The document discusses the importance of customer service skills in healthcare. It notes that while health science textbooks do not extensively cover customer service, the lines between professional behavior and customer service are often blurred. Patients have choices for their healthcare provider and evaluate their entire experience, so poor customer service can lead them to change providers. Meeting patient expectations is important for satisfaction, and healthcare workers are responsible for this. The document emphasizes that the customer service needs are even greater in healthcare compared to other industries due to patients often being sick, frightened, or facing life-threatening illnesses. It provides tips for healthcare workers to focus on patient needs, speak courteously, and properly handle any complaints in order to improve the patient experience and avoid losing patients to other

2.  Let us know that teaching customer service skills to
healthcare professionals is somewhat new.
 Most health science textbooks do not address customer
service skills at any length, although the lines between
professional behavior and customer service skills are
often blurred

3. Yes.
Why ?

4.  The healthcare market is competitive.
 Patients have choices.
 Patients evaluate the entire experience.
 Have you or a family member ever made
the decision to switch healthcare
providers?

5.  Discuss

6.  The point of the discussion is to help us think about the
fact that poor customer service in health care can lead
to patients/clients changing their healthcare provider

7.  Need to meet patients’ expectations in order for them to
be satisfied.
 Health care workers are responsible for patient
satisfaction.
 What is the cost of an unhappy patient?

8.  By this time, We should know that an unhappy patient
will often switch healthcare providers. Although, you
might also ask:

9.  Are there times when a patient feels he/she can’t switch
healthcare providers?
 Do you think patients are ever too intimidated by a
healthcare provider to switch?

10.  Do you think patients ever continue to go to a
healthcare provider they don’t like because that
healthcare provider is associated with another
healthcare provider they like a lot?

11.  Do you think most patients find the world of health
care to be frightening and stressful?
 How do you feel when you are receiving healthcare?
 Does the “fear factor” that is often associated with
health care create a greater need for healthcare worker
kindness?

12.  The point of this slide is to suggest that customer
service skills are MORE IMPORTANT in healthcare
than in most other service industries because the person
receiving health care is often at a disadvantage.

13.  He/she may be sick, in pain, or facing a life-
threatening illness. Healthcare is expensive,
and often invasive.
 For many patients, being a healthcare
consumer is not something they do regularly

14.  You might want to ask ourself about orthodontic
experience.
 Most will tell you that the first few visits were
frightening and somewhat uncomfortable.
 After six months or so of regular visits, it’s not as bad.

15.  BUT, most people don’t have regular,
repeated visits, and they experience more
of a fear factor when receiving health
care.

16.  How long did you wait before being seen?
 Were you informed of any delays?
 Were you given clear instructions?
 Were all your questions answered, and
were you given info about how to have
future questions answered?

17.  Were all procedures explained?
 Were all personnel courteous and
compassionate?

18.  These are questions that you could ask
friends/family about their last doctor,
dental or veterinarian visit.
 They highlight points to be considered in
providing good customer service

19.  Smile when appropriate.
 ALWAYS speak warmly and courteously.
 Use professional language – and use the patient’s name.

20.  NEVER tell patients your personal problems,
and be careful about giving any personal
information.
 Focus on the patient’s needs.
 These are strategies that healthcare workers
should practice

21.  Smile only when appropriate, which is
most of the time.
 Give us examples when perhaps it would
be better if the healthcare worker didn’t
greet the patient with a smile

22.  ALWAYS speak courteously. Use warmth
in your voice.
 Is it possible to be courteous but
“superior?“ How does that make them
feel when someone is courteous but
condescending?

23.  Don’t call patients “sweetie” or any other
nicknames, and don’t call them by first names
unless they are children.
 However, do make an effort to use the person’s
name.

24.  Patients don’t need to hear your
problems. Ever.
 Healthcare workers should focus on the
needs of the patient and not the
convenience of the healthcare worker.

25.  Medical lawsuits are mostly related to whether or not
the patient likes you.
 ANY lawsuit, warranted or not, is extremely stressful
for everyone involved.
 Many lawsuits can be avoided if healthcare workers
assure that patients are satisfied with their care

26.  A good experience is told to 8 people,
and bad experience to 22!
 7 out of 10 patients who change
providers do so because of poor service
or indifference toward them.

27.  Satisfying and retaining current patients
is times cheaper than attracting new
patients.
 70% of complaining patients will return
if you resolve the complaint in their
favor.

28.  For discussion on the last point, ask
students to give examples of a time they
were not satisfied with something that
happened to them in a healthcare setting.

29.  How to Handle a Complaint
 If possible, sit at eye level with the patient.
 Take notes on what the patient says.
 Ask questions to clarify but DO NOT be defensive.
 Try to understand the problem from the patient’s point
of view.
 Thanks the patient

30.  If you are the problem – apologize, and thank the
patient for his/her feedback.
 If you need more information, let the patient know
you’ll get back to him/her.
 Provide information the patient might be lacking.
(Without defending.)
 Try to find a resolution to the satisfaction of the patient.

31.  Attempts at fixing a problem are called
“service recovery.”
 This indicates a service issue and attempts to
recover the patient’s good will.
 Understand that all service challenges are not
necessarily errors, but being right AND
losing a client doesn’t provide a good
outcome for a healthcare provider.

32.  Your may have heard the cliché “the customer is
always right.” In healthcare, we believe “the patient
always matters.”
 The patient may not necessarily be right, but his/her
feelings and concerns should always matter to the
healthcare provider.

33.  Mrs. Jones has teeny tiny veins, and the
phlebotomist/Dr/Nurse blows the first
vein and then misses the second.
 The patient becomes visibly upset.
 What should you do?

34.  Apologize, and mean it.
 Don’t make a lot of excuses, but let the
patient know you understand her pain and
frustration.
 Get a cool compress to apply to the
missed sites, and then,

35.  Get your supervisor or another medical
personel to draw the blood.
 It’s usually best not to stick the same
patient a 3rd time.

36.  This is just an example of a healthcare
worker trying to make the patient feel
better and well cared for.
 Did the phlebotomist “make a mistake?”
Maybe not, but he/she does need to take
steps to go above and beyond in showing
caring for the patient.

37.  Service recovery involves the service
provider taking responsive action to
"recover" lost or dissatisfied customers,
to alter their negative perceptions,
convert them into satisfied customers,
and to ultimately maintain a business
relationship with them.

38.  Service Recovery What to do? Own up to
the mistake Make it right – by:
 Apologizing profusely
 Fixing what you can fix
 When possible, by providing reasonable
compensation.

39.  If you follow the rules for providing excellent
customer service for your patients, and you
respect your patients’ rights, is there a need to
have special strategies for caring for the very
young, the very old, or economically
disadvantaged patients?
 This is no wrong answer here, but certainly
room for discussion.
 What do you think?

40. Any Question

41.  Thank You For Your Time And Listening