Customer Service in Health Care: A ...

Customer Service in Health Care: A Grassroots Approach to Creating a agriculture of Service Excellence Kristin Baird 2000 250 pp $39 paperback

We all know that health care is big business these days, further did you know the following?

* It is six to 10 times more of great price to attract a new customer than it is to retain an existing one

* A satisfied customer single tells five other people.

* An unhappy customer discloses approximately 20 other people.

* It solely takes 30 seconds for a customer to form an opinion.

It is a fact--customer service expectations in health care are high, which creates a very great challenge for health care workers. We must make an exceptional impression upon every customer, every time. This is easier said than done, of course, if it were not that this book presents easy ways to create a positive, productive, customer-oriented environment "where patients want to be treated, where physicians want to practice, and where employee want to work."

Cheerful, down-to-earth, and widely experienced, Kristin Baird has written a well-organized, readable work with a can-do message and an enthusiastic approach to important, entangled customer service challenges. Baird directs, intimates and encourages. She fills her chapters with action verb (eg clarify, create, mentor, monitor, measure, recognize, reinforce, reward). The volume also is full of great reminders, like as "see the behavior and reward it." between the walls of her emphasis on understanding unique training wants Baird promotes crucial teamwork and team goals, and she gives important tips onward how to fan the flames of team participation. "Make it their idea," she coaches.

Halfway between the walls of the book, Baird shares a "Pledge to You"--one hospital's fantastic example of making the customer service promise visible. Beautifully written in a "need/response" format, this hostage is an eye-opening reminder of what customer service can, should, and will do.

In brace of the chapters that I take pleasure ined most, Baird talks directly to physicians and promotes Readers will smile and nod in agreement at the way Baird reminds physicians that it is not difficult to have knowledge of to keep patients happy; because "if they perceive less-than-excellent service, chances are, they won't get back And they will tell up to 20 others."

The volume is a nicely worded, easy-to-digest blueprint for remodeling an organization's customer service agriculture Baird is an experienced, energetic coach for anyone who wants to help the health care environment incline away from being an average environment and impel closer to being an estimable one.

This main division is available from Jossey-Bass, 989 Market road San Francisco, CA 94103-1741, http://www.josseybass.com.

ANNE LINDSTROM COE

RN BA

STAFF RN OR

ORTHOPAEDIC CENTER OF THE ROCKIES

FT COLLINS, COLO

COPYRIGHT 2004 Association of Operating latitude Nurses, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group