Unless your program has a stranglehold on your industry, you need to have more than just a great product to have a truly successful business. Good customer service is the better half of a really successful program. When we refer to a “successful program,” we don’t mean just in terms of revenue. But successful in the sense of operating in the territory of positive sentiment so much that the mention of your program/clinic triggers good feelings from a customer and your client.
Patients who receive friendly, competent information are more likely to trust their clinicians, and customer service begins with the management and the physicians setting an expectation for professional behavior among all staff and clinicians
Who is responsible for training the staff for customer service?
- Organization and administration
- Make it a team effort as well.
Have a quarterly or semiannual customer service lunch. Seasoned staff could develop brief skits using their experiences of how to handle various situations, both routine and tricky, such as angry patients, rescheduled appointments, and uncomfortable billing questions. Other simple tips to offer staff include making eye contact, practicing active listening, using the patient’s preferred name(and pronouncing it correctly), being aware of body language, and answering the phone politely and consistently. The adage that the customer is always right may or may not apply in medical practices, but if patients perceive that everyone at the practice cares for them, then that is good customer service.
What monitors do we need for customer service?
Practices with the most professional and empathic front desk and clinical staff
affect (and reflect) the overall quality of care provided. Emphasis should be placed
on:
- Timeliness
- RTW for days saved
- Cost savings
- Good outcomes
- Patient Satisfaction
- Information provided same day
“Customer Service from the H.E.A.R.T.”
Medicine isn’t what it used to be. The practice of medicine now includes authentic heart-centered customer service or H.E.A.R.T.
- Hospitality – Inviting the patient as a guest in the clinic, making the reception area inviting, establishing a hospitality ambassador for the clinic
- Empathy and Enthusiasm –Enthusiasm goes hand-and-hand with hospitality, body language, tone, facial expressions
- Attitude – A winning attitude, shows you are happy to help them, grateful that they came to the clinic
- Respect – Listen, respond, and adapt, ask how you can help the patient
- Timeliness – Be on time, all the time
What outcomes are specific to occupational health services?
- Client retention
- Satisfaction
- Increased volumes and market share
- Upselling
- Testimonials
- Patient Satisfaction
What monitors are specific to UC?
- Market share
- Time in and out
- Patient Satisfaction
How do we rate patient satisfaction?
● Written surveys
How do we rate client satisfaction?
● Written and telephone surveys
How often should we survey clients to determine their needs? Minimally annually, quarterly with safety supervisors, HR contact when patients have positive encounters with your staff, they will be more likely to be in a good frame of mind when you see them. If clinicians and patients can have productive conversations about health and symptoms, then patients are more likely to be motivated to comply with clinicians’ advice and be engaged in their own care. And that can only help outcomes!
