Do you have a store that you would consider yourself loyal too? Your “go-to” stores? When you run your typical weekly errands, you probably have a go-to grocery store, go to dry cleaners, and a go-to pharmacy. But, why are you loyal to those places? Maybe you started to go to a particular place because of a good review, out convenience, or good prices, but if you think about what keeps you going back instead of continuing your search for “your go-to”, you will probably think of a specific instance of something good happening at that place.
It’s easy to find a viral story about how someone, somewhere, did something special to make their customers feel better when they least expected it. It took me just a quick glance at my Facebook newsfeed to find a story about a, “Pharmacist Praised For Kind Gesture After Family’s Dog Dies”. The pharmacist simply put some treats in a prescription bottle and labeled it “chew one treat, twice daily” and the dog owner’s post, praising the pharmacy was shared 244 times, and had over 1500 likes. I bet that pharmacist wasn’t expecting all the positive feedback, but that is what happens when someone takes the time to give extraordinary customer service.
A study based on 9,359 randomly chosen customers, has shown that, “the retail sector scored a 74.8 on a 100-point scale, a slide of 2.6 percent from 2014. This was the second year in a row that customer satisfaction with the retail experience dropped… satisfaction with drug stores hit a record low of 73, down five percent from 2014.”
Why is customer satisfaction declining in retail, particularly in drug stores? David VanAmburg, ACSI's managing director, believes “customers have higher expectations now. They have a little more money in their pocket to spend and they're going to be more discerning about the quality of that shopping experience." With so many retailers selling the same services and products, low prices, just aren’t cutting it anymore. VanAmburg noted, “there’s only so much you can do with price…differentiating on customer service and on the quality of the shopping experience is really what it's all about.”
I know that the pharmacy can get really busy, or there can be a customer that makes your job more difficult, but I also know that you went into this industry because you care about people.
Here are 4 easy ways to increase your customer satisfaction and make every customer that comes in to your pharmacy feel special:
- 1. Learn more about your customers, even the smallest gesture to get to know them better will make a big difference.
- 2. If you fill animal prescriptions, think about adding a treat in the bag or adding a water bowl to the front of your pharmacy.
- 3. Never turn down a service your pharmacy offers because it is inconvenient to you. That service could be the reason why they came to your store in the first place, so turning it down might mean losing their business permanently.
- 4. Let your actions do the talking and make families with children feel more welcomed. Here are 5 ways to create a kid friendly destination.
As Shep Hyken says in recent Forbes article, There’s No Traffic Jam On The Extra Mile, “Take the time to do things right. Take the time to do things better. Don’t make your customers feel like an inconvenience. Go the extra mile, where there is far less traffic, and create a better customer experience!” At the end of the day, these simple practices will help you attract and keep your customers.
