50 Ways To Have Your Patients Feel More Appreciated
By F Lee Tomlinson
One of the keys to customer service that you will hear me talk
about repeatedly is how to make customers feel appreciated. Research
has shown that 68% of the customers/patients who leave one business for
another because they don't feel appreciated. Seems so simple and yet
the 68% number persists year after year after year.
Having said that, let's take a look at fifty ways that you can easily and for the most part, inexpensively improve your customer service and show appreciation for your clients.
1. Have free refreshments in the waiting room. Coffee, tea and water are a great start.
2. When the schedule gets more than 15 minutes behind, have the receptionist talk to the patient in person and apologize.
3. When it gets to a 30-plus wait, give your patients some type of gift to a local theater, restaurant or attraction to acknowledge their inconvenience.
4. Always shake your patients' hands when you first see them, whether it is in the waiting room, hallway, or exam room.
5. When possible, take both of their hands in yours when you shake hands, a much warmer way to greet someone.
6. Before entering an exam room, take a look at their chart that includes some of their personal history and bring up some of that information in the first conversation.
7. Always, always smile when you first greet patients in the exam rooms.
8. When walking down hallways, never ever pass patients without flashing a smile and making eye contact.
9. Always wash your hands when entering the room and when finished with the exam.
10. Have a means for patients to give you suggestions on how you could do a better job and ask often for that feedback. Then act on it, make the changes and let that patient know you did.
11. When you do get a complaint - Dr's should reply personally preferably in person or on the phone.
12. When someone takes the time to fill out one of your CUSTOMER SERVICE questionnaires, be sure to send them a personal note of thanks.
13. Listen to patients without interrupting, even if you think you know the question they are going to ask (or the answer).
14. Give your employees the ability to solve more of patients' non-medical problems on the spot.
15. If you are typing and a customer approaches, immediately stop and address the patient. Not the other way around. People come before paper.
16. Have nametags that have your name big enough for even the most myopic patient can read them without squinting or putting on their glasses.
17. When you screw up, admit it, apologize and figure out a way to make it MORE than right. That is, not only correct the problem but also give a small something to make it REALLY right. Turn a negative into a positive.
18. Make sure all plants are PERFECTLY groomed and pruned so that not a single brown leaf is visible. Never, ever have dead or dying plants in an office.
19. Have a TV set in the waiting room, with the push-button control available to patients while they're waiting.
20. Free Wi-Fi, free Wi-Fi, and free Wi-Fi!
21. And, large signs that give instructions on how to access the Wi-Fi!
22. Have large signs that direct everyone from where they are to where they are going.
23. Escort new patients to wherever it is that they need to go.
24. Keep the floors and walls spotless. Nothing less is acceptable.
25. Make sure that bathrooms are immaculate and fully supplied. Have them inspected no less than every 30 minutes and keep them smelling great!
26. Free parking. If the building you are in charges for parking, reimburse your patients.
27. Make sure that the parking area and outside entry is as spotless as the exam rooms.
28. Have everyone call patients Mr. or Mrs.
29. Sarcasm is rude. Don't EVER use it.
30. Imagine that the patient is someone you love - and then treat the patient as you would your own loved one.
31. When you empathize and feel sadness or joy, express it honestly and openly.
32. When it's appropriate, touch your patients, hug them, hold them, or just put a hand on their shoulder.
33. Try a little tenderness.
34. Never argue with a patient, even if they are wrong about what they're upset about. Being right and losing a patient is a hollow victory.
35. Make sure that doors NEVER slam.
36. If the floors echo footsteps, make sure that no one wears hard healed or noisy shoes.
37. Never, ever enter a room through a closed, without knocking.
38. Keep the floors and rugs spotless.
39. Verbally tell patients about the drugs you have prescribed and then give WRITTEN instructions to take with them.
40. Treat family and caregivers with exactly the same caring as the patient.
41. Learn how to diffuse an angry confrontation and then practice it until it becomes second nature and angry confrontations no longer frighten you.
42. Always say "thank you" when a patient is leaving.
43. When a patient thanks YOU for something, the proper answer is "You are welcome", NOT, "No problem". That implies that something a patient thanks you for might be a problem.
44. When you're in a bad mood, go outside and get over it before dealing with patients again. If you can't get over it, go home, you're likely to do more harm than good. If you feel that way more often than not, get another job where dealing with people is not part of the deal.
45. Close the door behind you when you exit a patient's examination room.
46. Never stop explaining anything until you are 100% sure that the patient understands completely. If their issue is complex, have them repeat back what they think you said.
47. When you think you don't have enough time to spend a few more minutes with a patient, FIND the few more minutes and spend it anyway.
48. Never joke around with other staff members when patients are within earshot.
49. No profanity.
50. Try to develop a sense of humor. It really is one of the best medicines.
Having said that, let's take a look at fifty ways that you can easily and for the most part, inexpensively improve your customer service and show appreciation for your clients.
1. Have free refreshments in the waiting room. Coffee, tea and water are a great start.
2. When the schedule gets more than 15 minutes behind, have the receptionist talk to the patient in person and apologize.
3. When it gets to a 30-plus wait, give your patients some type of gift to a local theater, restaurant or attraction to acknowledge their inconvenience.
4. Always shake your patients' hands when you first see them, whether it is in the waiting room, hallway, or exam room.
5. When possible, take both of their hands in yours when you shake hands, a much warmer way to greet someone.
6. Before entering an exam room, take a look at their chart that includes some of their personal history and bring up some of that information in the first conversation.
7. Always, always smile when you first greet patients in the exam rooms.
8. When walking down hallways, never ever pass patients without flashing a smile and making eye contact.
9. Always wash your hands when entering the room and when finished with the exam.
10. Have a means for patients to give you suggestions on how you could do a better job and ask often for that feedback. Then act on it, make the changes and let that patient know you did.
11. When you do get a complaint - Dr's should reply personally preferably in person or on the phone.
12. When someone takes the time to fill out one of your CUSTOMER SERVICE questionnaires, be sure to send them a personal note of thanks.
13. Listen to patients without interrupting, even if you think you know the question they are going to ask (or the answer).
14. Give your employees the ability to solve more of patients' non-medical problems on the spot.
15. If you are typing and a customer approaches, immediately stop and address the patient. Not the other way around. People come before paper.
16. Have nametags that have your name big enough for even the most myopic patient can read them without squinting or putting on their glasses.
17. When you screw up, admit it, apologize and figure out a way to make it MORE than right. That is, not only correct the problem but also give a small something to make it REALLY right. Turn a negative into a positive.
18. Make sure all plants are PERFECTLY groomed and pruned so that not a single brown leaf is visible. Never, ever have dead or dying plants in an office.
19. Have a TV set in the waiting room, with the push-button control available to patients while they're waiting.
20. Free Wi-Fi, free Wi-Fi, and free Wi-Fi!
21. And, large signs that give instructions on how to access the Wi-Fi!
22. Have large signs that direct everyone from where they are to where they are going.
23. Escort new patients to wherever it is that they need to go.
24. Keep the floors and walls spotless. Nothing less is acceptable.
25. Make sure that bathrooms are immaculate and fully supplied. Have them inspected no less than every 30 minutes and keep them smelling great!
26. Free parking. If the building you are in charges for parking, reimburse your patients.
27. Make sure that the parking area and outside entry is as spotless as the exam rooms.
28. Have everyone call patients Mr. or Mrs.
29. Sarcasm is rude. Don't EVER use it.
30. Imagine that the patient is someone you love - and then treat the patient as you would your own loved one.
31. When you empathize and feel sadness or joy, express it honestly and openly.
32. When it's appropriate, touch your patients, hug them, hold them, or just put a hand on their shoulder.
33. Try a little tenderness.
34. Never argue with a patient, even if they are wrong about what they're upset about. Being right and losing a patient is a hollow victory.
35. Make sure that doors NEVER slam.
36. If the floors echo footsteps, make sure that no one wears hard healed or noisy shoes.
37. Never, ever enter a room through a closed, without knocking.
38. Keep the floors and rugs spotless.
39. Verbally tell patients about the drugs you have prescribed and then give WRITTEN instructions to take with them.
40. Treat family and caregivers with exactly the same caring as the patient.
41. Learn how to diffuse an angry confrontation and then practice it until it becomes second nature and angry confrontations no longer frighten you.
42. Always say "thank you" when a patient is leaving.
43. When a patient thanks YOU for something, the proper answer is "You are welcome", NOT, "No problem". That implies that something a patient thanks you for might be a problem.
44. When you're in a bad mood, go outside and get over it before dealing with patients again. If you can't get over it, go home, you're likely to do more harm than good. If you feel that way more often than not, get another job where dealing with people is not part of the deal.
45. Close the door behind you when you exit a patient's examination room.
46. Never stop explaining anything until you are 100% sure that the patient understands completely. If their issue is complex, have them repeat back what they think you said.
47. When you think you don't have enough time to spend a few more minutes with a patient, FIND the few more minutes and spend it anyway.
48. Never joke around with other staff members when patients are within earshot.
49. No profanity.
50. Try to develop a sense of humor. It really is one of the best medicines.
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