At CareXM, we offer telephone triage services to a wide variety of patients with a wide variety of ailments. Often the situation is highly time-sensitive, and client confidentiality is always a priority. In order to provide the best care possible, we are on a mission to constantly improve customer service strategies employed by our representatives. These are the seven most important factors in providing good customer service.

Listen Actively

Everyone wants to feel that they are heard. When a customer or patient calls in, actively listening to them is the best way to make them feel that the call is geared toward meeting their needs. Representatives should approach each call with the intent to gain information and focus on the speaker. Actively listening representatives do not interrupt, and when the caller is finished speaking, they ask clarifying questions to make sure they understand what the patient meant to convey. A concise summary of the conversation can ensure that the situation was mutually understood.

In a patient-care setting especially, listening actively can make the difference between the proper medical action and a dangerous misstep. Active listening does not only improve customer service in the moment; it improves the quality of records that are incorporated into a patient’s medical history. Actively listening protects patients from improper care and clinics from legal action based on the fallibility of triage personnel.

Empathy

Patients calling about medical concerns are more likely than other customers to be full of fear or worry. In such high-stress calls, it is critical for customer representatives to be empathetic. Empathy is the ability to recognize and understand how someone else is feeling. While the skill comes more naturally to some, it can be carefully cultivated by actively listening and trying to understand where a caller is coming from.

To improve customer service, facilities should encourage representatives to see themselves in a caller’s shoes. This can help representatives imagine what a patient is feeling and tailor their responses to be compassionate. This kind of empathy is felt by callers and can often de-escalate a conflict.

Knowledge

People calling in to an establishment want to feel sure that the representatives they speak to are going to give them accurate information. In telephone triage settings especially, customer service representatives must be medically knowledgeable to provide patients with the correct recommendation for care. Measures to improve customer service should include regular training to keep employees current on relevant information. 

Honesty

That being said, while not knowing the answer to every question is not guaranteed to taint a customer’s experience, dishonesty is. Customers can tell when service representatives are honest. If a representative does not know something, the solution is not to make up answers just to avoid looking uninformed or unprofessional. It is alright to say “I don’t know” if the next response is geared toward finding an answer or solution. 

In healthcare especially, it is important for customer representatives to be people, not robots. As part of an empathetic response, representatives should connect on a human level. It is better to admit mistakes and work to correct them quickly. 

Clear Communication

To improve customer service, communication should be clear and concise. Representatives should clarify the information they receive from customers to make sure they understand, and they should tailor their responses to be understood by the layman. While medical notes have protocols and standards they must follow, the information conveyed to patients should be given in language readily available to them.

Positive Language

Customer service representatives have the opportunity and the challenge to take the stress out of a situation. They can do this by framing the language they use (especially the verbs) in a positive light. For example, saying “don’t panic” is more likely to keep a situation negatively charged than “try to keep calm.” Using the present and future tenses is more effective for giving the interaction a positive spin. “We’ll get you the care you need” is a good way to shift a call from dwelling on problems and pain.

Patience

On the other end of every service call is a real person with real questions and real fears. Approaching each call with patience can ensure that that person hangs up feeling heard, understood, and taken care of. Customer representatives field dozens of calls a day, yet every caller deserves the best care possible. 

The mission to improve customer service is an ongoing battle. To truly give your patients the best care possible, consider using CareXM to answer your medical calls. This will allow you to focus on patient care while callers get the best customer service possible.