customer service | Customer Service Solutions, Inc. - Page 99

Home  /  Patient Satisfaction Issues? They’ve Got Your Back  /  customer service

Affirming the Customer with Empathy - 4/14/26


We’ve spoken and written about empathy for the 20+ years of these customer service tips, noting empathy as the most important quality any individual can have if they want to be great at customer service.  We’ve shared that - in order to serve our customers most effectively – it’s Read more

The Power of Teaching While Helping - 4/7/26


If you’re trying to develop a relationship with the customer rather than just simply handling their transaction and moving on, you are taking a long-term view.  You realize that that individual is someone you want to keep with your business for months or years to come, so it’s a Read more

Bear with Me - 3/31/26


As a customer, you’ve probably called a company and heard the phrase “bear with me.”  At that point, you know there’s going to be some sort of delay.  The CSR is giving you a heads up that there’s going to be additional wait time.  Essentially, they are trying to Read more

Slowing Down the Fast Talker - 3/24/26


Jeffrey had always been told by his manager to figure out the issue quickly and wrap up the conversation as fast as possible.  So, Jeffrey was hyper-focused at finding that one key word that could identify the issue and help him to transition quickly to what might be some possible Read more

Don’t Bury the Lede - 3/17/26


Mary was working at the office, and she received an e-mail alert from the water company.  There was a water outage in her neighborhood.  It looked like it was going to be a couple hours to fix the issue. Sure enough, a few hours later around mid-afternoon, Mary received another Read more

Confirm the Real Issue Before You Start Solving - 3/10/26


Have you ever gone “down the rabbit hole?”  It involves going deep into some topic, some discussion – with analysis that creates complexity as much as it resolves it.  And that dive into the rabbit hole often starts with a simple question. Going down that rabbit hole takes time and Read more

One Question to Prevent a Follow-up Call - 3/3/26


The way some performance metrics work, you would think companies would prefer for their staff to talk to the same customer 4 times on the same topic for 8 minutes each rather than talking to them once for 10 minutes.  Many management metrics are too focused on average length Read more

Stay Calm When the Customer Isn’t - 2/24/26


There are all sorts of others’ emotions that you have to deal with as a customer service professional.  The other person could be anxious or upset, they could be angry or agitated.  It can run the gamut of emotions, but for you to deal with them in the best Read more

Don’t Begin with the Dead End in Mind - 2/17/26


Habit #2 of Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Successful People” is “Begin with the End in Mind.”  It speaks to the need to have a clear vision or goal for what you’re trying to ultimately achieve, so you understand the purpose of what you’re doing.  It helps you Read more

Explain without Over Explaining - 2/10/26


The customer has a question, and we have an answer.  They need to learn something, and we’re in the position to be the educator.  There’s a process they have to go through, and we need them to understand. We know so much, and we could impart so much, but sometimes Read more

•••••

Patient Satisfaction Issues? They’ve Got Your Back

Posted on March 21, 2013 in Business Advice, Healthcare Please leave a comment

Patient care is a huge driver of patient satisfaction in any healthcare business. The patient and family want you to alleviate their pain, address their malady, and fix their broken bones.

But what also drives patient satisfaction is what surrounds the patient care. It’s the person, the process, the facility, and communications. In the article 6 Ways Spine Surgery Centers Can Increase Patient Satisfaction, many of these types of factors are addressed. Here are their 6 key recommendations with our interpretations:

  • Communicate with patients throughout the process – Manage perceptions during those wait times; help to relieve anxiety through communication.
  • Pick the right support staff – It’s easier to train on a skill than on an attitude; make sure employees with great attitudes, organizational skills, and communication skills are the ones that are customer-facing.
  • Cater to caregivers – Realize the link between employee satisfaction and the experience those employees provide to their customers.
  • Follow up – Confirm satisfaction, identify issues, and expedite issue resolution.
  • Take feedback seriously – Use the feedback not just to address that one situation, but also use it to implement permanent solutions to recurring issues.
  • Only work with likeminded third parties – Realize that partners’ performance reflects on you; partner with those that share your customer service philosophy.

To satisfy the patient, create strategies that go well beyond the patient care.

Interested in improving your patient satisfaction? Check out: http://cssamerica.com/csshealth.htm


A Customer Service Life – from Utilities to Consulting and Politics

Posted on March 14, 2013 in Business Advice, Government 1 Comment

Is it easier to deliver great customer service in a private industry than in a public or governmental organization? Yes, because customers of a federal, state, or local municipality don’t have a choice; there’s no competition, and therefore customer service at governmental organizations suffer. Or…No, because all private businesses care about is new sales and marketing, and they don’t truly care about customer service – they view it as purely a cost center.

So who’s right – the Yes crowd or the No crowd?

The real answer is that it’s easier to deliver great customer service if you have leaders who care about customer service – regardless of whether the organization is private or public.

Mayor Terry Sinnott is recognized in the article Meet your Del Mar mayor: Sinnott uses customer service strategies to better Del Mar for his success at San Diego Gas & Electric, as a customer service consultant, and as Mayor. When asked about his philosophies, Sinnott stated “Real effective customer service is based on learning, and you have to interact with customers to learn what they are experiencing and what’s positive and negative, and from that information you can develop new skills and strategies to make it better,”

He continued “The challenge is to figure out the strategy, set goals and help the organization understand the idea and know how to implement it,” he said. “Similarly, issues or ideas presented on the City Council must be represented to the community as best as possible.”

So the crux of these key points is that leaders need to listen to improve, and a big part of listening is asking the questions of all key stakeholder groups and using it to strategize. We’re not asking and reacting, constantly changing based on what fire or hot button issue is present. Instead, we’re asking, learning, strategizing, and implementing improvements for the long-term.

There are many nuggets in this article. Check it out, and make continuous improvement a planning-oriented part of your long strategy for success – whether you operate in the private or public world.

Want more nuggets? Check out:


Patients Say “Call Me…Definitely”

Posted on February 28, 2013 in Business Advice, Healthcare Please leave a comment

Improve patient satisfaction by calling the patient after they’ve left. That’s the conclusion of a study referenced in Becker’s Hospital Review. Emergency Department patients noted an average satisfaction rating 8.3% higher if the E.D. physician called or e-mailed the patient after the visit, and the scores were actually higher for the e-mail follow-up!

Many people say that customer service is about the service you provide when the customer is right in front of you, when the transaction is occurring, in that “moment of truth.” But this study shows that you can create your own moments of truth. You can be proactive, reaching out to the customer, and engaging them after the visit or the sale or the encounter.

Remember that customers make their decisions to go back to your business, to call you and place an order, or to renew a contract with your business when they’re at home or work or somewhere other than your business. So by reaching out to the customer, you are impacting their opinion where they make their decision.

Don’t limit your perspective of customer service to focus purely on what to do while the patient’s with you.

Contact the patient after the visit to impact their satisfaction.

Listen to our latest podcast episode of “Stepping Up Service” on The MESH Network at http://themesh.tv/stepping-up-service/


« Previous   1 2 ... 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 ... 166 167   Next »