Well this post is a continuation of that one but it's about a Doctor that doesn't got it!
Just the other day I received poor service from a Saint Charles Primary Care Physican. It was reminiscent of some poor service I've received from Doctor's in the medical industry before. Especially those connected with the HMO organization (and I could rant a good day about that whole industries poor understanding of the customer and who pays them to be in business). But it's the first time I experienced it here in the affluent community of Saint Charles, Illinois and that's just the beginning.
So if you're from Stc IL, I hope I don't burst your bubble because there's a Saint Charles Doctor that really needs to clean up his poor customer service mannerisms.
Let this blog serve as a wake up call for any people in private practice that have forgotten why they went into medicine in the first place. Ten years worth of under studying medicine should include a lot of wisdom on how to give great customer service. And I've spoken to many of organizations about providing great customer service if you need a speaker.
While I'm not into tearing down the reputations of Doctors because some of my best friends are Doctors I do believe this lesson will serve as a way for all Saint Charles Doctors to think about the client/employee relationship. Now if you want to improve customer relations in the Medical Industry in Saint Charles and really make it number one follow my A-D prescription below and you'll improve the unhealthy relationships that some doctors have with their customers and that's not all.
So here's the story...
And I'm going to cut to the chase. I go into the Doctors office and it's the first time I've seen this physcian. Of course you know I've completed all the miscellaneous paper work. Yeah that paper work that gives them your history and assures that you will pay if the insurance company doesn't.
I'm waiting for him to come into the room. He enters, sits down and ask me "
Why are you here?". Not a bad start but I always ask my customers "What can I do for you today?" It sounds more personal and it's very soothing to the customers ears. It immediately let's the customer know you're going to do something and it's going to be personally for them.
I explain my eye specialist has had a few meetings with me (at their approval and referral) and for some reason his office won't allow me to see the specialist again until I've seen my primary care physcian (who does not have the expertise to resolve my eye problems).
So he starts off by telling me if I want him as my doctor I need to stop in more regulary so we can build a relationship. But if I'm just coming in for him to be my "paper work guy" to fill out my paper work in order to give me a referral to see another doctor he's not into that kind of client patient relationship.
Problem #1
Poor choice of words on his part, poor approach. He's the Service Provider...I'm the customer, I'm the one paying for the service.
Solution #1
A.) Don't talk too much about how you perceive the customer/company relationship. Avoid telling the customer what kind of relationships you're not into. This comes across harsh and very unprofessional. The customer's not really concerned about your philosophy. They're concerned about whether you have the capability (= know how), the product and the skill sets necessary to take care of their problem. This leads to part B of your solution if you want to be a great service provider and an excellent Customer Passion Evangelist.
B.) The rule in Sales is
"Customers don't care how much you know until they know how much YOU CARE".In every line of business we're in we're all "Knowledge Workers". Customers will never get to see if you have the knowledge if they feel you don't care about them. The million dollar question is... "Do you care about your customers?", If you do then act like it. If you're not sure then fake it till you make it. If you know for sure you don't like your customers then get out of the business you're in.
C.) Find out "What are the customer NEEDS"? Then fill it.
D.) Finally know your role in the business relationship and understand what your job title means. If you forget in the business relationship that the only reason for a business to be in business is to
"Take CARE of a Customer"then you're in real trouble! Now if you understand what your job title means and your capable of providing the level of service your title says you should be able to execute then you're on your way...in this case his title was "Primary Care Physician" which translates in the Customer Passion Evangelist Dictionary to mean...
"the number One Physician that CARES".
He's got a great title but he's not in alignment with what his title is communicating. Now if you've got what I've just communicated then you've just increased your customers and your customer retention by 500% regardless of what industry you're in. Thanks for your time...(to be continued)
Your Servant,
Deremiah, *CPE
PS
*CPE = Creating Physician Extraordinaire's
