Delivering consistent, personalized service should be the goal of every provider of goods and services. Whether you run a profit-making concern or provide services based upon the support you raise from interested supporters, your "face" to the client/consumer needs to be one of caring, competent service provision.

One of the best ways to "improve your serve," is to solicit information from those you serve each time you have the opportunity to be involved with them. Whether you use a client/customer service card, ask the questions at the end of your provision of service, or follow up by mailing them or giving them a response card, asking questions can let you know if your organization is performing up to the standards you have set for yourselves.

Here are a few questions you might want to consider. I prefer to use Leichert scales for some responses so it is possible to gauge the strength of the response.

1. Were you greeted within a few minutes of entering our facility? (Circle one.)
      YES      NO



2. How would you rate the cleanliness and comfort of our waiting area? (Circle one.)
      Excellent     Very Good     Good     Fair     Poor



3. What can we do to give our clients a better first impression of who we are?
   
   



4. Please rate the friendliness of the people you spoke to today:
      Excellent     Very Good     Good     Fair     Poor



5. Please rate the quality of the information you were given today:
      Excellent     Very Good     Good     Fair     Poor



6. Please rate the way in which you feel our staff respected you and your privacy today:
      Excellent     Very Good     Good     Fair     Poor



7. On a scale of 1 to 10 (with ten being the strongest score), how likely is it that you would recommend our center to a friend? (Circle one.)
       1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10



8. If you were to make one suggestion on how we can better meet your needs in the future, what would that be?
   
   

Thank you for helping us make our center the best it can be!

By regularly soliciting information like this from clients, you have a source of continuous feedback about the operation of your center. Results should be tallied and discussed no less frequently than once a month at staff, management, or board meetings to keep customer service a top priority.

Jerry Thacker is president of Right Ideas, Inc and the editor of At the Center magazine; a free quarterly webzine designed to help those who are involved in the daily operation of Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs). Visit www.atcmag.com and sign up to receive the once a month email update that will remind you of the valuable information available on their site.