Customer service is an essential part of a homeopathy practice, no matter how many people we have to look after.
Each of our clients requires our attention and, as our practice grows, so does the time we need to spend.
Exceptional service is a must for a small service-based businesses like homeopathy as it is one of the ways we bring value for our clients.
When our clients love what we do, we get the benefit of the best marketing tool: word of mouth.
Customer Service: Some Insights From Clients
Most of my clients are new to homeopathy, but not everyone; sometimes they’ve had treatment before and I hear complaints such as:
“My previous homeopath didn’t tell me what remedies I was taking or explain what I was taking, so I didn’t understand how my treatment was working.”
“The previous homeopath I worked with told me off.”
“My previous homeopath was only available during certain hours and I didn’t know what to do when my child was sick.”
Before I was a homeopath I worked as a teacher and as a telephone counsellor with The Breastfeeding Network.
As a teacher I learned a lot about how to set clear boundaries but also how to adapt them for individual children and families. As a breastfeeding counsellor, I learned about empathy, and most importantly; the difference between offering information and advice.
As a homeopath I decided that I wasn’t going to try to be the cheapest or rely solely on my technical skills.
Instead I aim to offer value through warmth, empathy and great communication.
I’ve worked with many practitioners of different services myself and I know this is what I look for as a client:
- Friendliness and optimism
- Consistency and reliability
- Listening and understanding
- Clarity and ease
That is why these are my core values.
How To Create Solid Customer Service
Think about your clients for a moment.
Often if you run your own business, you are having to cover all aspects of it yourself, so you might not have a chance to pay attention to patterns of questions or queries from your clients.
If you keep track of issues or queries that come up, frequently asked questions, things that people need or problems they want solving, you can start to see where to adjust what you’re offering so that you provide a better service.
- Do you need to explain something better?
- Can you simplify or change something?
For example:
Tracy realised that she often recommended Probiotics to her clients. They would ask her which brand to buy but were confused about all the options available.
This is why she now keeps them in stock or orders them to be posted directly.
Another example: her clients were confused when she changed her prescribing style at each appointment. This led her to study and focus on ‘Triad Prescribing’ as a consistent method that is simple to understand and also delivers effective results.
How do you provide excellent customer service as a homeopath if you are working with just a small part of your customer base week to week?
Do What You Say You’re Going To Do
Your hours, your deliverables (remedies and products) – consistency is key.
Never offer to do something unless you are sure you can do it.
Say no to requests or tasks you know you can’t complete on time.
Maybe even say no to clients if you know they are not a good fit for you.
Excellent customer service starts with honesty.
Don’t let your enthusiasm cause you to over-promise and under-deliver.
Your Client-Therapist Agreement
Take time to set out your practice guidelines.
This needs to be written in simple, clear English and laid out in short paragraphs with sub-headings.
Taking time to be clear on the service you are providing and what you need from the client in return.
The clearer you are before money is involved, the happier you will both be.
Be Clear About Your Boundaries
Be clear about your availability and your turn-around time for requests for information or support between consultations.
The clearer you are with boundaries, the better your clients will be in respecting them.
Contact between consultations is best managed through one stream.
Arguably the way to streamline this is through email, which ensures that nothing is overlooked or lost.
Keep your auto-respond regularly updated with your schedule so your clients can instantly see when you are around and when you are away or not available.
Give Value
As a homeopath, we are offering something personal and bespoke.
By keeping your promises, listening and being clear in your communication, you offer value.
You are hired by your client because you are an expert and you use that expertise to help them get better in ways that exceed their expectations.
This not only helps them but it creates a strong reputation for homeopathy as an effective system of medicine.
It will allow you to gain more referrals and make a name for yourself in the work that you do.
That brings value to your client, to you and to the world of homeopathy.
What small changes can you make to uplevel your customer service?
