Last month, I needed to upgrade my mobile, so I headed into town to get some advice. My first stop was the closest phone shop to the car park.
It looked a bit rough around the edges. The paint on the walls was peeling a bit, and there was a faint and not entirely pleasant smell.
I was greeted with a smile from a very friendly but slightly scruffy-looking assistant who happily (and very easily) answered all my questions.
He understood exactly what I needed and gave me a recommendation.
Was I decided? Maybe. I thought I’d check one more shop before reaching a decision.
As I wandered into the second shop, I noticed that this one was modern. It smelt fresh and clean. The lighting was lovely, and there was some gentle music playing in the background. I waited to speak with the assistant, who had clearly taken great care to look smart and presentable. They hesitated a bit when handling my questions, but eventually, I walked away with their recommendation.
Whose recommendation did I take?
The rational answer would be to listen to the first shop assistant; after all, they clearly knew their apples from their androids. They were definitely more knowledgeable.
But like most people, I didn’t make the rational choice...
The halo effect
The halo effect is a cognitive bias which means that positive impressions about one aspect of an experience can have a profound impact, causing us to create positive judgements about other (unrelated) parts of the experience. Even when the evidence doesn't support those judgements.
The horn effect
The opposite is also true, where negative impressions of one aspect cause negative judgements to be made about other unrelated things.
The subconscious drivers of my decision
So, although the first assistant was much more knowledgeable, the fact that he looked scruffy and the shop looked (and smelt) a bit grotty likely led me to subconsciously discount his recommendation.
On the other hand, the second shop was smart and modern, and the assistant looked professional. As a result, despite being less knowledgeable, I was likely to view his recommendation much more positively.
So, what does this mean for veterinary businesses?
If we want clients to be guided by our professional advice, then we need to make sure they form positive impressions, so their instinct is telling them to trust and believe us.
Try this:
- Walk through each step of your clients’ journey and view things through their eyes.
- What do you see (or smell!) that would create good feelings and enhance their perceptions of your services? Keep (or enhance) these things.
- What do you see that could be negatively (and unfairly) affecting your clients’ perceptions of your services? Address these things.
- How does their experience compare to the service level they're used to from other industries? How could it be improved?
Visit our CX and Marketing Communications page to find out how we can help you harness behavioural science to create an incredible client experience.
