A few weeks ago, I shared a colleague’s story about the BAD customer service that he and his partner’s son experienced at a dental office. He once again shares another story, but this time, it’s about how the office of the family’s pediatrician dared to JUMP through hoops to provide an exceptional customer service experience. Would you have JUMPed as high for your patients?
Real World Story: “My partner called me from work one morning to ask me to pick up our kid from school as soon as possible because the school was sending him home sick for the second time that week. Would I pick him up and take him to the pediatrician’s office?
“I felt anxious about taking my partner’s son to see the doctor because of the BAD experience we had at the dentist’s office a few weeks prior. I didn’t want to experience the heartache again of being denied service because I was not a ‘legal’ guardian.
“This anxiety far outweighed my worry about our kid’s illness. How sad is that?
“But I would soon be surprised by the compassion and caring of the staff at the pediatrician’s office and the great service they provided. First, when we were signing in at the front desk, I noticed the question ‘What is your relationship to the patient?’ Others had written down ‘aunt,’ ‘grandmother’, ‘sitter.’ Obviously, this medical office had protocols in place to give families flexibility in who brough in a sick child.
“Second, I did not have to ask for a doctor’s note to take back to school. By appointment’s end, a nurse walked in with a note in hand and said, ‘Here’s a note for school. You’ll need this.’ Wow! The nurse had anticipated my needs before I had to ask.
“Third, during my kid’s examination, the doctor was thorough in explaining what the problem was, the long -term effects of the problem, and how best to deal with treatments. She also checked his medical records and knew he was due for his flu vaccine, which he got then and there. Wow! I always have to ask for such additional services with my own doctor!
“Overall, I felt this pediatrician and her office staff JUMPed through hoops, so I didn’t have to, in order to deliver great service. My anxiety with taking my kid to medical offices was put to rest that day.”
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Be flexible! To consistently deliver great service, your policies and protocols must allow for flexibility. Not all customers are in the same situation, but all customers deserve great service.
- Anticipate your customers’ needs. A component of exceptional customer service is anticipating what your customers need before they even know what they need.
Remember: Customer service is about people helping people. And in the fields of healthcare, this is especially true and vital. So, do you make customers and patients jump through hoops for great service, or do you dare to JUMP high for your customers?
How does your organization JUMP at the opportunity to deliver exceptional customer service?