Great customer care is critical to the success of every industry, but it is even more so in the healthcare business. Doctors and healthcare practitioners deliver their services when we are in our most vulnerable condition.
Since medical care is something that is needed by everyone at one time or another, healthcare professionals might sometimes lose sight of the fact that it is a service after all, and that patients are actually their customers.
The good news is that improving and delivering excellent customer service in healthcare does not require any major investments, extensive employee training or extravagant renovation. All you need is a positive attitude, a determination to help and the willingness to be more responsive to the needs of the clients.
While your qualifications, expertise and experience as a doctor are paramount to the quality of your practice, the principles of hospitality and customer service can go a long way to build and maintain a valuable relationship with your patients.
Convenience
Few healthcare practitioners realize it, but convenience can be one of the most important aspects of their overall customer service. While consumers are quite comfortable availing a wide range of services online, such as booking travel or buying consumer goods, they often have to go through lengthy legal processes to set foot in a healthcare facility.
There is insurance coverage to take care of, and various bills to keep track of. A doctor can make this experience less of a hassle for a patient through a well-managed, easy-to-navigate portal. This can be a platform where patients can conveniently request and make appointments, fill out various forms, and update their insurance information with just a few clicks.
Helpful Staff Members
Most of the fundamental principles of customer service that apply to other fields apply equally to medicine as well. Simply put, staff members such as nurses, receptionists, technicians and doctors should be courteous, friendly, helpful and respectful.
They should be willing to answer patient queries and offer help whenever possible. Patients coming to seek medical attention are often anxious when they step into the facility, and the hospital staff should be mindful of this.
Pleasant Stay
There is virtually no limit to addressing the needs of a patient or offering excellent customer service to make the clients happy. While every aspect of customer care is important, a pleasant stay at a hospital or healthcare facility can make the patient feel welcome and appreciated and will result in repeated visits.
Small details and special touches – from informative reading materials to comfortable furniture to a clean ambience – will make the waiting room more pleasant. On the other hand, disorganized and cluttered tables, crowded waiting areas and long waits are factors that will create an unpleasant patient experience.
Patient Privacy
Privacy is not just a luxury, it is a necessity mandated by state and local laws governing medical practice in Australia. However, doctors can go a step further and make patient privacy a fundamental part of their customer service by ensuring measures that help protect customers’ privacy and confidentiality at all levels.
