Pamper Your Competitors Customers

The whole purpose of customer service is about:

• Bringing customers back
• Sending them away happy enough to pass along positive feedback about your business to others.
• Forming a relationship with customers

A few days ago I took Juanga to his Veterinarian to get his yearly dose of shots and I was surprised at how the receptionist handled a visitor who was lost. Next to Juanga’s Veterinarian office their is another veterinarian office less than a block away. The person had arrived at the wrong veterinarian and was asking if she was at the right place. As soon as the receptionist saw that the visitor was at the wrong office she immediately took a nasty attitude and straighly told her that was not the place. Instead of being helpful and helping the lost visitor out she decided to act childish just because the person was a customer/patient of another office.

Missed Opportunity

If I would have been the receptionist I would have  done the following

Given directions to the person on how to get to my competitor. This would have a created a pleasant interaction you never know if that person ever ends up not being satisfied by their competitor and will return to the place where she got treated in a nice way .

Once given the directions ask the person if she could still be of any help.Clearly the person did not have a relationship with the other veterinarian by offering to help the person might have stayed at that office creating a another client/patient.

Given her a brochure or a business card detailing the services and letting her know that if the other Veterinarian did not cover those services she was more than welcome to come visit them.

Service with a smile. Just as @zappos teaches their customer service representatives to provide 3 options from a competitor if they don’t have the product this person should have at least provided a smile (Sometimes that makes a difference).

Have you ever been in a similar situation?

If you are given service with a smile and helped by the competitor of your supplier or vendor would it probably make them a candidate for future purchases?

How would you have reacted if you where in the Receptionist’s place?