Teamwork and training boost customer service
Teamwork and training boost customer service
Nalle Clinic program includes staff incentives
When Nalle Clinic in Charlotte, NC, surveyed patients in 1995, more than 90% said they would recommend the large, multispecialty group practice to their friends and family. But amid that good news, the clinic’s leading physicians and administrators saw a problem: The disapproving patients cited instances of poor customer service.
The solution was to launch a major customer service initiative, including staff and physician training, an incentive program, and quality teams. The result: patient complaints declined by 13% in the latter part of 1996, and the clinic has set of a goal for a further 12% reduction in 1997.
In addition to improving relationships with patients, the customer service program has enhanced communication among the staff and physicians, says Jodi Strong, Nalle Clinic’s manager of quality improvement. "Morale is up; communication is viewed as being higher," says Strong. "Experts tell us employee satisfaction is a reflection of patient satisfaction."
To improve customer service, the Nalle Clinic took the following initiatives:
• Set up cross-functional quality teams.
Nalle Clinic, which has more than 110 physicians at a main location and six satellite centers, maintains a quality council that meets twice a month. The clinic’s chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, director of facilities, and director of communications serve on the council, along with the medical director and two associate medical directors.
The quality council set up 10 teams of staff members and physicians to deal with such topics as customer access and medical records. For example, the customer access team studied the phone system and implemented a new telephone nurse triage system for after-hours calls plus an automated system to provide directions, health tips, and background information on doctors.
• Track patient complaints and impressions.
Patient relations representatives maintain a presence in the lobby of Nalle Clinic, which allows patients an easy vehicle to express their concerns. Clinic policy dictates that any complaints will be resolved within 48 hours, says Strong.
The clinic sets staff goals around complaints because they are easily quantifiable, she says. To gather other information on patient concerns, the clinic also sends special "first impression" surveys to new patients, and another survey to all patients who request their records to be transferred to a different physician office.
System uses notebook computer
Nalle Clinic recently switched to a new patient satisfaction measurement system that involves using a touchpen on a notebook computer. The new system will allow Nalle Clinic to compare scores with other clinics managed by Nashville, TN-based PhyCor around the country, but will interrupt the clinic’s internal comparisons until a new database can be developed, Strong says.
Still, there is one other benefit of the touchpen system: Office managers can receive patient satisfaction results at the end of each day, she says. Patient satisfaction also is a component of annual physician evaluations, she says.
• Provide staff and physician training.
Using a customized program developed by a local consultant, Nalle Clinic trained the entire staff, totaling more than 350 employees, to improve their interaction with customers. To accomplish that massive task, some employees went through a one-week extensive training course and then served as "peer trainers."
In three-hour sessions over five Thursday afternoons, employees learned how to deal with the angry patient, how to recognize and adapt to different behavioral styles, how to resolve patients’ special needs, and how to improve telephone skills. Graduates of the program receive a gold sticker to place on their name badges.
Meanwhile, physicians received special training in patient communications through the West Haven, CT-based Bayer Institute of Health Care Communications. (For more information on the Bayer Institute, see related story, p. 29.)
While physicians were not required to attend the training, which was held on Saturdays or weekday evenings, they were "strongly encouraged" to participate, says Lee Guice, MD, associate medical director. More than 80% have now had the training, which was well-accepted, he says.
Not only has the program improved physicians’ interactions with patients, "it has improved relationships and communication among individuals in the organization," Guice says.
• Establish incentive programs.
In Nalle Clinic’s "Partners in Excellence" program, employees receive recognition for customer service suggestions that are adopted and bonuses for cost-saving measures they devise. For example, a receptionist suggested a way to identify patients whose primary language was not English before they arrived for their visits, so the staff and physician could be prepared with an interpreter.
A radiology technician found a way to place 24 pictures on a film, instead of 12. She received 10% of the cost savings of $8,700 or a check for $870.
Customer service measures, such as a reduction in patient complaints, are included in the clinic’s overall incentive plan. In 1996, all employees received a bonus of $420.
It was important for the incentive plan to include customer service as well as cost-saving goals, says Strong. "We wanted to make sure we were emphasizing customer service, not just the bottom line," she says.
The programs also show employees they have a valued role, says Guice. "It’s giving our support staff a sense of ownership and a sense of pride in doing a job well," he says.
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