There are many types of touch-such as the encouraging pat on the back, the comforting hug or the special hand written note.  Each touch conveys something unique and can communicate powerfully.  In our industry of senior care and living services, we touch lives every day through very personal, physical, emotional and psychological ways.  Yet when you compare yourselves to your competitors, how are your touches different?  How are your touches measured through the eyes of your customer?

Former President of Scandinavian Airlines coined the phrase “moments of truth.”  He defined these moments as any interaction that creates a negative or positive impression in the mind of a customer about your services. When your customers gauge their “satisfaction” with your services, they are really evaluating the experience they had with you during pivotal interactions in the service delivery process.  Experience in the eyes of the customer is basically a mental picture of how they want to be treated as a person.  Notice “experience” isn’t defined by care.

Interestingly enough, even churches are getting on board understanding the important aspect of how to move beyond the standard “church” mentality, into one of “hospitality.”  In the book entitled Beyond the First Visit:  The Complete Guide to Connecting Guests to Your Church by Gary L. McIntosh, he identifies key “Moments of Truth” (first impressions) for potential guests that are not so unlike the opportunities we as senior care and living providers have.

Hmmm, sounds similar to the “experiences” we have the opportunity to capitalize on in improving our customer experiences.  CAHPS and other customer satisfaction measurements are not going away…in fact in many situations they are used for pay for performance outcomes.   Doesn’t it make sense than that we take an extra look at the pivotal moments that can leave the biggest impressions on our customers and look for opportunities to make them memorable?  Can you really afford to lose a lead because of a bad “experience?”

To learn how you can discover the hot “touch points” that can improve your customer satisfaction,  New LifeStyles is sponsoring a FREE 60 minute webinar on March 24, 2011 at 1:00 EST: Hot “Touch points” Yield Higher Customer Satisfaction

This complimentary webinar has been designed specifically for home health, hospice, skilled nursing and assisted and independent living  professionals by nationally recognized senior care marketing and sales coach Patty Cisco, President of CISCO & CO.  Join us and discover how to identify your hot “touch points” to create a memorable experience for your prospects and customers alike.  Click here to sign up for this FREE Webinar to be held March 24, 2011 at 1:00 Eastern.