Arriving at York Station a few weeks ago, I was interested to see a large group of over 50’s embarking on a lunch and sightseeing tour in ancient but beautifully kitted out rolling stock.
A silver-service lunch, enjoyed as they trundle through the beautiful Yorkshire countryside.
A reminder that people are always ready to pay a premium for an “experience”.
These travellers didn’t want to get anywhere – they just want to reminisce about “the good old days” of steam travel.
Equally, I find talking to many of our prospective customers that they want to reminisce about the perceived good old days of personal service and attention to detail.
It isn’t that difficult to bring those qualities into your patient experience but the benefits can be enormous.
A little touch of old fashioned service can positively differentiate you in this digital age of rush and sound bite.
The lesson here is to take some time out with your team on a regular basis, review your patient experience from initial enquiry through to treatment delivery and long-term care – and then ask whether you are doing anything so remark-able as to be mentioned.
Word of mouth isn’t what happens when a patient tells a friend that you have had a new OPG installed or completed another post-graduate course. It is what happens when a patient tells a friend that you and your team looked after them like royalty.
There are plenty of people out there who are happy to pay a little extra for the little extras.