- Improve the system. Wonderful "people skills" are short-lived unless underlying systems support them. Employees get very frustrated apologizing for the same inconveniences day after day. Make the patient care environment friendly (magazines, clear signage, etc).
- Hire right. Get those with the customer service gene not simply the technical skills. Ask the interviewee, "What is the worst thing I'm going to hear about you?" Ask the interviewee's supervisor, "When other's see this person's name on the schedule, how does your staff react?"
- Orient right. Show staff that patient satisfaction leads to an easier and more satisfying job. It is not simply more work. Make commitment to service excellence clear but keep rule book thin and let staff create that service. (ie. Let patients know what to expect. Anticipate patient needs - view use of the call bell as a failure. Resolve problems within 48 hours.)
- Reward champions visibly and meaningfully.
- Re-orient stragglers. Give concise and timely feedback. "When you do x, it results in y; try z instead." Tie the negative impact of B-team behavior to its impact on the team and its vision and mission. Given that the team vision and mission are mutually developed and agreed on, relating B-team actions to those team goals can be helpful and keeps any discussion from becoming personal.
- Fire those who can't be re-oriented
- Repeat steps 1 - 6. In service excellence, there is no finish line.
Source
Leebov, W. et al. Patient Satisfaction: A Guide to Practice Enhancement. 1989
Mayer, T. and Cates, R. Leadership for Great Customer Service: Satisfied Patients, Satisfied Employees. 2004.
