Are you creating the right impression with your daycare customers?

You only have 3 seconds to make a first impression. So what is the impression that you are leaving your daycare propsects?

Visibility
Is your daycare visible? Can your daycare prospects see the name of your daycare from the street?

Do you look professional
Does your daycare look like it is run by professionals or does it look like it is run by a group of amateurs or nannies turned daycare entrepreneurs? Are toys and equipment old and poorly maintained? Are things strewn all over the place or is everything placed back in its place after use?

Is it clear that it is a daycare centre
Is the place buzzing with kids’ laughter and shrieks of delight or does the screams of daycare teachers yelling at the daycare children fill the air?

Where is the entrance?
Is the entrance to the daycare easy to find? If the daycare has more than one entrance, is it clear which is the main entrance? If the entrance is not facing the street, is there a sign to tell daycare prospects to “walk another 20m and turn left”?

Is the entrance welcoming?
Is the entrance free of clutter or does it look like a warzone, strewn with shoes and toys that have just been played? Due to HFMD, outsiders are usually not allowed into the centres. Whilst prevention of the spread of HFMD sis a real concern, is there a small waiting area for prospects to wait whilst getting their queries answered. The last thing you want is to have to answer prospects through a gate or screen door.

Does your daycare have show-stopping capacity
Whilst there is no need to repaint your daycare every year, does your daycare look well maintained? Is the paint peeling or pipe rusting?

Being professional and sounding professional

After you have ensured that all your touchpoints are projecting a consistent image, next will be ensuring that you sound professional as well as many daycare prospects prefer making telephone enquiries before making the effort to visit the daycare centre.

Ask yourself, what is the impression that you leave your prospects when they call you?
  • Are calls answered promptly ? Always ensure that the phone rings no longer than 3 rights failing which you are telling your prospects that we are too busy to talk to you. Preferably assign one or two person to pay attention to phone rings.
  • Try not to put the prospect on hold. If the person that the caller is looking for or the person who can answer the prospect’s question is not available (not in or engaged in something else), say so immediately and offer to take a message.
  • Employ a consistent way of answering the phone. Always start with the company name e.g. “Hello, xxxxxx daycare, can I help you” or “xxxx daycare, this is yyyyy speaking. How can I help you. Ensure that everyone answers in a consistent manner.
  • If you are using voice mail, keep the voice mail message brief and friendly. Include the company name, when the call will be returned and invite caller to leave a message.
  • Remember to check voice mails faithfully and delete old messages so as to make way for new ones.
  • Call voice mail periodically to see if it works or if the message is still appropriate.
  • If possible, place mirrors near telephones so that the person answering the phone will be able to see his/her own face when answering the phone. The caller can “see” your smile so encourage your staff to smile when answering the phone.
Creating a good first impression will go a long way in your daycare's branding efforts. Plus it doesn't take much to ensure that you sound professional. Just a little tweaking of how you run your daily operations. The returns will be far greater.
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