Most of us are familiar with doctors who do not need pre-appointments to meet with. You just show up, take a number and wait and wait..

The quantum of time you wait is pretty much luck of the draw. There are times when you would wait for 10 minutes and at times the stretch could be up to 2 hours.

As a customer, you cannot predict nor plan your schedule.

Whilst waiting at a GP’s reception recently, I ran into such an experience. It was a rush day, where the average waiting was 2 hours, so I got talking to the people around me.

Why did these visibly upset folks put up with this long unpredictable wait?

What bought them back, each time, knowing they could be here in this monkish furnished waiting room with month-old magazines, for 45 minutes on an average?

Was it simply the skill of the doctor? His reputation?

The insight was interesting.

The doctor undoubtedly scored high on functional efficiency. Good, knowledgeable MD, old school, did not over prescribe and highly experienced.

But that was not it. He had a brother, similar profile, younger, consulting next door with 1/3 the crowd.

When you did finally get your turn to meet the doctor, he listened to each patient as if there was nobody else waiting, as if he had all the time in the world for you. He billed fairly and motivated patients to recovery.

He took control of the problem. He left them on a high.

Visibly frustrated patients went in, invariably came out with a smile.

Where does this leave us? Lessons?

If you have a business environment where inflicting pain and discomfort on a customer at some touchpoint is inevitable, then do you also know at which touchpoint can you get the customer to a pleasurable high?

Where you can compensate maybe overcompensate?

Would you know how to get the customer smiling when she exits the journey with you?

Happy enough for her to come back?

Are you aware of the power of the Happy Exit?