Patient Registration & Customer Service The patient registration process is an i
ID: 122973 • Letter: P
Question
Patient Registration & Customer Service
The patient registration process is an important role in the medical office. This is often the first encounter the patient has with the medical office (other than over the phone).
Scenario:
Watch this brief Youtube video on a patient’s experience with her physician’s front desk staff.
Physician's office experience testimonial (click on Youtube link): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rdjjmk1M90
Based on this video, provide your definition on what good customer service is and discuss the importance of providing customer service within the medical environment. Are employer’s responsible for “training” their staff or should people automatically know how to provide good service?
Please share a positive or negative customer service experience you may have had at a doctor’s office, emergency room, etc. If it was a good experience, why was it good and if it was bad, why was it bad? Also, please use the "PRICE of Success" to explain why professionalism is an important aspect of customer service.
Explanation / Answer
A. Good customer service:
A good customer service is about maximizing your ability to make the bad things that happen to your customers go away really quickly. Hospital customer service refers to the customer support and care given to people by a hospital. Though not often seen as customers, patients using hospital services require the same level; if not greater customer service they receive elsewhere. The unique nature of these interactions and the sensitivity required make hospital customer service training imperative. Doing so will improve the quality of service customers receive during difficult times.
Good customer service is usually associated with retail occupations but also extends to patient care. Patients are in a vulnerable and sometimes stressful situation. They are in need of hospitality and consideration more than a shopper in a store or a business client. Let's face it, no one looks forward to a hospital stay; however, there are ways to make such an occasion less of a burden for patients if you are a hospital employee.
B. Good customer service importance in medical environment:
Good medical care is the most important component of good service in the medical field. No matter how nice a doctor or nurse is, a patient will not feel good about her experience if she's misdiagnosed or not given good medical advice. Important components of providing good medical care include carefully examining a patient's chart, double-checking prescriptions to prevent mistakes, taking time to listen to a patient's concerns and not rushing through procedures
The Good customer service can build trust.
Good customer service can educated patients are taking control of their healthcare.
A good customer service can solve every case as fast as possible.
Good customer service is much more important than price.
Good customer service can reduce problems.
Good customer service will build brand awareness.
Good customer service appeals to the customer.
C. Key Benefits of Customer Service Training Programs:
Customer service has a big impact on the success of an organization, this can be used to motivate and engage members of staff. If you show employees that you care about their individual development and career progress, they will be inspired to help the customer in any way they can.
1. Higher Employee Motivation & Engagement: Providing training on customer service allows employees to greater understand the impact their role has on the organization.
2. Improved Customer Service Skills: Through customer service training, employees improve their skills and/or acquire new ones. Specific customer service training programs focus on improving communication, listening, problem-solving and organizational skills.
3. Increased Customer Satisfaction: Improving the quality of your customer service through training leads to an increase in customer satisfaction, retention and loyalty. Through effective training, customer service representatives increase their ability to resolve issues and decrease the number of return calls.
4. Rise in Profit: What quality customer service training allows the company to achieve is higher customer retention, the acquisition of new customers, reduced employee turnover and increased sales.
D. Positive customer service experience:
Giving proper information and explanations
Quick customer service response in a timely manner
Motivating patient and his family members
Showing appreciation and gratitude to patients
Proper listening and acting when patients complain.
Proper greeting with good smile
E. Negative customer service experience:
Patients and families tend to spread the word about their negative experiences more often than their positive ones. Common complaints are:
The staff was rude
The Hospital was dirty
The nurses don't respond quickly to the call bells
It took too long to get pain medication
The nurses didn't explain things
F. Professional Customer Service Importance:
Service professionalism involves knowledgeable agents trained to answer questions, deal with problems and know when to transfer customers to supervisors for additional help. Professional customer service relations build trust and meet the needs of clients.
1. Focus on Professionalism: Successful hospitals can well understand about the importance of a professional image in dealing with customers. The satisfied customers return to buy and refer friends and family members to businesses offering professional services.
2. Customer Relations: Customer service representatives are the hospital face for the public. Clients typically never meet hospital managers or owners, but clients work directly with staff each visit and on each phone call. Representatives in successful hospitals deal with customer needs and listen to problems and complaints.
3. Image Training: Creating a professional image involves careful planning and a concentrated training effort. Quality customer service training teaches staff members that clients have choices in spending money. The goal of training is to create a positive, professional service experience for each customer every time. Creating that quality experience results in customers returning for the same service.