Some time ago, I was at a conference in Melbourne at the Exhibition Centre, and during the first lunch break, on day one, a group of us shot over to DFO to quickly get something to eat.
When we walked into the food court, I immediately spotted a hamburger shop. I thought, YES, it’s burgers for me, as I’m a bit of a burger lover.
Now, I’m not going to mention the name of the burger joint, which is a shame because the burger itself wasn’t too bad, but nothing else was.
Overall, it was a terrible experience.
To begin with, two guys with a frown greeted me as I reached the counter. Between the two of them, neither could muster a smile.
Once I placed my order, one guy immediately began cooking the meat patty while the other prepared the buns and associated salad and condiments.
I tried to talk with them both, but I only managed to get the occasional grunt. Meanwhile, they talked with each other in a language I could not understand.
I’m not sure what they were saying, but I was keeping a close eye on my burger preparation.
Once the burger was cooked and put together, it was wrapped in thin white paper, slapped onto the counter and pushed in my direction. There was no bag, no napkin and, of course, no “thank you, please come again”.
They never bothered to ask if I was eating in the food court or if I was going to take it away. Fortunately, I was eating it in the food court because juices from the burger were already seeping through the thin paper wrapping.
Imagine if I was walking back to my car. Where was I going to place this thing?
And to top it off, they had no EFTPOS or card facilities, so I had to pay with cash.
Memorable
It was a memorable experience, but for all the wrong reasons and even though the burger was good, the whole experience left me with a foul taste in my mouth, and it stopped me from going back there the following two days.
I still went to the DFO food court, but I ordered elsewhere. What I did notice was their burger business was quiet in comparison to other food outlets during a busy lunch period.
It’s not hard to figure out why.
The next day, I was on Trip Advisor, and I wondered if this burger business had any reviews…and they did. There were three reviews, two of which were one-star and one in Chinese.
I’m not sure what the Chinese review said, but the other two reviews said the same thing I experienced.
So, why am I telling you this story?
I’m telling you this because it’s important to learn from others' mistakes and to make sure you’re not doing them yourself.
For example:
• Are your patients being greeted in a friendly manner, as though you’re pleased to see them, regardless of the time of the day?
• Is your telephone being answered correctly? Do you have a basic script or framework to follow so the patient receives the correct information, or is everyone just making it up as they go?
• Do your team members talk with each other in front of clients and is their conversation appropriate? I have heard some shockers over the years.
• How are your products packaged?
The questions above are just scratching the surface of everyday decency and customer service.
Create Habits
As a business owner myself, I think you should create the following two habits:
1) Whenever you visit another business, if you notice something not quite right, note it down and make sure the same thing is not happening in your business.
2) When you see something good in a business, acknowledge it. Let them know you appreciate the extra effort and the friendly staff, and also make sure you’re doing this in your business.
I believe if you’re not getting thank you cards or regular compliments in your business, then you’re only meeting your customers' expectations. However, I think we should be striving to exceed their expectations.
If you have any questions about the blog post, you can email me directly at
Podiatry Business Coaching
Hi, I'm Tyson Franklin, and when it comes to one-on-one podiatry business coaching, I believe I am one of the best in the business, and most importantly, I have a proven track record to back me up.
"I was a frustrated business owner for five years until I started working with Tyson. He helped me transform my business in a matter of months, resulting in an instant increase in revenue and the ability to attract and retain top quality podiatrists. Over the past three and a half years, working with Tyson has changed my life drastically. I was able to take time off to start a family, triple my business revenue, and finally achieve work-life balance. I highly recommend Tyson to anyone who is looking for a business coach."
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