4 Steps to Conquer Customer Service in Your Pharmacy

Gaining and keeping customers is a crucial part of your business. Your customer service must be second to none!

We know that you’re busy … you’re a pharmacist, business owner, supervisor, manager, husband/wife, mom/dad, brother/sister, motivator, leader, entrepreneur, accountant … and you have to be a customer service guru, too!

Today’s lesson from Bob Farrell will give you one more avenue to become a superior customer service expert. Bob’s customer service mantra Give ‘em the Pickle! was born when he received a letter from a loyal customer vowing to never return to his ice cream parlor, because the waitress wouldn’t give him an extra pickle without a charge.

Can you imagine losing a loyal customer over a pickle? It may seem silly, but it happens to businesses every day! Giving away ‘pickles’ is a way for any company to keep their customers happy, exceeding customer expectations and differentiating the pharmacy from its competitors. The cost of a few extra pickles is far less than the cost of lost customers and lost business.

So what are pickles, anyway? We’re not talking about dill pickles, sweet gherkins or bread and butter pickles. ‘Pickles’ are those extra, special things that keep customers coming back.

• A handwritten thank you note with every order shipped
• Walking the customer to the item they’re looking for instead of just pointing them in the right direction
• Calling the customer by name
• Answering the phone with a smile

Every extra effort counts. If it makes the customer feel good about themselves and their experience with your store – then it’s a pickle. The trick is to figure out what your customers want and make sure they get it.

Remember, pickles = raving, happy customers = better business!

Let’s go over 4 key principles for exemplary customer service in your pharmacy:

1. Service: Make serving others your number-one priority. Great customer service happens when you exceed customers’ expectations by adding your special touch and by having the courage to make things right. (Give em’ the pickle!)
2. Attitude: Choose your attitude. How you think about the customer is how you will treat them. A shining attitude is contagious around customers and shows in the quality of your work.
3. Consistency: Customers return because they liked what happened last time. Set high service standards and live them every day. Add your special touch and exceed their expectations.
4. Teamwork: Commit to teamwork. Look for ways to make each other look good. In the end, every action by you and your staff will become visible in your business and to your clients, whether you work at the counter or behind the scenes.

So, what’s your pickle? 

• If your pickle doesn’t immediately come to mind, you need to develop one.
• Even if it does, we can help you identify additional pickles and get your staff excited and on board with your customer service philosophy.

Great customer service is incredibly important. If you are anything like most pharmacy staff and pharmacy owners, you can probably use some help and encouragement in this area.

Our eight-week, webinar-based workshop The Lost Art of Business Etiquette will help pharmacy employees identify and employ the lost art of social etiquette through increased awareness of business communication and body language. Learn more about all the programs Pharmacy Development Services offers our members.