This document discusses customer service at a hospital. It covers the importance of customer service for patient safety, satisfaction, reimbursement and workplace environment. Customers include patients, families, visitors, employees, physicians and vendors. The document provides tips for making everyone feel welcome through greetings, empathy and communication. It also discusses managing expectations through updates, timeframes and pre-op paperwork. Maintaining professionalism, focusing on patients, avoiding distractions and addressing crises are covered. The importance of repetition in interactions and showing respect are emphasized. Common excuses for poor customer service are identified and addressed.

1. Re-focus 2015:
One Team:
One Dream
The Best Place to
Be a Patient.

2. WHAT IS CUSTOMER
SERVICE?
Is it an Option?

3. Topics: Customer Service
• Importance
• Who are our customers?
• Welcoming environment
• Managing expectations
• Professionalism
• Patient Interaction
• Respect
• Excuses

4. Importance of Customer
Service
 Patient Safety
 Patient Satisfaction
 Consistency: Details
& Standards
 Reimbursement
 Working
Environment

5. Who are our Customers?
 Patients
 Family members
 Visitors to the
Building
 Other Employees
 Physicians
 Vendors
 Contract Staff
(Physical Therapy,
etc.)

6. Recap
Purpose: REFOCUS
• CustomerService
• Importance
• Who are ourCustomers?

7. How can we make everyone feel welcome?
Continue to:
--Greet each person with a
smile.
--Always ask:
“How are You?”
“May I get you something?”
“Is there anything else I can do for
you?”
No matteryourposition—admissions,
housekeeping, nursing, rad tech,

8. How can we make everyone feel welcome?
Continue to (be):
 Mindful of your tone.
 Mindful of your body
language.
 Convey empathy.
 Cognizant of the
patient’s communication
abilities.

9. How Can We Manage Expectations?
Example: How can we address wait
times?
• Communication: to family regularly
(pre, intra, post)
• Ensure “real time” charting so as to
keep the family updated through
the Board.
• Give patients/family realistic time
frames
Po int the patie nts to the o nline pre -o p
pape rwo rk

10. How Can We Remain Professional At All Times?
• Focus on the patient
• Avoid socializing while in the
presence of a patient/family
• Avoid cell phone use in front
of a patient
• Talk to the patient about
his/her procedure
• Remain calm during a crisis

11. How Can We Best Interact With Our Patients?
REPETITION! (every patient, every time)
• Every time we make contact with ourpatients:
• Greet our patients with a friendly smile
• Wash our hands and make patients/family aware
you are doing so
• Check our patient’s ID
• Assess our patient’s pain
• Ask our patient: “what else we can do for you?”

12. Respect
• Patients/Family/Visito
rs
• Co-Workers
• Physicians
• Vendors

13. How do you feel about respect?
• To You
• To Others
• Positions
HOW?

14. Common Excuses
 Too Busy
 They are not nice
 Not my Personality
 Forgot
 Not my job

15. What Do We need to do?

16. One Team: One Dream