A week ago I was in the Waterville Starbucks (there is only one in our town) and asked for a Grande Nonfat Cappuccino with half a Splenda. The cashier took my money and wrote the order on a hot drink cup. When the barista saw the cup, she asked me “Half a Splenda?” After I replied in the affirmative, her response was “No problem.”
Of course it was “no problem”, I was the customer. I was her reason for existing for the minute it took to make my drink. So I was determined to make sure my office staff did not say “No problem” in similar circumstances.
At huddle the next morning, I went over the incident and offered the suggestion that “Certainly” or “My Pleasure” would be more appropriate responses.
This past Friday morning, our team had 90 minutes of verbal skills training with Jodi Peacock focused mainly on skills for the “The New Patient Phone Call.” At the conclusion of the training session, Jodi closed with one final comment: She said she hated it when she was interacting with a receptionist or cashier and the response she received instead of being “Thank you” or “Certainly” was “No problem.”
To which one of my staff immediately replied, “Did Dr. Ruff put you up to that?” And of course, I had not.
