Top service, not top show …

Posted by Ian and Steve on Aug 10, 2011 in Hints and Tips | 0 comments

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We had been to the specialist dental surgery before when our local dentist decided that my wife’s tooth extraction was just too difficult for him so now we had two more to contend with!

The specialist unit in Colchester we were referred to had an excellent reputation.

From a marketing perspective it did not have much going for it.

It was difficult to find despite the map, and although sat nav helped to get you into the vicinity you could still search for hours.

The car park is miniscule and impossible to park in without blocking another visitor in – yet reporting instructions state that you had to park in this car park because they did not want groggy patients having to negotiate the roads and pavements.

Once inside you travelled down a poorly lit corridor where two receptionists battled with paper records (in the main) and a phone that kept on ringing.

In the waiting room the paintwork was lacklustre and the pictures on the wall of roses had seen better days.

The magazines were quite old and the chairs not the most comfortable.

But when we were welcomed and briefed on the procedure the whole experience changed.

Here we were now in the hands of professional surgeons and nurses who knew their job.

I had only been waiting for my wife for 20 minutes when a friendly gentlemen asked me to join him. I was expecting news that there had been difficulties or timings had slipped (the waiting room was filling up fast).

“Your wife is in the recovery room, perhaps you would like to keep her company? “ he said.

A nurse was sitting with her and explaining to me the next steps and giving me advice on making my wife comfortable as the anaesthetic wore off over the next few hours.

So, on the face of it, not a showcase venue.

A poor car park and a place difficult to find.

A waiting room that needed decorating to brighten it up.

But the surgeries were spotless and full of expert surgeons with the latest equipment.

It did not need to attract people in or sell anything – it just had a reputation for providing a top notch, professional referral dental service.

I prefer the branding to be that way round.

A Useful Guide to Customer Service and A Useful Guide to Personal Branding were really not necessary.