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When You’re the Educator, What Should You Teach? - 1/21/25


The best customer service professionals are also excellent educators.  Not only within the organization, but I’m talking specifically about the role they play as educator with their customers.  With all the self-service options that technology provides, customers often have the opportunity to do things on their own, to investigate Read more

Wrap It Up Right: Why Follow-Up Communications WOW Customers - 1/14/25


Dena had some questions about her water bill, so she looked for answers on the utility’s website.  She didn’t find specific answers, and she really didn’t want to get on the phone with somebody at the time and risk staying on hold.  She had lots going on, but she Read more

From Conversation to Connection: Defining Customer Engagement - 1/7/25


Maggie was sitting in the Service Excellence Training class, and the instructor kept talking about staying engaged with the customer.  Proactively engaging the customer.  Being fully engaged in the conversation. After hearing this same phrase (“engage”) used in various ways, Maggie raised her hand and asked a question probably several Read more

Self-empower for the New Year - 12/31/24


Jeff joined the company, in part, because he loved their approach to culture.  Leadership tried to create an empowerment culture.  They tried to develop an environment where, within certain parameters, individual team members could make a decision and feel confident that they would be supported by leadership. The reality was Read more

2024 Holiday Poem - 12/24/24


I sometimes hear it said That things have never been like this before. That challenges are unique, That stresses seem like more.   I sometimes hear it said That we're asked to do much more with less. That workloads are increasing, And we're resource-constrained at best.   And others often say That things are really very good. That they enjoy those Read more

Is Their Poor Planning Your Emergency? - 12/17/24


Have you ever heard the saying:  Your poor planning is not my emergency. I’ve heard it said often – not necessarily directly from one person to another.  More typical is that I hear it from the person having to drop everything and do something immediately because someone else didn’t think Read more

Empathy Examples for Everyday Situations - 12/10/24


I’ve often said that empathy is the single most important characteristic of people who are great at customer service.  If empathy is essentially “to understand the other person,” it helps so much to have that ability in order to specifically help someone.  To talk to what’s unique about them.  Read more

Tell Them Why You’re Giving Thanks - 12/3/24


Thank you! Merci! Danke! Doumo! Gracias! It seems like every language has a translation of Thank You.  Even though I only fluently speak English and speak Spanish, un poco, I – and probably most of you – have heard some or all of the translations of "Thank You” noted above.  Read more

Refine Your Decision-making Process - 11/26/24


Every day, you make decisions of what to do and what not to do.  And in the world of customer service, often the affected parties are our customers, our co-workers, and our company.  Here are a few quotes to consider when you’re thinking about evaluating and refining your decision-making Read more

Acting on the Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service - 11/19/24


In last week’s tip, we shared 5 Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service.  This week, let’s address what “taking action” looks like on those key principles.  If last week was about what to do and WHY, this week is about the HOW. Engage with Interest: To engage with interest, proactively Read more

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Now That You’re On Time, Please Wait – 7/9/13 TOW

Posted on July 9, 2013 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Ellie went to her eye doctor to get her cataracts checked. Are they bad enough to get the procedure? That was her question – she wanted the cataract surgery so she could see better, but every year her physician said they were not quite bad enough.

After checking in, Ellie went to the waiting room and noticed a new automated board that tracked physician delays. Apparently, the office had added these “scheduling status monitors” within the past month in order to set appropriate expectations with patients about wait times. The theory was to best manage expectations and communicate via monitors with the patients. This ensures patients won’t be upset at delays, and they won’t constantly interrupt receptionists asking for updates.

When Ellie found her physician on the monitor, she noticed that her doctor was running about 90 minutes behind by that point in the day. And while it was good that the monitor gave her a realistic expectation of the delay, Ellie was frustrated. Why? Isn’t this one of the core concepts behind great customer service – that you constantly have to reset customer expectations to match reality?

To Ellie, this definitely wasn’t an example of great customer service – or even good customer service. From her perspective, if the office knew that they were 90 minutes behind, why didn’t they call her to tell her so that she could arrive later? Why couldn’t they use their information so the customer could rest a little longer, run an errand or two on the way, get more work done, or avoid having to leave home in the middle of a thunderstorm?

In other words, why couldn’t they use the information to reduce the patient’s wait time and make it more convenient for the patient?

Maybe the office’s response would be “if we tell them they can come in later, they won’t be here if we get back on schedule.” That may be true periodically, but it’s not the right answer in most situations.

If we can’t serve clients earlier, there are still opportunities to reduce their waits.

If we expect clients to be on time, do whatever is necessary to deliver with minimal wait time.

 


Ask (the patient) and Ye Shall Receive (the answer)

Posted on July 3, 2013 in Business Advice, Healthcare Please leave a comment

Does this sound like your business?

If we implement Program ABC, all our customers will be happy! If we launch Initiative DEF, our retention will soar! If we execute Super Idea XYZ, we’ll have raving fans!

These concepts are often initiated by business people who are very smart; the problem is that they think they’re so smart that they know what the customer wants; unfortunately, they didn’t do the most important thing – ask they customer what they want.

The FierceHealthcare article Patient care makeovers improve quality outcomes notes what hospitals are beginning to do differently to improve patient satisfaction. The article states that “These efforts include creating senior-level positions to lead patient experience initiatives; a “sacred moment” checklist that calls for staff to discuss patients’ hopes and concerns about their stay while gathering key information; shadowing patients and families at every step in the episode of care to find areas for improvement; and discussions with patients at admission about patient safety, including good hand-hygiene practices and medication administration.”

It also states that Twin Rivers hospital “took several steps to fix patient satisfaction, the most important being the ‘sacred moment checklist,’ according to amednews. The moment patients arrive in their inpatient rooms healthcare staff go over key questions and provide essential safety information. Nurses ask about their pain and dietary and spiritual needs.”

There are two key points amidst all these “sacred moment” concepts. First, ask the patient what they expect. Second, deliver on expectations. The hospitals are not improving patient satisfaction with some grand marketing campaign (although they obviously branded this initiative).

Instead, they are simply asking what each individual patient expects, getting that answer, and addressing that expectation.

Don’t over think patient satisfaction. Ask, and Ye Shall Receive.

Interested in improving your hospital’s patient satisfaction? See our other blog posts at: http://serviceadvice.cssamerica.com/category/healthcare/

Check out our patient satisfaction improvement services at: http://cssamerica.com/csshealth.htm


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


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