In order to individualize your customer services, you will want to maintain a personal touch.

We have written an article, published in the December 2016 issue of TRENDS magazine, which outlines a number of ways you can individualize your service. In our last several posts, we offered a peek into several: “listening to the music, as well as the lyrics,” understanding personality types, recognizing cultural diversity, and appreciating age differences.

In this post, we turn your attention to the importance of the personal touch. In the name of efficiency, it is tempting to communicate by email or introduce a phone tree: hit 1 for xxxx, 2 for xxxx, and so on. Don’t do it. Automation is fine for record keeping and follow-up with clients, but don’t do it if it means replacing people who have the judgment to establish a relationship that is individual and personal.

Some practices advise their staff to spend two minutes talking about matters other than the business at hand: vacation, family, parking, school, whatever might be relevant. That’s a way to get to know each client as an individual. And that might be a way to “listen to the music.”

Brainstorm with your colleagues to see how you can implement this notion in your business. If you can’t wait for our subsequent posts outlining additional tips, you can read the entire article.

That’s all for now.