LOST IN TRANSLATION CUSTOMER SERVICE

Shopping this week in a large home improvement store, I was so so pleased. It was a pleasure to have someone who is knowledgeable and finds solutions to my challenges. Actually, understand the customer needs is so satisfy. Actually, smile, have a great attitude and make time. Wow!!

Great customer service is a pet peeve of mine. It appears that customer service is a challenge for foodservice operations and healthcare organization (senior living, CCR, nursing home, hospitals)

Did you every walk in a restaurant and nobody acknowledges your presence? Alternatively, ask if you need anything immediately? or
Walk to an action stations in a cafeteria to find out they are too busy getting ready to look up? Or
Have a wait staff come over and ask about the food items to say oh I am new or just came on let me find out? Or,
As a family member walk over to a nursing station to not be acknowledged since you, are just the family member and not the patient? Or
Have a caregiver say I don’t usually take care of this patient no really sure what her needs or wants are?

As the famous line from, I love Lucy. “You have some explaining to do”

Customer service should be the experience you are left. It involves the touch points to the customer.

Remember what someone sees, hears, smells, touch and connects with are the keys to pay attention to for your customer. This experience is just as important as the actually care, products or service. It can derail the best product, food, or service. Perception will become reality.

Check out your quantity of repeat business, tweets (twitter), press ganey scores, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems ( HCAHPS- is a survey of the patients to determine what the quality of care is.) and more. What are they saying? What does it say for your business?

Take your annual service exam(as a matter of fact take it frequently to make sure your symptoms are not affecting your long term and cause a financial illness).

Does current staff understand what they are selling?
Do you offer training on specifics or general overtone of products, services?
Do you map out an approach?
Do they understand had to communicate effectively? diffuse the porcupine customer?
Do you have huddles whether it is about menu items, services offers or about your patients, health needs/concerns.?
How many times do people just hand off notes from one shift to another without any regard for patients, family or emotional needs?
Are we just one size fits all? On the other hand, can you personalized your service, products to the clientele you are servicing at your organization or business?
How many times does someone come on to a shift in a restaurant and not know much about the menus of the day or choices they can offer? Is everyday an extension of the last? In your senior living environment, do you understand the family’s concern needs?
Is your environment customer focused? Family focused.
Is your department or organization message clear and transparent to all employees?
What attributes would describe your staff by patient, family, other employees? Are these that you want your service/product to be known for?

Provider’s standpoint, we looked at what we needed to do differently in terms of customer service for this population.

Three keys to great customer focused care:

Organization commitment, consistency and visibly demonstrated
Easy, inexpensive, interactive and personalized way to deliver the skills for every function and employee to their customer. Tools to use: Training, role playing, cultural of kindness, cultural diversity training, what their role is in the organization
Accountability. Clear service performance measurements-have a mystery shopper check out all your touch points of your operation that the customer (patient, resident, family, employees).

Remember when it comes to an experience. Do what is right, not what you should. Now go take it on: Do not ask what’s the matter? Ask what matters to your customer?

ARE YOU READY TO DO YOUR END OF THE YEAR CUSTOMER SERVICE CHECK UP?What do you do at your site to step it up with customer service experience? I like to hear how you keep the momentum going?

Passionately elevating my customer service every day.