Make Your Customers Feel the Wait Was Worth It
We’re in an age of impatience, the result being (among other things) that no one likes to wait. Even worse than mere waiting is being forced to wait. We are becoming worse and worse at delayed gratification, and whatever it is, we want it now.
Waiting is apparently such a big stressor that there's an entire field of study devoted to it, in particular to waiting in line or waiting your turn. The interesting thing is that how long a given wait feels—whether it’s waiting in the doctor’s office, a supermarket line, or anyplace else—can vary a lot based on an assortment of factors. I once heard about a medical office study that found that if, upon entering the examining room, the doctor smiled, exhibited a friendly manner, and made immediate eye contact, patient estimates of the time they spent waiting dropped by half.
I find this result fascinating, yet suspect. No matter how friendly the doctor, I can't imagine being mesmerized into reducing my estimate by half. Still, I recall an experience in which the doctor's manner did make a difference. After a minor condition escalated into a nasty nuisance, I called my doctor for an appointment. He was on vacation, so I was given an appointment with one of his office-mates, a doctor whose schedule, I was told, was full, but if I wouldn't mind an end-of-day appointment, he'd see me that very day.
I arrived at the appointed time, and of course, I had to wait and then wait some more. To my surprise, when the doctor finally appeared, he apologized profusely for keeping me waiting so long. I assured him that there was no need for an apology, and told him how much I appreciated his willingness to see me. He said that was beside the point; he still felt bad that he had kept me waiting so long.
Had this doctor just graduated with high honors from Bedside Manner Academy? Or could it be that this was his normal behavior? I had no way of knowing. All I knew was that he came across as warm and genuine. I'm certain that my estimate of the time I spent waiting didn't drop by half. I know how long I waited. But it didn't matter; his manner more than made up for the length of the delay.
Sometimes the only way you can give your own customers adequate attention is to make other customers wait. But the way you treat those who have had to wait can make a big difference in how satisfied they are with your services. Exhibit a friendly manner, make immediate eye contact, smile, and offer a sincere apology. Of course, you can skip the eye contact and smile if it's an electronic connection. But an apology can work wonders. You may find that many customers will be willing to forgive and forget how long they waited.
