Teaching Customer Service in a Healthcare Curriculum

1. Teaching Customer Service in a Healthcare Curriculum Terry Whitson, TW Training Cedar Rapids, Iowa

2. Things to ponder: • Understand service vs. satisfaction • Identify measurement standards for internal and external customer satisfaction • Understand how the four generations can assist teams to be more effective with clients, families, patients, and each other • Identify characteristics of each generation and what teams should keep in mind

3. What makes a team work? • 1. Understanding your role as a contributing member • 2. Understanding the expectations and goals • 3. Displaying a positive attitude • 4. Having common access to resources • 5. Working in a climate of trust • 6. Believing you can make a difference • 7. Supporting decisions that are made • 8. Exhibiting a win/win approach to conflicts • 9. Exhibiting effective communication skills • 10. Having a commitment to customer satisfaction (internal and external)

4. Service vs. Satisfaction? • Service is going through the motions • Satisfaction is the WOW factor or giving more then expected

5. Why is providing customer satisfaction such a struggle? • Please discuss the common barriers to providing excellent customer service and creating customer satisfaction.

6. Everyone benefits from superior service and satisfaction!

7. Customer Strategies • How does a customer’s expectations affect the perception of the service received? • Expectations • Perception • Reality

8. Moment of Truth • Occurs whenever and wherever there’s customer contact • It’s the moment when the customer forms a perception of the organization and you

9. Who is your customer? • The most important person…internally or externally…in person, on the phone, by e-mail or mail

10. What does your customer want from you? • To listen • Answer a question • Solve a problem

11. Measurement • What is your customer service standards? • How do you measure them? • What are the consequences to you and your organization of not meeting those standards?

12. Which statements reflect how you feel? • The customer is always right • The customer always has the right to be treated right • Treat others as you would want to be treated • Treat others as they want to be treated

13. What is a service culture? • Members of a team share the philosophy that fulfilling the needs of both external and internal customers is of prime importance • Building positive relationships

14. How do you build a service culture? • 1. Recognize quality service • 2. Assess your own service delivery • 3. Assess systems, policies, and procedures • 4. Develop a service philosophy

15. Service culture indicators: • People smile • People are friendly and courteous to each other • People take responsibility • People are responsive • People ask if they can help • People look for ways to improve • People feel empowered to act • People break down communicationbarriers

16. Good Intentions vs. Outstanding Service • Good intentions are not enough-customers can only see and hear our behavior. • Everything you do and say, with every single customer, must be geared toward demonstrating the importance you and the organization places on outstanding customer service.

17. In order to build a service culture, two things need to work hand in hand: • Systems, processes, procedures • People

18. Service promise • There must be a connection between what you promise and what you deliver. • A gap between the two can lead to customer service problems.

19. Customer Scenarios • 1. Family is upset because of a delay in treatment. • 2. Family is dissatisfied with the way they were treated. • 3. You feel your team member isn’t giving the best care because they are disgruntled about a new policy.

20. How can you increase your value to your customers? What does a “delighter” look like? Customer Satisfaction Challenge

21. Generational Challenge • Each generation uses different languages • E.g. When I say “effective communication methods”…what does that mean to you?

22. Generational Challenge • “Communication methods” could mean formal writing and speaking to an older generation • Might mean e-mail, texting, face book or instant messaging to the younger generation

23. Your style • What is your preferred communication style at work? • How do you like to give and receive feedback? • If you could choose how your team interacts with each other, what communication methods would you suggest?

24. What are the generations? • Traditionalists Up through 1945 • Baby Boomer 1946-1964 76 million • Gen X 1965-1982 45 million • Millennial (Gen Y) 1982-present 80 million

25. Generational Differences Relate To Shaping Influences: • Social, political &economic • Education level • Familial structure • Communication styles • Role of work in life • Technology

26. Things to consider: • Communication • Work ethic and values • Interaction with team members • Feedback and rewards • Motivation

27. Influencing years • Traditionalists 1930- 1950’s • Baby Boomers 1950’s-1970’s • Gen X 1970’s-1990’s • Millennial 1990’s- 2000’s

28. Why is this important? • Research indicates that people communicate based on their generational backgrounds • Distinct attitudes, behaviors, expectations, habits, and motivations are influenced by familial and cultural experiences of childhood-defines your generations values

29. Traditionalists

30. Defining Events: Traditionalist • The Great Depression • F. Roosevelt Presidency (New Deal) • Pearl Harbor • World II • Atomic Bomb: Hiroshima/Nagasaki • Cold War • Television • Big Band era

31. Workplace for a Traditionalist • Created the organizations we know today. • Influenced by the military and created a workplace reflecting a hierarchy with a clear chain of command. • Employees worked hard to receive raises, bonuses and higher ranks. Higher rank (with the higher salary) was valued and envied by employees on their way up and held in high esteem by those at the top.

32. Characteristics of the Traditionalist In the Workplace Values • Hard work • Consistency, uniformity • Discipline • Individual contributions • Organization • Hierarchy • Tradition • Logic • Family • Direct communication • Dedication • Conformity • Law and order • Patience • Delayed reward • Duty before Pleasure • Adherence to rules • Honor • Respect for authority

33. Characteristics of a Traditionalist • Traditional family structure (marry once) • One or two jobs in a lifetime • Believe in earned respect through tenure • Expected education level: High School • Not as comfortable with technology • Frugal/pragmatic: “Spendthrifts” • Need to feel RESPECTED • Success because… I’ve worked hard and put in the time

34. Baby Boomers

35. Baby Boomer • Civil Rights • Birth control pill introduced • John F. Kennedy elected president • Cuban Missile Crisis • John Glenn circles earth • MLK March on Washington • JFK, MLK, RFK assassinations • Combat troops sent to Vietnam • Moon landing/ Woodstock • Vietnam War Protests/Kent State shootings • Rock and Roll

36. Characteristics of Boomers • Need Recognition for achievements • Posted degrees and certificates on office walls • Use of designation of earned credentials on business cards • Titles • Value those who work long/traditional (9-5+) hours • Lots of meetings • Involvement/Consensual Leadership • Define themselves by what they do • Keeping up with the “Joneses”-deviate from parents frugality “You are what you have” • Need to feel valued and NEEDED

37. Baby Boomer • Role of career • Central focus • Possibly six career positions • Value long hours and late nights • View of authority • Challenge leaders • Work to get to the next level • View of technology • Master it • Success because…Driven, “change the world”

38. GENERTATION X

39. Gen X • Watergate Scandal • Energy Crisis begins • Tandy and Apple Market PCs • US Corporations begin Massive Layoffs • Iran Hostage Crisis • John Lennon shot and killed • Ronald Reagan inaugurated • Challenger Disaster • Exxon Valdez Oil Tanker Spill • HIV • Three-Mile Island • Fall of the Berlin Wall • Operation Desert Storm • Rodney King beating, LA riots • Punk Rock, Rap, and Grunge

40. Environment of Gen-X • Divorce reached an all-time high • Single-parent families became the norm • Latch-key kids were a major issue of the time • Children not as valued – looked at as a hardship • Families spread out (miles apart) • Family size = 1.7 children (many only-children) • Average 10 year old spent 14 ½ minutes a day with a significant adult role model • Turmoil during this generation led to a perception of the world as “unsafe”

41. As a Result • Lack of trust in the “system” • Inquisitive—need to know “why” • Define themselves by personal interests-not what they do for a living • Work to live, not live to work

42. Characteristics of Gen-X • This is the conscientious, extremely pragmatic, self-sufficient generation that has a ruthless focus on the bottom-line. • Born and raised at a time when children were at the bottom of our social priorities. Gen Xers learned that they could only count on one thing - themselves. As a result, they are very "me" oriented. • Not competitive with others- believe everyone should be treated the same

43. Characteristics of the Gen X • Fun • Informality • Pragmatism • Family • Entrepreneurial spirit • Feedback • Values • Diversity • Self-reliance • Question authority • Thinking globally • Balance • Techno-literacy

44. Gen X • Expected Education: College/Some Graduate School • Role of career • 12 different careers • What I do, not who I am • View of authority • Team members important, don’t necessarily try to become the leader • View of technology • Savvy-grew up with computers and video games • Success because…Adaptable

45. Millenials

46. Millennial (Gen-Y, Echo Boomers) • Oklahoma City Bombing • Clinton/Lewinsky scandal • Columbine High School shootings • Dot.com rise & fall • Institutionalization of Internet/Web/Cell • Phone Technologies • Gore/Bush Presidential Campaign • 9/11 (threat of additional terrorism) • Iraq War • Bush/Kerry Presidential Campaign • Helicopter parents

47. Characteristics of Millennial’s • This generation is civic-minded, much like the Traditionalist generation. • They are collectively optimistic, long-term planners, high achievers with lower rates of violent crime, teen pregnancy, smoking and alcohol use than ever before. • This generation believes that they have the potential to be great and they probably do. We are looking to them to provide us with definitions of the future.

48. Characteristics of the Millennial • Helicopter Parent (n)A parent who hovers over his or her children • Or Snowplow parent: Parents who clear the way for their children • As a result high expectations for instant success “I’ll have your job in 18 months” • Generation of participation ribbons—need frequent affirmation and praise

49. Millennial • Expected education • Life long learning but no rush to start or finish college • Entertainment • TV-100 plus channels, surfing the net, anything technology related • Like to work in teams (generation of after school activities) • Family • Loose family structure • Single parent

50. Characteristics of the Millennial • Want instant on-line access to information and other people • Don’t wait for leaders to tell them, they’ll search it out • Like to make decisions by consensus • Value relationships, but don’t have to be face-to-face • Often don’t answer e-mails in a timely manner-respond quicker to text, IM, or their social media network