By Jay Juffre
Over the past three months, I have had the opportunity to stay at three (independent) five start hotels/resorts. These were all business meetings, but because they were over a few days, I got the opportunity to really take in the customer service and overall talent of the staff. Based on those stays, I can tell you this. There is a big difference between good and great. Let us start with the professionalism. From the valet to the bell desk, to the housekeepers, to management. Everyone I encountered was a consummate professional. They did their jobs well and paid great attention to detail when they were doing it. The teams were all friendly. Not only was a smile part of their uniforms, but they also went out of their way to ‘beat the greet’ with a hearty “good morning”, “hello”, or “how are you today?” They all solved any problems that came up during my stays. Everyone was remarkably polite. And they looked to go above and beyond when given the opportunity. You can stay at a very nice hotel, but the difference between those and these three examples is night and day. So, what on this list can’t you train your team on to take your patient experience from good to great? Professionalism? Friendliness? The ability to solve problems as they arise? Politeness? The fact is, if you make the time, your team can be trained to do all of this when dealing with patients and their families. I often wonder why the staff on the concierge floor of a hospital is always slightly more responsive and polite than in the other areas of the building. The great thing about this approach is, your team will always feel better when they take things to another level when it comes to patient experience, and it costs you no extra in payroll to help them deliver exceptional service. Look to develop a five-start approach to patient care. Your reputation will bring more new patients and staff than you can imagine.
Jay Juffre is Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, ImageFIRST. For more information on ImageFIRST, call 1-800-932-7472 or visit www.imagefirst.com.
