By Jay Juffre
I think the office I work out of is on its 3rd or 4th coffee maker. Either they are not building them like they used to, or my peers are overworking the device into submission. Regardless, last week I went into the breakroom for a cup of joe, only to find it wasn’t working. I announced that I was making a Starbucks run and offered to buy others something if they wanted it. It was 6:55 a.m. and I was overdue for my daily dose of caffeine.
I pulled up to the drive-thru speaker and was greeted with an enthusiastic “Good morning!!! How can I help you today?” The young man’s voice continued with energy throughout the ordering process. I was thinking, ‘this kid gets it’. His excitement is part of the reason there is a long line around the building and a desire to pay a little bit more for a morning cup of coffee. As I pulled around to the window, a young lady greeted me to complete the transaction. She was equally energetic and had an ear-to-ear smile that was contagious. I want to point out that these two individuals were in their late teens, maybe their early 20’s. How does this compare to how patients and their families are greeted when they interact with your organization? Over the years I, and probably you, have seen a bell curve ranging from extraordinarily welcoming to cold as ice. Take time to assess your team in all aspects of their interaction with patients. From phone calls about appointment reminders, to greetings when they enter the building and even as they are wrapping up a stay or visit. It does not need to be over the top like the two baristas referenced above, but it should be warm and personable. Remember nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. If you want great scores and tons of referrals, inject some enthusiasm into your team’s interactions.
Jay Juffre is Executive Vice President, ImageFIRST. For more information on ImageFIRST, call 1-800-932-7472 or visit www.imagefirst.com.
