Last time around, we got all dark and gloomy and even a bit emo about customer service in healthcare. Where does that leave us? Well, the good news is that the answer is really simple, and better yet, it is the driving force for many individuals who choose healthcare as a profession in the first place.
It is the key that can take ANY interaction and make it positive; it can turn the most hardened of patients and family members and cause them to melt. This one factor, if applied completely, will not only provide an excellent experience for the patient, but will also elevate the mood of the caregiver and provide more fulfillment that any other one aspect of service.
Distilled down to the most simplistic form, the solution to customer service in healthcare is…compassion (with that kind of a build up, some of you probably thought you were going to have read part 3 of this topic to find out!)
Compassion. I have best heard it described as being “more vigorous than empathy,” the sort of drive that causes us to want to intervene or make a difference in another’s life.
Illustration
The biblical parable of the “Good Samaritan” clearly illustrates this idea…a man robbed, beaten, and left for dead is rescued by a complete stranger who happened to be a Samaritan - a group that had some pretty strong disagreements with the Jewish people, and vise versa.
The Samaritan cared for the wounded man, bandaged his injuries, transported him to a nearby inn and prepaid the inn keeper for his stay, then promised to cover any expenses that went above and beyond the money he up fronted.
This is compassion in action.
A Driving Force
All the customer service techniques in the world are mostly trying to create what comes naturally from true compassion. You want an excellent customer service team? Then hire compassionate people. A compassionate person is a force to be reckoned with, someone who can withstand the most difficult of situations and still demonstrate care.
Not that customer service training is a waste, but a sincere, compassionate individual will have the drive and ingenuity to apply and reshape the way we look at satisfying patients in healthcare.
After all, people go to hospitals to be cared for…we should make sure that they are also cared about.
If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read - I appreciate any comments and feedback. If you enjoyed this please check out my other postings, and if you disliked this, then you should check out my other postings.
