Printer-friendly format

I experienced a powerful lesson in customer service in, of all places, KFC. Hungry, but in a hurry, I pulled into the first quick place I saw. Glancing at the items on the buffet, I got into the line to order and pay. The smiling teenager behind the counter said, “That’ll be $6.05.” I pulled out the six dollars and began digging in my overstuffed purse for the change.

“Never mind, I have it,” the cashier said. Though I protested his offer, he pulled from his pocket a dime and put it into the cash register. No, not out of the penny exchange, from his own pocket. I was impressed. It wasn’t what I expected from a young cashier.

I was even less prepared for what happened next. He took the nickel change out of the cash register and, with a big smile and a wink, handed it to me! OK, now he really had my attention. He had not only exceeded my expectations, he had managed to surprise me. I’m still telling the story to everyone! (By the way, after I ate, I searched the establishment to find the young man to give him a dollar tip. Pretty good return on a dime!)

What does chicken have to do with healthcare leadership? It turns out, plenty.

When I went into that KFC, I expected reasonably courteous, fast service. If I had gotten only that, I would have been “satisfied.” But I would have hurried on my way after a non-experience, and we wouldn’t have been having this discussion today. Because of this young man’s actions that exceeded my expectations, KFC is getting my word-of-mouth advertising.

When it comes to healthcare, that’s a principle you can’t afford to ignore. Customer satisfaction is not the goal! To build customer loyalty, get referrals, and build repeat business, you have to do more than satisfy your customers (meet their expectations.) You have to go beyond the expected. You have to capture their attention, impress them, surprise them. That’s when they go out and tell their neighbors about it. You can’t have more effective advertising than that.

Four points to ponder…

1. Have you systematically assessed the unique expectations of your customers?
Though well-intended, a generic customer satisfaction survey is premature before finding out what’s most important to your unique patients and families. You want to be sure that you’re focusing on and measuring the things that really matter to them, the mental report card by which they’re judging their healthcare experience. Why not ask them what’s most important in a brief written survey while they’re waiting? (Hopefully not waiting too long!) We’ve found some surprising answers when we’ve conducted in-office surveys, telephone surveys, or patient focus groups.

2. Have you prepared your staff to exceed those expectations?

Once you have a list of your patients’ priority expectations, every member of your team should be focused on the goal of going the tenth mile to create the kinds of positive emotional experiences that people go out and talk about. That means educating them to be sure they have the skills, then noticing and celebrating positive “magnetic moments,” daily actions that attract (not repel) customers.

3. Are you measuring the perceptions and opinions of your customers, refusing to be satisfied with “satisfied?”

The pursuit of powerful (and profitable) customer loyalty also requires feedback on how well you’re doing on the things patients care about. The ongoing measurement of patient perceptions is absolutely necessary–but not sufficient. Data stashed away in some big file cabinet is useless; it must get back to the people who will put it into action.

I remind you, good isn’t good enough, and satisfaction must not satisfy. Engage your team in the relentless pursuit of positive customer surprise.

4. Are you serving as a living example of going the extra mile with your patients?

That young man in KFC wasn’t even a manager. He was barely out of high school. Yet he demonstrated a passion for service.

What about you personally? Don’t expect from your team what you do not model. If all of your daily behaviors were replicated by every team member, how impressed would your patients be?

I love the poem by Edgar Guest which begins: I’d rather see a sermon than to hear one any day. I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way. The eye’s a better pupil, and more willing than the ear. Fine counsel is confusing, while example’s always clear.



September 2007

Tags:

None

Login and voice your opinion!