I went to the doctor a couple months ago because it was time for a physical. He worked me over pretty well, asked a bunch of technical questions, made some jokes, asked how me and my family were doing, asked more technical questions, and ultimately pronounced me healthy. Am I truly as healthy as he said? I hope so. More importantly though, I enjoyed the experience. I like my new doctor. He’s interesting and pleasant, and he takes an interest in me. Even if he’d had to deliver unfortunate news, I would have still come away feeling positively about him.
The doc I went to a couple years ago for my previous physical came to pretty much the same conclusion, but I don’t go to him any more. Know why? Because I didn’t like his bedside manner. He wasn’t a people person. He wasn’t particularly warm or friendly. He didn’t put me at ease, he didn’t ask about my family, he didn’t inquire about my work or my life in any way other than how it specifically related to the exam. In short, he couldn’t have cared less about me, and it showed. Was he a good doctor? Probably. In fact, very likely.
And so I realized something about all this: My first doctor has lost a patient (client)–me. And he’ll never get me back. My new doctor has gained a patient–me again–and will likely have me for life. It’s not because one was a better doctor than the other, because on a professional level, frankly, I can’t tell the difference… I assumed that each had adequate expertise in his profession. No, I chose one doctor over they other purely because of the way I was treated–because I felt cared for, and it showed. In other words, he nurtured a relationship with me, one that will likely continue until one of us is finally dead.
And I suspect I’m like most doctors’ patients (clients). I like to do business with someone who seems like they care. In the real world of professional services (and design is no exception) your expertise and skills are typically taken for granted–it’s assumed that you already know what you’re doing. So what, then, will separate you or me from the next person in the same line of work? In a nutshell: Bedside manner.
Are you paying attention to your clients? Are you returning your phone calls and emails promptly? Are you saying thanks for the business? Take a moment to think about it. How’s your bedside manner?
