Healthcare Customer Service Training

Patients Plus:

Program Overview

Customer service in a medical setting has a unique set of challenges specific to providing first-rate healthcare and patient satisfaction. Among these challenges are such issues as patient privacy, high volume, and management of people in crisis. Unlike customer service interactions conducted in non-medical settings, those involving patients and their families are additionally stressful because of their reasons for needing medical attention. This onsite training program introduces participants to both the basics of customer service and the specifics of providing it in a healthcare setting. Training topics include calming upset patients and families, rephrasing messages such as “I don’t know” and “I’m not sure how much longer this will take,” and handling difficult situations with confidence and competence.

Program Objectives

At this program's conclusion, participants should be able to:

• Differentiate healthcare customers service from other types of service interactions.
• Explain the importance of a positive attitude in delivering good customer service.
• List the benefits of providing good customer service to both internal and external customers.
• Identify barriers to providing high quality customer service.
• Apply techniques for dealing with angry or upset customers by successfully answering case studies.
• Demonstrate how to successfully request personal information.
• Rephrase blunt communication for better results.
• Effectively manage job stress.
• Develop an action plan to improve their customer service skills.

The following outline highlights some of the course’s key learning points. As part of your training program, we will modify content as needed to meet your business objectives. Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of the participant materials prior to the session(s).

Course Outline

Be Patient: Why Healthcare Customer Service Is Different

This introductory discussion covers the key components of basic customer service and moves into the specific challenges of serving patients and their families. With a clear understanding of the distinctions that make healthcare customer service different from that expected in other businesses, participants will learn how to adapt basic skills to best meet the needs of customers in crisis.

What an Attitude:  Where Service Excellence Starts

A positive attitude on the part of the customer service provider goes a long way toward delivering an excellent experience. This unit looks at the factors that make service good as well as those that ruin a customer service interaction.

It’s Not What You Say…:  Rephrasing for Better Relationships

The lesson "it's not what you say but how you say it" is one that takes some people years to learn. In this lesson, participants will learn how to use language so that it will be better received during their interactions with patients and family members. The trainer places special emphasis on explaining tactful ways of  saying  "no" and substituting alternative phrases for "that's not my job" and "I don't know."

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:  Dealing with Difficult People

Not all customers are easy to deal with. Using real-world case studies, participants will learn at this point how to effectively interact with customers who are angry, distraught, scared, and even manipulative. They will learn the importance of establishing boundaries with difficult people in order to offer the best service possible.

Take It Away:  Leaving Positive Lasting Impressions

Healthcare settings can be fast-paced, congested, troubling, and stressful to patients and employees alike.  This segment teaches participants how to leave a positive lasting impression with those they serve whether they deal with them in person, by phone, or via voicemail. They will learn how to manage “motor mouth” callers without being rude, signal a conversation is over with tact, and leave effective voicemails that don't lead to endless telephone tag.

De-Stress Success: The 15-Minute Mini Spa

Dealing with customers' needs, wants, and frustrations can lead to unnecessary stress and frustration, especially in healthcare.  This program ends with stress management techniques to ensure that participants stay refreshed and alert and that the service being delivered is the best that it can be.

At the program's conclusion, participants will have an understanding of what makes for a good customer service experience, how to deliver excellent customer service in person and over the telephone, how to deal with difficult patients and family members , and how to take care of themselves.