I Want To SEE Clearly Now (Part 2)

I CAN see clearly now!!

In Part 1 of this saga, I used my recent experience with a local optometrist to outline five tips for good customer service. To sum them up again:

1. Follow up with the customer when there is a problem – unforeseen or NOT
2. When the customer is unhappy about one thing, and something else unforeseen goes wrong, do something, anything to make them feel better. In the post I suggested a gift card, even a hand written paper note would be nice
3. Don’t tell the customer it is their fault when the product is not right
4. Assure the customer the problem will be fixed
5. Refer the customer elsewhere if you can’t provide the service

When I left off in Part 1, I had just left the office of the optometrist, still without a pair of glasses with a good prescription. That was mid April, and at the end of April I visited a different optometrist office. I had many problems with the 2nd office as well, but how they handled the problems is what impressed me. You’ll note throughout this post where I refer to Lesson #’s from above.

At my first appointment, I detailed the problems I’d had with the previous optometrist. The new Dr. understood the importance of Lesson #3 and #4, and assured me the problem a, was not my fault and b, that they would be able to get my Rx correct.

Two weeks later I arrived to receive my new glasses, and again they were not correct. They scheduled me to meet with the Dr. again at the end of the week. When I arrived, the Dr. met me in the lobby, informing me she had tried telephoning to let me know that I didn’t need to come in (Lesson #1). (She left the voicemail on my home phone – I was at work) That morning she looked at the Rx that had been sent to the lab, and noticed that an O had been transcribed as a D, which was completely wrong. She had already ordered new lenses and had tried to notify me not to come in.

So she had understood Lesson 1 – there was a problem and she tried to follow up with the customer. In effort to cut the long story short – I do finally have glasses I can see out of, but it took another two months for the office to get the Rx right. But you know what? They kept trying, they kept in communication with me as to what they were doing, and they never made me feel to blame.

When after the first pair was the wrong Rx, the 2nd pair wasn’t right either. They provided me with a gift card for my inconvenience. (Lesson 2 – something else went wrong, give the customer something. After the 4th pair came back, still not correct (I have skipped details to pair #3) … they offered me a free pair of lenses, all I have to do is buy the frames. Before having me come in a 6th time (skipping details of 5), they called their lab that makes the lenses and worked with the lab manager to figure out what was going wrong, why the Rx wasn’t right time and time again. They followed Lesson #5 … yet rather then refer me out and have me start all over, they took the inititive and they got the expert involved. And ya know what? They figured out the problem and

I can see clearly now!!!!

Bottom line, after 3 months of dealing with the office, visiting them nearly every 2 weeks to try on yet another pair of glasses, the office provided excellent customer service.

1. They followed up with me when there was a problem
2. When something else unforeseen went wrong, they did something for me
3. They didn’t tell or even imply that it was my fault when the Rx was not right
4. They assured me the problem would be fixed
5. Rather than refer me elsewhere when they couldn’t solve the problem, they brought in an expert

We have a happy ending to the saga. In celebration – I had Ed dig up this humorous YouTube song: