Definition of Customer
A customer or client is a person seeking services from
health facilities, institutions, organizations, or a service provider.
Good customer service is important in
every industry, but perhaps in none more than in health care. Health care
professionals provide us their services when we are in our most vulnerable
states. How a nurse, doctor, receptionist, or tech interacts with us can have a
profound impact on our care experience. Good customer service in the health
care industry includes, without a doubt, quality medical care delivered by
highly competent professionals. Even exceptional training, experience,
and technology, however, are not sufficient to make most patients feel cared for
when their health is in question.
Patients need personal attention and
thorough communication about their health, so it is important to find health
care providers who take the time to answer all of your questions and educate
you about your health and your care options
To provide excellent customer service,
health care providers must see their patients as human beings first. A provider who communicates not only information but also compassion can make a
tremendous difference in how a patient experiences care
Every
employee in a healthcare company is potentially a customer service
representative – someone whose daily activities should be focused on improving
the quality of care provided to patients. Some employees will interact with
patients directly while others work in supporting roles (behind the scenes),
but everyone should approach his or her job with a customer-service mindset.
Why Customer Service is Important to Healthcare Companies?
Customer service experiences set
the expectation for the quality of care
You may have the most skilled physicians and experienced nurses in the industry, but if you can’t provide a consistently high-quality experience for your patients, they won’t recognize you for outstanding healthcare. The goal of healthcare companies should be to develop long-term relationships with patients rather than approaching each interaction as if it was a transaction.
Happy patients are likely to
return to the same doctors, clinics, and facilities for all their healthcare
needs
Happy patients are also highly
likely to recommend healthcare companies to friends, family members, and
co-workers. Doctor-patient relationships may not be easily and/or often
recognized, but they are some of the best examples of customer loyalty in any
industry and the strongest doctor-patient relationships start with customer
service. The reputation your company develops for excellent or poor customer
service will be critical in determining whether potential patents seek your
services in the future.
Bad data can lead to
life-threatening mistakes
The healthcare industry depends
heavily on accurate patient data to make diagnostic and treatment
recommendations. Errors, incomplete records, and staff’s inability to access
needed data can severely impact the quality of care – even potentially leading
to life-threatening mistakes and malpractice lawsuits. Customer service systems
and processes, and the thoroughness of staff, are the first defense against
costly mistakes.
Poor customer service is an
indicator of bigger problems
Customer service performance is
often a symptom and indicator of underlying issues within an organization. A
company that provides excellent customer service is likely to have robust and
refined processes and systems. Companies that provide poor customer service are
likely to struggle with process inefficiencies, staff training, and data
quality. These don’t just impact patient care, they also impact the cost of
operations.
Establish Rapport to create Interpersonal Relationship
Rapport
is a connection or relationship with someone else. It can be considered as a
state of harmonious understanding with another individual or group. Building
rapport is the process of developing that connection with someone else.
Sometimes rapport happens naturally.
What is the interpersonal relationship?
A strong bond between two or more people refers to interpersonal relationships. The attraction between individuals brings them close to each other and eventually results in a strong interpersonal relationship.
Interpersonal relationship skills refer to the ability to build rapport with individuals having similar interests and goals as we do. In a workplace, interpersonal relationship skills allow us to share a special bond with our co-workers such that trust and positive feelings for one another are maintained.
Interpersonal
relationship skills at the workplace allow a better understanding among employees
as well as more effective communication. For individuals spending, on average,
seven to eight hours of their day at work, it is irrational to believe they can
work all by themselves. So we all ought to have healthy interpersonal
relationships at work to be able to have a friendly ambiance.
An interpersonal relationship can develop between any of the following:
- Individuals working together in the same organization.
- People working in the same team.
- Relationship between a man and a woman (Love, Marriage).
- Relationship with immediate family members and relatives.
- Relationship of a child with his parents.
- Relationship between friends.
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