Receiving great service isn’t a happy accident. Great service doesn’t occur because you were lucky enough to hire the right attitude at the front desk or bedside. A great customer service experience is the outcome of very deliberate planning and execution of a well-defined strategy.

To borrow from Disney’s model, it’s the fundamental balance between the people performing the jobs, the processes within which they operate, and the physical environment that they create. If you think about service in the context of a theatrical production, it’s the cast of characters, supported by a great producer of processes, in a setting where it all comes together to delight the senses.

When you think about customer service in healthcare, it’s really not all that different, except that we focus our planning more on the process than on the other elements. As providers, we’re very focused on making certain that the clinical processes are designed and followed, and that the staff delivering the services have the technical training to do so. Where we often fall short is in our ability to translate what we do well in the clinical realm to the day-to-day operating realm.

What’s the best way to prepare your organization to make the customer service leap?

1. Expand Your View of Customer Service—Recognize that customer service is more than just people being nice. It takes a defined strategy and plan.
2. Focus Your Efforts—You may say that you want to focus on customer service, but what does that really mean to your employees and patients? Do you have a clear vision and idea in mind for what customer service really means to you?
3. Develop Your Plan—Spend the time really listening to what your customers like and don’t like about your organization. That means all customers: patients, employees, physicians and your community.
4. Communicate Your Expectations—How can your team accomplish what you expect if you don’t tell them what that is? More importantly, Leadership must model the expected service. Reinforce your expectations by rewarding and recognizing those who consistently meet them.
5. Hire and Train the Right People—Select people who naturally reflect the service attitude that you expect. Invest in their training so you build upon what they already do well.
6. Remove the Physical Barriers—Notice the physical elements that are hampering the service impressions that your organization creates. What catches your eye? Does the surrounding clutter overshadow the friendliness of the person at the reception desk? Is the wallpaper torn or the walls chipped?
7. Measure Your Results—Implementing a plan without defining your expected results is like setting off on a trip without a defined destination. Much like travel, the planning for your service effort must include milestones and measurements to assess progress along the way so you know how you’ll reach your final destination.

Make the commitment to approach your service effort in a more planned fashion, and you’ll begin to see results immediately!

To contact Catherine Baumgardner, click here or call 1-888-334-2500.

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