Some time ago I attended a seminar presented by the uber-service conscience team from the Ritz Carlton on the topic of “Legendary Service”. I thought it might help our readers by sharing some of the important points.
Why do patients leave a practice?
- 9% leave due to competitors
- 10% leave due to other reasons
- 14% leave because they are dissatisfied with the service or product
- 67% leave due to the attitude or indifference on the part of the employees
Remember, your patients judge you by the responsiveness of the FIRST person they come in contact with–your receptionist and front desk personnel.
Redirection is costly
The cost of redirecting a patient to solve a problem is high. To figure out the cost, just add an extra “0” to the end. For example, if it costs $5 for a front desk personnel to perform a task, the same task, if passed on to a supervisor, will cost $50. Consequently, if the physician/owner is brought into the mix, the cost increases to $500! To keep the cost of solving problems low and reasonable, make it a norm that whoever receives a complaint should own it and handle it and not pass it on to another person. Furthermore, after a complaint is resolved, it is always a good idea to record the complaints and share it with the others in the office for educational purposes.
Problem Resolution Steps
To help resolve complaints, use the following steps:
- Do not blame the individual who is complaining
- Do not blame the supervisor
- Do not blame another person
Keep in mind, health care is a service business–no different from Ritz Carlton or Hilton or Disney!