One of the great myths of customer service is that providing great - or even good - service requires a "program" or a "policy." The program or policy can be so grand that in larger enterprises there may even be a person whose sole function is the maintenance of a customer service program.
That memorable patient experience most often depends not only on what is said to a patient but how it is said. Delivering that to your patients takes less than ten seconds per visit.
Using the preceding patient experience as a guide, here are the basic steps toward creating a memorable patient experience.
- Start with your telephones. Most phones are answered in a rush, which sends the wrong initial signal to your patient. Slow down, the difference between speaking your phone greeting rapidly and speaking it calmly is about 1.5 seconds. The difference in patient perception is timeless.
- Acknowledge your patient. At check-in, look the patient in the eye and welcome her to your facility. Ask about the weather, whether the office was easy to find, or about any plans for the weekend.
- Describe the visit step-by-step. Everyone who comes in contact with your patient should tell her who they are, what they do and how long it will take.
- Respect their time. If you are running more than 15 minutes late, tell your patients at check-in. If the backup starts while they are waiting, go into the waiting room and tell each patient personally what happened. Even better, phone the patients who have not yet arrived and tell them of the delay.
- Finish strong. At discharge, tell your patient what happens next, whether it is the need for another appointment or how long it will be before test results are back. Don't wait for her to ask you. Make sure that the last person seeing the patient says, "Thank you for coming in today."
