Customer Service

People Skills Go a Long Way

Consider these tips to create a winning customer service formula.

By Elizabeth Holloway

Staff members choosing a career in ophthalmology have a responsibility to insure that each patient they encounter has a great customer service experience. While every patient is unique, insightful staff members can create a winning formula for consistent customer service that is both simple and effective.

Here are three techniques staff can employ to enhance the overall patient experience in their practice.

Always wear a smile

Smile. Never underestimate the power of a smile. Whether a patient is a staff favorite or the practice grump, a smile can truly make someone’s day. When arriving at work, staff members need to leave their personal troubles at the door. Start—and end—every day with a smile.

The eyes have it

Make eye contact. Engage patients enthusiastically and be ready to address their needs. Patients expect a professional medical staff to be attentive. Making consistent eye contact demonstrates that you care. When a clinic starts running behind, some staff may try to avoid eye contact and ignore the problem. Even if there is some kind of issue, delay, or problem, a patient will still feel the practice cares if staff makes eye contact and explains the situation, or simply asks: “Hello, how can I help you?”

Eye contact is especially important in practices that have converted to electronic health records (EHR). Patients of these practices often remark that “even the doctor” did not truly look at them during their visit. While patients may feel they are being examined through the slit lamp, they may never feel truly “seen” because the doctor is focused intently on the computer screen. To counter this negative experience, all staff members should focus on the following ways to combine necessary work on the computer with eye contact:

■ The front desk can look the patient in the eye when greeting the patient at check-in.

■ The technician can look the patient in the eye during “weather talk” on the way to the lane and when asking questions regarding the patient’s medical history.

■ All staff members can look into the eyes of patients when asking direct questions, but can turn back to the computer when patients begin to speak.

With a little experimenting, an EHR practice can find the right combination of interaction that will allow patients to feel a connection while data is entered into a computer.

Call patients by name

Create a personal connection by consistently addressing patients by name. Patients do not want to feel as if they are a number. Even if a practice is fastpaced, the personal touch of using a patient’s name will create a relationship that can grow even in a hectic environment. Staff members who give consistently great customer service find ways to incorporate a patient’s name throughout the visit.

Although practices get busy, a winning customer service formula does not have to be time-consuming. In an instant, a staff member can make the patient feel welcomed by smiling, making eye contact, and using the patient’s name. This is a winning formula that is so simple you might wonders if it truly works. There’s only one way to find out … try it! OP

Ms. Holloway is the Chief Operations Officer for Eye Site of Tampa Bay in Clearwater, FL. Her current certifications include Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Certified Patient Service Specialist (CPSS).