On a warm, bright summer evening, my husband and I headed out for a special celebration. We’d chosen a restaurant we’d heard was special, and we were excited to try it out.
We weren’t disappointed.
The food was amazing, the ambiance just perfect, but the thing I’ve told all my friends about?
The service.
I’ve never experienced anything like it before or since. It was like the team was inside my head, anticipating my wants and questions before I’d even thought of them myself.
That evening was several years ago, but I can still relive it vividly today. I’ll likely remember the special details for my whole life.
Since that time, I’ve reflected and dissected the experience many times. What was it that made it such a great experience?
It ultimately boils down to one thing:
The restaurant created a feeling that the world revolved around us.
We were at the centre of everything. It was true customer-focused service.
Customer-centricity: more than a buzzword
Customer-centricity. Well, there’s a business buzz-term if ever we heard one! But everyone’s already doing it, aren’t they?
Are they?
True customer-centricity (or in the veterinary world – client-centricity) means looking beyond the things clients might say they want or need and delving into the things they can’t put into words.
The reality is that we assess our experiences, make decisions, and decide how to behave based largely (there's an argument to say almost exclusively) on instinctive feelings.
Things like a smile to greet them, short waiting times (or at least transparent, regular communication about waiting times), and clear communications are all obvious ways to improve the client experience.
But exploring what makes clients feel subconsciously and instinctively that their experience has been great - the things that they can’t put their finger on – those are the things that raise your service to the next level.
How do we achieve true client-centricity?
The specifics will vary depending on who your clients are and which part of their journey you’re focusing on.
As a general principle, it starts with experiencing things from their perspective. We need to reflect on their emotional state when the experience happens (including their hopes and fears) as well as the feeling we’d ideally like to create.
Then we can tap into behavioural science to understand how we can lay out information, craft language, and create an experience that taps into the subconscious drivers of those instinctive feelings.
Behavioural science provides the ingredients for an incredible client experience.
Visit our CX and Marketing Communications page to find out how we can help you harness behavioural science to create an incredible client experience.
