customer service and the importance of that first impression

Just a quick story about my most recent customer service experience, something which has been at the forefront of our minds in Blueapple over the past 2-3 weeks.

I am off this week to spend time with the family although this has been curtailed by chicken pox (not me), computers blowing up and my inability to switch off. So having the idea to just run away for 36 hours we decided to head to Belfast with the kids and last night I phoned around some of Belfasts ‘nicer’ hotels as the current deals are very good. To cut a long story short I spoke with 3 idiots in 3 top hotels who all had that awful ‘cant do it’ attitude when informed we were a family of 4. One guy put me on hold without telling me for 5 minutes only to pop back on the phone to say he couldn’t help and he would transfer me to ‘Rachel’ who must have left her personality at home that night. I had great pleasure telling her that no matter what they had to offer I would not be coming. We were about to give up when we tried the Radisson in the ‘Gasworks’, from the start of the telephone conversation it was obvious I was speaking to a chap who was in the ‘leave that with me, I will sort it’ box. The conversation was a delight to be honest and he was so good I was soon upgrading without knowing it. Our welcome tonight was great and the room clean, spacious and well equipped.

The experience has really brought home to me again that in any business your ‘front desk’ team are so vital in creating the right initial experience for potential clients who will be willing to purchase your service, whatever that is.

It makes me very proud that in Blueapple we have Stephanie, a young lady with a world class ability to project on a daily basis to anyone telephoning or calling into our practice that ‘right’ level of  experience which makes them want to come to see us and importantly tell their friends.

Thank-you Stephanie.

 

Orthodontics, Implants and Time

The photos above show one of my favourite ever cases over the past 5 years. It took place over 3 years and involved orthodontics by my local colleague Dr Mark McCreesh of Cassidy and McCreesh orthodontic practice, Enniskillen to realign and make room for restoration of the upper incisor teeth to what you can see now. There was a single implant placed and following 8 months in provisional crowns we achieved final restoration with 2 ‘all ceramic’ crowns.

‘The Happiness Centred Business’

Smiles All Round: ‘The Happiness Centred Business’. We have always found that in business it is crucial to maintain your enthusiasm and motivation, and through this your enjoyment in what you do. It only makes sense that when we enjoy what we do, so do the people we work with, and so too do the people we welcome through our door every day. Last weekend James and I headed off with heavy hearts at 6am on a Saturday morning, to Dublin for what turned out to be a fantastically inspirational day. On our doorstep we had 3 amazing speakers who have rejuvenated our love for what we do and who provided me with a lengthy list of Monday morning tasks. Paddi Lund, the Australian dentist with a unique dental business, spoke on building the ‘happiness centred business’. Isn’t that what it’s all about? What could be better than running a business where everyone gets what they need and are happy about it – owners, the team, clients – perfect! All Black rugby player Sean Fitzpatrick spoke about success and what is required to be the best. He reminded me that there are no limits except those you place on yourself; that you have got to aim for the number one slot, never stop being self- critical and always believe that you’re no. 2 if you really want to be the best. (He also did the Haka – I prayed all the way through his presentation that he would!) So lessons learned: Enjoy what you do, make sure everyone involved enjoys it too, and be the best that you can be. At Blueapple we love making people smile with confidence. I still find it exciting to see someone move through the transformation process. And I am still surprised that so many people underestimate the life change having a confident smile can make. When I had my smile enhanced it was without doubt a changing point in my life, being able to greet people with a grin had so many benefits I wouldn’t have imagined. And ‘no’, this isn’t an exaggeration! So isn’t dentistry one of the best businesses in the world? We can help people become happier, by improving their smile confidence and treating them well, and in return we get to do a job which makes us happier if we do it the best we can. Sonya p.s. The Blueapple Haka arrived on Monday!!!