1. Greet the patient with a smile
It is important to be the first to say "hello" to the patient. And do that with a “welcoming and reassuring smile”. Remember that patients usually come with a lot of psychological and physical pain. Your smile will be reassuring and will put the patient at ease. It is also useful to greet the patient by name. A quick glance at the patient's folder before the patient walks in will give you the name. Don’t just sit at your desk staring sternly at the patient. Your smile can make the patient feel comfortable.
2. Be courteous and polite always
We all want to be treated nicely. We all want to be treated with respect. Patients desire the same thing. Being courteous means showing good manners and respect for the feelings of others. When you are courteous, you will listen to the patient and make him/her feel wanted. Let the patient-experience in your facility be a pleasant one always (even when you are physically tired). Someone once told me “you only get one chance to make a first impression. Use it wisely!”
3. Solve their problems
Patients come to you basically because they have health problems. Please solve THEIR problems. Not the ones you think they have but the problems they actually have. Please read that again. This means listening intently, taking a good history and making the right diagnosis. When you meet their needs by solving their problems, they will come back to you when they have another problem. If you can’t solve their problems, by all means direct them to someone else who can. You must know your area of core competence and refer patients whom you can’t treat. That is good customer care.
4. Give alternatives
One secret of companies with good customer care is the ability to refrain from saying “NO”. Instead of telling patients a flat “no”, learn to give alternatives.In addition, make the alternative look as good as the original request. It reduces the feeling of rejection and makes patients feel respected. For example, if a patient wants the executive room upstairs and it isn't available, don’t say “no, you can’t have that room”. Rather say “that room is not available now but the room next to it is also comfortable. Moreover, you may be discharged in a few days.”
5. Deliver prompt services
Do you like waiting in line in the bank or at a coffee shop? I guess not. Learn to deliver prompt services. It is rude to keep people waiting without justification. To reduce patients’ waiting time in your facility, you must find and eliminate the bottleneck in your hospital process.(more about the bottleneck later).
6. Ensure quality in your hospital process
Talking about the hospital process, you must ensure quality in the flow of your patients from one workstation to another. To do this, you must have a workable plan in place and good control measures to handle deviations. Quality also means continuous improvement of little things. It is those little things you overlook that will add up to enhance customer satisfaction.
7. Train your employees
You cannot blame a man you have not trained. Organize training sessions on customer care for your employees. Also develop an organizational culture of excellence. They will imbibe this culture and treat your patients well.
8. Treat your employees well
Your employees have the most contact with your patients. They are very important variables in the customer care equation. In addition to training them, you need to pay them fairly and treat them with dignity. They in turn, will be nice to your patients.
9. Ensure patients confidentiality
Some years back, I discovered a nurse and ward attendant discussing a patient’s case in the hospital reception. It was a hot afternoon and the place seemed empty. Little did they know that the patient’s husband was listening to their conversation! It was a disaster to say the least. The man took his wife away and never returned. In addition, the bad publicity from that incidence took months to manage. Need I say more? Patient confidentiality is a vital part of excellent customer service.
10. Lead by example
Finally, lead by example. If you are nice and courteous to your patients, your staff will do likewise. But if you are rude and disrespectful to patients, expect the same thing from your personnel.
Applying these tips will ensure you stay ahead of the pack!
See you soon!
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