Time Well Spent: Making Room for A Customer

An often overlooked resource is time. So often in in work arenas money and time are linked together like a counter on a gas pump. If the return on time isn’t obvious and immediate, it is often considered wasted. Many businesses are using a different system of measurement these days. There are time versus quality experiments matching time taken with the required work of running a business. It is no shock to discover that it is more profitable and more beneficial if companies and service providers can spend more time with clients and customers. Many businesses are outsourcing aspects of the business to payroll service companies, human services providers, medical billing companies, and other basic business functions. Many businesses are using the internet for time saving resources with account access, medical billing online, basic information resources, and in depth product descriptions and comparisons. Time is now saved for quality interaction.

Large retailers have begun to discover that time spent with a customer is seldom wasted. Though the consumer may only spend a small amount, the quality of service can create a loyal customer that will consistently spend a few dollars every week adding up to thousands of dollars over time. A happy customer spending five dollars today will likely contribute more profit in the long run then a disgruntled customer that walks away unhappy after spending several hundred dollars. A key component of creating a happy customer experience is the resourcefulness of the employee in facilitating the customer’s desires.

A company that understands profit is proportional to the effectiveness of those doing the sellingwill quickly grasp that success has much to do with personal interaction. These are the businesses that educate their employees, and will have too many rather than too few persons on the floor. Trained employees and plenty of them can allow the most success.

In the health field the more time a a physician listens to the patient, the the better the outcome. For many doctors the solution to symptoms is the process of running tests and prescribing medication. Unfortunately, this can lead to excess insurance expenses and unsatisfied customers. The burden of burning quickly through a crowded waiting room can lead to inadequate information for a proper diagnosis with an over reliance on testing over common sense. There have been many children given strong medicines for ADD or Hyperactivity because the Doctor didn’t discover they were eating Captain Crunch and drinking Dr. Pepper for breakfast.

There is a value to time spent with a client or customer . Having the time to inquire, understand and illicit details often translates into solving problems in a more capable manner. Taking the time to really listen is simple. Asking questions to get a full picture of the situation requires a little time, but averts potential problems or unnecessary efforts. At the end of the day, wisely used is well worth the effort.