I thought doctors were supposed to be smart people. The more I encounter this population in the medical community, the more I see that they bring a lot of problems on themselves, including malpractice. Strong statement? You bet; but I’ve been seeing a lot to support this claim. I have several family members who are managing the various diseases that come along with aging including a family member with a cancer diagnosis. She is in the process of shopping for the right surgeon. She is knee deep in the healthcare system and like anyone else who has found themselves in this position, is struggling to make sense of the terrain. The one person a patient looks to for support and direction is their physician. This is especially true when they are dealing with life threatening issues. Things like communication, patience, compassion, and understanding become extremely important along with the doctor’s years of experience in their area of specialty.   

On a recent visit to a surgeon’s office our family encountered some interesting behavior on the part of the physician.

• He spoke too rapidly. He even knew he was doing this because he asked us to stop him if he was going too fast for us.
• He reached for and checked his beeper twice during the meeting with my family minimizing the importance of our situation.
• Despite the fact that it took over a week to get lab results back, he was unapologetic citing the recent holiday as the excuse for the delay.
• He required that the patient call for the results of her biopsy rather than scheduling her for an appointment in the office. This took away the patient’s ability to ask questions that immediately come to mind when they are given a life threatening diagnosis – like “Am I going to die from this?”  
• His staff was surly and dispassionate despite the fact that they knew they were dealing with a patient who had just been diagnosed with cancer.

Is it any wonder that this surgeon was not chosen as my family member’s surgeon? 

Here are some of the things this type of behavior invites into a medical practice:

• Loss of current business
• Loss of future business because of poor word-of-mouth advertising in the community where many people ask friends and neighbors for doctor referrals
• The establishment of an adversarial rather than a cooperative relationship with the patient, doctor, and their staff
• Poor patient outcomes due to confusion, misunderstanding, and lack of information
• Possible malpractice suits

No matter what industry you’re in, the cornerstones of any solid customer service program – communication, compassion, patience, and understanding are critical. This is especially true in the health care environment. As consumers we know this to be true not only on the macro level of understanding the intentions of our elected officials to revamp our healthcare system, but also on the micro level of our doctor’s offices.

Hmmmm…let me see. If I were a physician I would prescribe taking two doses of compassion…and call me in the morning.

The ultimate illustration of perseverance in action took place 31 years ago this month. At the Lake Placid Olympics, a youthful team of amateur hockey players, clad in red, white and blue, skillfully defeated the long-established “Big Red Machine,” the Soviet hockey power. The victory electrified the nation and left observers wondering how the Olympians did the impossible. No one could beat the Russians!

But they had, and not by luck or timing but sheer, repetitive effort. Their savvy coach worked the players so hard, their resentment and desire to “show him” helped them jell into a team. Pride pushed them to display ever-greater effort. Fine tuning their game plan, they didn’t consider the possibility of defeat because they were staying on point, building on each day’s efforts. After the thrill of beating the Soviet team, they remained focused, with a single opponent remaining between them and the gold medal. (Impress your friends by knowing this answer: After beating Russia, the US team beat Finland for the gold!) Their remarkable feat remains unmatched. Today, those former players still cite pure perseverance as the key to their success.

When your customer service efforts seem to be going nowhere, do you refocus like an Olympian on your goal of a better connection? It can be closer than you think.

We’ve all heard the mantra: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” How many of us apply it to customer service? It’s easy to write off a business situation as “not a good fit,” yet perseverance can pay. A woman who’d spent years as a sales rep in the medical community wanted to try selling advertising in a different field. A quilter, she knew her hobby’s suppliers and publications. She approached magazines but was told, “You’ve never sold ads before.” Treating them as new customers, she zeroed in on two publications. Her cold calls yielded no job offers, but she collected the direct phone numbers of the publishers she’d met.

Twice a week she placed friendly phone calls.”Remember me? I’m ready to sell for you,” she’d say, gently reminding them of her interest. “Eventually you’ll need an ad sales rep, and I really want that job.” It took three months of persistent reminders, but one publisher, impressed by her persistence, created an opening for her. By persevering, the saleswoman got what she wanted.

Sometimes you just have to try and keep trying. If a situation didn’t work, did you ask what would fix it? A healthy dose of perseverance can turn around a not-so-happy customer and keep the current ones smiling.

What kinds of things can you do to persevere in today’s marketplace?

The longer I am in the business of mystery shopping, the more I see a lack of integrity in the way some mystery shopping companies do business. Because it is such a subtle value, and one that is hard to test for, many don’t know what to look for when it comes to choosing a firm that has integrity.

If you are looking to use a mystery shopping company for the first time in your organization, or are considering making a change this year, let me give you a few helpful hints on what to look for in the firm you select.

A mystery shopping company with integrity will follow this code of conduct: 

1. The company you are considering will demonstrate a willingness to spend the time to understand the scope of your project. Just asking a few questions before they give you a quote may not be enough. A firm with integrity will probe to make sure they “get you” and will also offer ideas that you may not have considered for your project.

2. A mystery shopping company with integrity will stand behind their work. A good way to test for this is to see if they offer you a guarantee.

3. Having integrity means that the mystery shopping company has fully disclosed their approach to your project in their contract with you. What? No contract? Demand one so that you are protected by the agreement.

4. A mystery shopping company with integrity is also one that protects your data. They do not change/corrupt the feedback from their field researchers in an attempt to sugar coat your results.

5. Choosing a firm with integrity means that you will experience communication throughout the process, checking in with progress reports, letting you know that things are running smoothly and when they are not. 

When choosing a mystery shopping company, take your time and consider the core values of the firms you are considering. If integrity isn’t one of those values…keep looking!

What does integrity mean to you?  

I hate sappy New Year messages and if I read one more blog, article, letter, card, or email wishing me a Happy New Year, I am going to scream! I would say that I am going to cry, but it seems that John Boehner, United States Speaker of the House, has the market cornered in that regard!

It seems like people have a hard time being creative at this time of year. Maybe they used up all of their creativity over the holidays. My point is this, those messages for success and profitability in 2011 are all the same after a while.  To capture my attention (and the attention of a lot of other people) you need to be different in the way you do business and that includes the way your reach your customers and the messages you send. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot of competition out there.

So instead of my wishing all of you who are a part of this blogging community a “Happy New Year”, let me tell what my hopes are for you in 2011:

As a part of our blogging community, I hope…

• all of your customers become raving fans of your products and services
• all of your customers tell all of their friends on Facebook and Twitter how great it is to do business with you
• your customers can readily see the value in what you sell and never quibble about price
• your vendors, clients, contractors, and employees call or email you back within 24 hours
• every resource you need is within your reach
• all of your customers are repeaters
• every experience a customer has with you is fabulous
• all of your employees are top performers
• 2011 is your best year yet

What do you hope for your customers?