in informing her clients. She was, in her mind being professional and helpful.

Then it hit me! Do I make the same mistake in my real estate business? Do we all over inform our clients with the minor details to the point of ad nauseam?

In an effort to do the best for our clients, to keep them "in the loop", are we over explaining the process? Very likely, yes! They want you to get the job done and they want out of that chair as fast as possible.

Don't over burden your clients with details of the process. They need to know all the important factors involved in buying and selling a home, but they don't need to feel as if the are getting their molars scraped. Keep it simple, get the job done, protect your clients and make it fun.

Communicating with Social Intensity

I went back over the last year and reviewed how I had communicated with my clients.

What I saw was a very real shift to the use of texting. For the first time, the primary means of communication was through texting, not phone calls, not email. Text messages made up at least 75% of my communication with my clients. And as a result, we communicated more often and more efficiently. It really worked for all involved.

Here, in order, are the means of communication that keep your clients more informed than ever.

Text-quick and unobtrusive.
Text a voice memo-use when a little more detail is needed. Just recently started using voice memo texting, it is great!
Phone call-only on important issues or when only a detailed discussion will do.
E-mail-a more lengthy discussion or a need to send required attachments. I would often send a text letting my client know to check their email later. When using e-mail, my expectation and need for a response would not be for a few hours or day or more. Generally, no issues of urgency.

Another great use of texting that clients respect, if I'm in a meeting or in a situation where answering a phone call would be rude, my clients get an immediate text response letting them know I saw that they called and I will respond as soon as I am out of the meeting.

They know that you know that they are there.

Do you use more text messaging in your personal and business communication? Has it made you more responsive and more efficient?