03_952516_fbetw.qxd 9/21/05 9:42 AM Page viii 01_952516_ffirs_7.qxd 6/20/11 10:37 AM Page i Customer Service in Health Care A Grassroots Approach to Creating a Culture of Service Excellence a Kristin Baird 01_952516_ffirs_7.qxd 6/20/11 10:37 AM Page ii Copyright © 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 www.josseybass.com No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Readers should be aware that Internet Web sites offered as citations and/or sources for further information may have changed or disappeared between the time this was written and when it is read. Jossey-Bass books and products are available through most bookstores. To contact Jossey-Bass directly call our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-956-7739, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3986, or fax 317-572-4002. Jossey-Bass also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Cover design by Dan Stein Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Baird, Kristin. Customer service in health care : a grassroots approach to creating a culture of service excellence / by Kristin Baird. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-787-95251-8 (paper), ISBN 978-1-119-02031-8 (PDF) 1. Medical care—Customer services. 2. Patient satisfaction. I. Title. [DNLM: 1. Health Services—standards. 2. Patient Satisfaction. W 85 B162c 1999] R7727.B276 1999 362.1'068—dc21 DNLM/DLC for Library of Congress 99-36797 Printed in the United States of America FIRSTEDITION PB Printing 10 9 8 7 02_952516_ftoc.qxd 9/21/05 9:38 AM Page iii a Contents List of Figures and Tables v About the Author vii Preface ix Acknowledgments xiii CHAPTER ONE Why Customer Service? 1 CHAPTER TWO Setting Your Course—Senior Leadership Takes the Wheel 17 CHAPTER THREE Championing Buy-In and Ownership— You Can’t Do It Alone 41 CHAPTER FOUR Where Are You Now?—Establishing Your Baseline 55 CHAPTER FIVE Creating Meaningful Standards to Live By 63 CHAPTER SIX The Training Sessions—Getting Everyone on the Same Page 77 iii 02_952516_ftoc.qxd 9/21/05 9:38 AM Page iv iv • Contents CHAPTER SEVEN Keeping the Effort Alive 103 CHAPTER EIGHT Customer Service Pointers for Physicians 119 CHAPTER NINE A Message for Nurses 135 CHAPTER TEN Measuring Results 149 Index 159 02_952516_ftoc.qxd 9/21/05 9:38 AM Page v a List of Figures and Tables Figures 1-1 Ladder of Marketing Achievement 10 2-1 Road Map for Success 19 3-1 Quality Improvement Team’s Ground Rules 51 5-1 Customer Service Standards and Pledge 74 5-2 Customer Service Participant Thank-You Letter 75 6-1 Manager Training—CEO’s Opening Statements 86 6-2 Manager Training Agenda 87 6-3 Management Education Meeting Agenda 90 6-4 Departmental Customer Service Action Plan 91 6-5 New-Employee Customer Service Orientation Outline 94 6-6 Customer Service Team’s Employee In-Service Training Format and Agenda 97 6-7 Invitation to Medical Staff 99 6-8 Customer Service Training Program’s Participant Survey 100 v 02_952516_ftoc.qxd 9/21/05 9:38 AM Page vi vi • List of Figures and Tables 7-1 Pledge to External Customers 108 7-2 Quarterly Manager Review of Patient Satisfaction Data 110 7-3 Annual Education Day Team Discussion Outline 113 7-4 Identifying Customers and Their Needs 114 Tables 6-1 Customer Service Planning Guide 80 6-2 Goals,Training Tactics,and Objectives 82 03_952516_fbetw.qxd 9/21/05 9:42 AM Page vii a About the Author Kristin Baird has been in health care since 1977. She is cur- rently vice president of business development and marketing for Watertown (WI) Area Health Services and president of Baird Consulting,Inc.Ms.Baird’s expertise in health care mar- keting and communications began as a clinician and freelance writer.Her experience as a registered nurse,marketer,admin- istrator, and consultant has shaped a keen understanding of customer service from a variety of perspectives. Her interest and expertise in customer service stems from practical,on-the- job experience as well as research. An experienced focus group facilitator,speaker,and trainer, Ms.Baird has given speeches and seminars on health care mar- keting, communication, and customer service to dozens of groups in a variety of health care settings. Ms.Baird holds a bachelor of science degree in nursing and a master’s degree in health services administration. vii 03_952516_fbetw.qxd 9/21/05 9:42 AM Page viii