Episode 13: Customer Service Is Key To Your Practice's Success
Doctors are sometimes so focused on delivering their medical expertise as a commodity that they seem to forget the customer service component of providing care. Have you ever thought about whether patients are clients or customers?
In this episode, I am going to tell you the very personal story of my recent visit to the ER with acute onset complete heart block. My (surgeon) husband and I will tell you that being a patient and family member gives you a totally different perspective.
The key takeaways are:
- Communication is key between all team members
- Make sure that your messaging (as the physician) is consistent
- Patients need explicit instructions (even doctor patients) and are looking to you for clear, definitive answers.
- Patients don't like the run around or having to make multiple calls to your office. I know that we all get annoyed by those patients that are difficult or who are repeatedly calling our offices. But having been on the other side I will tell you that you need to make sure that your staff is not contributing to the repeated calling and patient frustration.
- Your office staff is a reflection on you. Make sure that they are delivering the best customer service.
- Act like a secret shopper and assess your office's customer service
- Do patient satisfaction surveys so you understand (and correct) any weaknesses–before the poor online review.
