A Lesson in Customer Success

On April 1, 2022, I shared a lesson in customer success, by focusing on what doesn’t work. It’s always more enjoyable, though, to share best practices by example. As outlined in Your Guide to Managing the Customer Complaint, the number-one way to develop and maintain your customer relationships is to focus on the end user, and not the sale — but when my wife and I asked our long-time veterinarian to take responsibility for a mistake and adjust our bill accordingly, we were informed the practice would “no longer provide medical services to your pets, effective immediately.” Needless to say, this is not the quickest way to a positive review, or to future revenue. Perhaps “the Rhinebeck Animal Hospital leadership team” missed the memo: 78% of consumers will do business with a company after a mistake if the company’s customer service is excellent. 

Of course, when the customer service isn’t excellent, or even satisfactory, consumers don’t come back; 96% will leave you behind for bad customer service, and 92% will also call you out on your BS (bad service). And if you thought bad publicity spread quickly in the phonetree era, you’re probably not prepared for what can happen now to a brand that pisses off the wrong person (or impresses the right person, for that matter).

This, alone, should be enough to convince business leaders to prioritize the customer experience; for the doubters, though, there’s this sobering fact: investing in new customers is between 500% and 2500% more expensive than retaining existing ones. 

How One Positive Experience Can Turn a New Customer into a Brand Ambassador

Now, back to the story. After being mistreated and overcharged by a veterinary hospital where we’d spent tens of thousands of dollars, my family and our cattery were left without a doctor for our dozens of cats and kittens (and dogs). And, of course, it didn’t take long for the health of our favorite cat to plummet.

Sparky, an 11-month-old red tabby Minskin boy, nearly died at birth. He was drastically underweight and unable to nurse on his own, so we hand-fed him until he caught up with his brother and sisters. Then, we discovered Sparky was afflicted with a developmental condition known as cerebellar hypoplasia, which impacts fine motor skills, balance and coordination. Sparky would wobble, misjudge physical space, and fall. So we continued to nurture him — he was, after all, our “special needs baby.” 

And then it got worse: Sparky contracted feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, a debilitating, often deadly disease caused by a pathogen mutation; due to his already weakened condition, we knew Sparky may not overcome FIP, even with the life-saving black market medicine underground-railroaded by the FIP Warriors. (FIP is a mutation of one of hundreds of known coronaviruses, so the FDA will not approve the treatment for non-human animals, even though it’s legally available, for instance, in Britain and Australia.) 

But we invested in the medication anyway, spending thousands of dollars ($15 per milliliter!) for multiple rounds of treatment, injecting him from home each and every night. And then, finally, last week, it looked like Sparky had won the fight — the round of treatment had concluded, and he was happier, friendlier and more active than ever before. 

Then, suddenly, without any warning, Sparky couldn’t walk. Vetless, we rushed him to an emergency animal hospital, from which he was quickly discharged with a constipation diagnosis(!) and no effective treatment. Overnight, Sparky’s condition worsened. On Monday, with Sparky’s eyes darting back and forth, we called the FIP Warriors; they said he was seizing. Terrified, we returned to the emergency hospital. It was closed. So, we called the next nearest emergency hospital. It was closed, too. So, we scanned the Google SERP for the highest rated veterinary offices in the area, and started calling, hoping for an after-hours miracle. The first two vets to pick up asked if we were current clients, and then said they couldn’t help. Then, we expanded our search radius, and threw a hail mary to Hyde Park Veterinary Hospital, across the bridge, in a neighboring county.

The woman who picked up was patient, even soothing. She asked me to explain our circumstances, and Sparky’s condition. She never asked if we were clients. She never asked if we could afford the treatment. She never asked us why we didn’t already have a vet, or how Sparky got so sick. And then, at nearly 7 PM, she told me she was going to call in a doctor, who would return to work only to care for Sparky. We drove nearly an hour to meet her. 

When we arrived, we were met at the door not by a secretary but by the veterinarian herself, a graduate of Cornell University’s veterinary school. Dr. Alissa Drozenski spoke softly, made direct eye contact, and asked thoughtful questions as she studied Sparky. We brought Sparky’s FIP medication, and Dr. D explained why she wasn’t comfortable administering it (i.e., it’s black market, and unlabeled); she listened intently to our description of FIP and its treatment, and didn’t speak down to us. She seemed to study the room, gauging how we might respond, aiming to assist and mollify. Dr. D told us, “If you want to let him go, I would understand,” and then offered to treat him with fluids, vitamins, electrolytes and IV prednisone, while monitoring him for 24 straight hours. “Maybe he’ll recover,” she said, advising us not to be too confident. 

We thanked Dr. Drozenski profusely, sharing our past horrors at Rhinebeck Animal Hospital and frantically searching that evening for a vet to provide Sparky with emergency care. While other vets refused to see us, even with doctors still in the office, Hyde Park Animal Hospital had called in a doctor from home — and not only did Dr. Drozenski agree to treat our Sparky, she thanked us for giving her the opportunity!

Throughout the next day, Dr. Drozenski called us numerous times to provide updates. Sparky was faring well, even improving. He wasn’t yet walking, but he was perking up. And then we got the call: Sparky took a turn, and he was dying. Dr. D asked how we would like her to proceed; we said we were on our way. 

When my wife and I arrived, Dr. Drozenski was there waiting for us, in tears. She told us how hard she’d tried to save him. She bagged him. She performed CPR. But mere minutes before we arrived, Sparky had died. 

Dr. D led us through a private entrance, past the techs and nurses, who all expressed condolences. She’d removed the tubing, and Sparky was lying there, looking peaceful. For the next hour, my wife and I sat with Sparky, crying. Dr. D and her staff joined us briefly a few times to ask if we needed anything, and then left us alone again. Until we were ready.

The question of money never came up, until the service had been rendered. And when it was mentioned, it was done so with care. My wife and I, in shock and foggy, asked if we could call to pay later, and they agreed.

Today, I called to pay the bill — and to make new appointments for five other kittens and a puppy! By focusing on the customer, and not the sale, Hyde Park Animal Hospital converted a one-time emergency call to a longtime, high-value client. We’ll drive as far as we have to to get this level of care. And no one there knew I had a platform to tell my story to the world. (Hint: You never know.)

Meanwhile, with our permission, Dr. Drozenski is sending Sparky to Cornell University to be studied, to help prevent other cats from experiencing similar hardships. And although we lost our beloved family member, years too early, we know he knew we loved him — and we know in death his one-of-a-kind life may save so many others. All thanks to a (somewhat) local business that went above and beyond. All because Hyde Park Animal Hospital understands the importance of customer service.

(Now, if they would just build a new website.)

How Can We Create an Optimal Customer Experience in Our Industry?

No two industries are alike, but customer success best practices apply to everyone, everywhere. 

First, treat the person on the other end of the phone, chat bot, email or DM the way you would like to be treated. Then, to optimize your CX strategy and processes:

• Make sure you’re measuring your performance against the most important KPIs
• Make sure you have the necessary tools to truly understand, segment and personalize communications to your customers and prospects
• Make sure you’re prepared (unlike Rhinebeck Animal Hospital) to handle customer complaints and negative reviews

Image Credits 

All photos courtesy of Hyde Park Animal Hospital or Catskills Cattery