Humans need to connect to one other human to feel comfortable enough to spend money.
The flu is a terrible thang. Today, after 14 days in the house, I got out and visited the world.
I went to see my doctor, because I have a cough that won’t go away and a few other lingering symptoms.
The receptionist had me fill out the usual 3-4 sheets of paper, but as I handed them back to her, she mentioned that I owed $77.12. I told her that I always pay my bill as soon as the insurance company does their part and they, at the doctors office, send me the final bill.
She mentioned that they had gone thru a period where “their billing wasn’t done properly” and I may have never received a bill. Yet, they may have referred my account to a medical collection agency, even though I have years of visual proof in their files of paying as soon as the invoice is received.
Where was the one person who could call and ask if I knew I owed them for a visit ?
Where was the one person who could have called me, before they send my account out to a medical collection agency for a measly $77.12 ?
Where was the one person who could say, we had a problem, let’s not cause any for the people who pay our salaries ?
For that office, that one person didn’t exist, so now I have ill feelings in more ways than one.
After seeing the doctor, I head out to get my prescriptions filled. They informed me that they had faxed my prescriptions to one of our local Wal-Mart Pharmacies, because they’re the cheapest in town.
If they’d asked, I’d had told them I abhor cheap drugs.
I drove the 10 minutes to the Wal-Mart Pharmacy and the young lady told me she had personally just taken my prescriptions out of the fax machine and they’d get right on them.
I was the only human on my side of the counter.
65 minutes later, I finally got my prescriptions.
What took so long ?
There wasn’t that one person around who could put my prescription in front of all the ones that were called in, faxed in or electronically transmitted to them.
Sure, all of those needed to be filled, but 95% to 99%, according to the technician, wouldn’t be picked up for several days. “But we have to fill them in the order we receive them“, even though I’m standing there and the other people may not come in for several days.
If they had that one person, I would not have taken a sworn oath to never let a prescription of mine ever be filled at a Wal-Mart Pharmacy ever again.
I left, feeling bad and now starting to get angry at the world for not having that one person I needed. There’s a strip-mall across the street with a Quizno’s that I’d been wanting to try. Soup and salad or 1/2 a sandwich sounded so good, especially after a frustrating morning.
It was 10:56 on the clock in the dashboard of my Camry and I was the only car parked in front of Quizno’s. I could envision the personal service I was gonna get, since I’m the first one there.
I walked up and got slapped again, because they didn’t have that one person who could unlock the door, even though their OPEN sign was lit.
I walked back across the parking lot and as I started my car, a young woman unlocked the door and waved. I waved back, but I was waving goodbye and so were my dollars.
Not having that one person who can unlock the door cost them an untold number of lunches, because I’ll never give them another chance.
I drove 10 whole minutes to the only place in town that could give me one person to fill my order and my soul.
Panera Bread had someone waiting for me. He took my order, offered me a cookie and/or a USA Today, which I took and then he personally filled my drink order, iced green tea, before he took another order.
I love the fact that they filled my order before they took another 1,2 or 5 orders, like some of the fast food places do.
That $10.21 was the best part of my day, until I made it home.
Thanks, Panera Bread, for taking my money, giving me what I paid for and doing it all with that one person I was looking for all day.
Take this with you when you leave:
Walk into your business, call yourself on the phone and answer this question – Do we have that one person who can make the day of whoever comes into our life ?
Do we have that one person who will do whatever it takes to start and finish the job ?
If not, I can tell you where you won’t find them, but I’ll struggle telling you where to find ‘em.
If you know how to convert employees into that one person, use the Contact page and let’s talk about it.
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