The tattered magazines were at least one year old. The canned healthcare TV programming was turned down to barely audible. Incredibly bored, my mother spent her time watching a large bug walk across the waiting room floor and constantly updated me on its progress.
With no updates from the urgent care staff, and nearly 90 minutes later, my mother was finally called back for service. She was not greeted warmly. Mom was led to a bathroom and asked to void in a cup, but she noted that there was no bathroom soap to wash her hands afterwards. A retired nurse who values cleanliness, this was especially upsetting to my mother.
After sitting in the exam room for another 20 minutes, an unsmiling nurse took her vitals and then a doctor arrived. He was in and out so quickly that no personal connection was made. We left with an antibiotic prescription in hand, and a promise extracted by my mother that I never take her to this urgent care again.
What does the Perfect Patient or Client Experience look like? Certainly, not like this. Where does the Perfect Patient or Client Experience begin? Some would say it begins with a simple sincere smile. At Contrast Creative, we’ve become experts in this area through our years of employee engagement work for healthcare organizations like Duke University Hospital, but also with BB&T, one of the nations top financial institutions. Both organizations have thousands of busy employees working on different floors, led by different managers, and, in BB&T’s case, working across different regions of the country.
Given these circumstances, how can a strong, cohesive message be effectively communicated and heard by the people you’re aiming to reach?
We believe it begins with communicating your culture, your mission, vision and values immediately and consistently to your employees. This is a key driver of employee loyalty, satisfaction and retention. A happy employee is your greatest brand ambassador. A happy employee, who understands and embraces your culture translates into great client service, and that delivers you a happy customer.
Unhappy customers are costly and influential. The Affordable Care Act, for instance, has essentially put patients in the driver’s seat by giving them the ability to voice their subjective perceptions on everything from perceived friendliness to food quality through post care surveys. The results, which are tied to Medicare reimbursement rates, are negatively impacting some healthcare organizations reputations as well as their organization’s bottom line, which is, of course, the proverbial “painful pill to swallow.”
Here are some statistics to consider:
- Customers are three times more likely to tell their friends about a negative
experience. - 80% of people will not buy from a business that has negative reviews.
- It takes 10 to 12 positive reviews to offset one negative review.
- More than half of U.S. consumers (51 percent) switched the companies they do business with in the past year due to poor experiences.*
Happy Employees = Happy Clients
As your organization grows, how will you define and celebrate your culture across regions? How will you build a team of employees whose work is not just a job but a calling to something greater? How will you create a strong brand that exudes your mission, vision and values?
Here is your mental start:
- Dare to be Different
- Be Transparent
- Push the Boundaries
- Connect the head to the heart in every interaction
Here is your tangible start:
- Create Mission, Vision and Values Messaging and share it immediately and consistently with every employee through a single video, a strategically produced quarterly video newsletter or an All Staff Program.
- Create a smart, creative Perfect Patient/Client Experience Training video content and share immediately and consistently with every employee
- Develop strong storytelling content that advances and reinforces your unique culture through the positive stories of your satisfied patients or clients
- Develop strong content that celebrates your employees as individuals and team members to reinforce your culture
- Rely on the expertise of Contrast Creative to help you achieve your employee engagement and client satisfaction goals
Sources:
* http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-22/angry-customers-cost-companies-5-dot-9-trillion