Customer Service in Healthcare On-Site Training

This on-site training class is also available as Public Schedule Seminar.

In the Customer Service in Healthcare Training Course, you will learn the importance of one of the most straightforward, least complicated, yet often overlooked aspects of delivering health care... patient satisfaction.

Course Description/Agenda

Your attitudes, manners, and facility amenities are as necessary to patients as the treatment processes. From the patient’s perspective, healthcare is just as much a consumer-focused service as other service industries. You will learn how to optimize patients’ experiences just as business operators in retail stores and banks, colleges, and universities, and the travel industry do for their customers.

It is safe to say, most healthcare facilities you deal with fail to deliver superior customer service. No one was born knowing this skill…it is a learned trait. You cannot expect to provide the kind of customer service that wows your patients if you do not train to do so.

WORKSHOP AGENDA

Module One: Who We Are and What We Do

Who Are Our Customers?
What Is Customer Service?
Who Are Customer Service Providers?

Module Two: Establishing Your Attitude

Be In the Know
Behavior that Turns-Off Patients
What Can You Do Right Away To Improve
Patient Service
Applying What You Have Learned

Module Three: Communication Skills

Excellent Service through Effective
Communication
Listening Skills
Verbal Communication Skills
Non-verbal Communication Skills

Module Four: Identifying and Addressing Patient Needs

Understanding the Patient’s Situation
Staying Outside the Box
Meeting Basic Needs
Going the Extra Mile
Measuring Your Patient Efforts

Module Five: Generating Return Business

Following Up
Addressing Complaints
Recovering from a Service Breakdown
Establishing Patient Trust

Module Six: In-Person Customer Service

Dealing with At-Your-Desk Requests
The Advantages and Disadvantages of In-Person
Customer Service

Module Seven: Giving Customer Service over the Phone

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Telephone Communication
Telephone Etiquette
Tips and Tricks

Module Eight: Providing Electronic Customer Service

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Electronic Communication
Understanding Netiquette
Tips and Tricks
Eliminate Electronic Ping Pong

Module Nine: Recovering Difficult Customers

De-Escalating Anger
Establishing Common Ground
Setting Your Limits
Managing Your Own Emotions

Module Ten: Understanding When to Escalate

Dealing with Vulgarity
Coping with Insults
Dealing with Legal and Physical Threats

AGENDA DETAILS

Who are internal customers in healthcare?

In Module One, you will learn who we are and what we do, who are our customers, what customer service is, the ten rules of great customer service, who are customer service providers, types of customer service, how the best companies deliver superior customer service, and why customers leave a provider.

How do you train to deliver good customer service?

In Module Two, you will learn how to establish your attitude, how to be in the know, behavior that turns-off patients, what you can do right away to improve customer service, and that courtesy counts.

In Module Three, you will learn communication skills, how to provide excellent service through effective communication, listening skills, seven ways to listen better, asking good questions, verbal communication skills, and the seven c’s of communication.

What is the purpose of customer service training?

In Module Four, you will learn how to identify and address patient needs, understanding the patient’s situation, staying outside the box, meeting the basic needs of healthcare customers, meeting the special needs of healthcare customers, going the extra mile, and measuring your customer efforts.

What is a customer service program?

In Module Five, you will learn how to maintain happy patients, following up, addressing complaints, what patients do not want to hear, the L.E.A.R.N. model for handling complaints, turning difficult patients around, and recovering from a service breakdown.

What are the areas of customer service?

In Module Six, you will learn in-person customer service, dealing with at-your-desk requests, the advantages and disadvantages of in-person customer service.

In Module Seven, you will learn giving customer service over the phone, telephone etiquette, handling complaints by phone, and the advantages and disadvantages of telephone communication.

In Module Eight, you will learn to provide electronic customer service (texts and emails), the advantages and disadvantages of electronic communication, understanding netiquette, tips and tricks, and how to eliminate electronic ping pong.

How do you deal with someone who is not satisfied with your patient care?

In Module Nine, you will learn how to recover difficult patients, steps to effectively handle difficult patients, de-escalating anger, establishing common ground, setting your limits, and managing your own emotions.

In Module Ten, you will learn to understand when to escalate, dealing with vulgarity, coping with insults, and dealing with legal and physical threats.

This course is offered for each level of customer service:

For the customer service representative, this two-day class examines who we are and what we do as a healthcare provider. We analyze our attitude and communications skills and take a hard look at what our customers need. We learn customer service skills whether delivered in person, over the phone or electronically. Finally, we learn how to handle complaints and challenging patients.
For managers, we discuss how to manage the customer service program with an emphasis on building a motivated customer service team.
For policymakers, we examine how company policies can impact customer service. In the vast majority of cases, company policies are responsible for customer dissatisfaction.Policies that are made for what is most convenient and/or profitable for the company, with little consideration on how they impact the customer relationship, can have a devastating impact on customer retention resulting in declining sales. Poor customer service policies will also affect employee retention. Employees consistently forced to deal with irate customers will soon seek employment elsewhere.

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