Customer Service

Apply Service Skills Internally

Using top customer service skills isn’t a quality reserved for patients. Your co-workers deserve the same treatment.

By Elizabeth Holloway, Clearwater, FL.

When ophthalmic professionals talk about “customer service,” they are typically referring to patients. However, they actually encounter two types of customers: external and internal. External customers are patients, retail customers, vendors and consultants. Internal customers are other team members, including managers and physicians.

While teamwork focuses on groups working together to accomplish specific tasks or goals, customer service of the internal customer focuses on transferring the same patient skills to warm and friendly interactions with co-workers and practice leaders.

The double standard

Unfortunately, some offices display a double standard for their level of service to external and internal customers. For example, staff may be comforting to patients in one moment and, in the next, speak rudely to a co-worker. Physicians may use a demeaning tone with a staff member, but then walk into an exam room, smile, and warmly shake the patient’s hand. A manager may berate an employ before switching gears to speak with a vendor.

Commitment to care

As practices develop customer service plans for the care of patients, they should also be committing to the care of their internal customer. This customer service plan must be implemented from the top down. Physicians, managers, and staff members must be willing to be customer-service oriented. Just as the phone team makes an extra effort to work a sick patient into the doctor’s schedule, the COA makes an extra effort to help the scribe. Customer service to the internal customer is not simply being nice. Rather, it is a conscious effort to meet or exceed the expectations of supervisors and peers.

Quality of work

Patients require customer service from ophthalmologists, and physicians do not have the luxury of making a mistake. If the staff considers the physician as their internal customer, they should do everything they can to anticipate what the physician will need to provide efficient, quality care. Testing technicians should develop superior imaging skills. If a manager asks a staff member to be compliant with company policy, the staff member should be mindful that the manager is also a customer and deserves the best from them. Every position in the office needs to serve the other by ensuring their quality of work provides stellar customer service.

Accountability

Many practices have implemented a patient satisfaction program to measure how well the office is meeting expectations. One way to hold the office accountable to internal customer service is to survey the team. A survey could be conducted online or key staff members could be interviewed. Staff members can hold each other accountable by treating others the same way they would want to be treated and by making sure internal customer service starts with them. When team members work on internal customer service, the culture is one of support. To complete the cycle, improved internal customer service provides better patient care. OP

Ms. Holloway is a senior consultant with BSM Consulting in Clearwater, FL. Her current certifications include Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Certified Patient Service Specialist (CPSS).