Lessons to be learned from 'gold standards'
Practices can learn from nonmedical excellence
America is a nation where consumers expect a lot, and businesses understand this. In their advertising, most savvy companies tout their customer service, their speed, and their efficiency. But in reality, not all of them meet our expectations. There are a few, however, that live their mottoes.
One example is the Ritz-Carlton Hotel chain. It epitomizes the view of what quality customer service is all about. According to John Bruns, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton in Cleveland, the ability to deliver that kind of service comes from having staff who are committed to providing it.
It takes a special kind of person, says Bruns, and Ritz hotels only hire people who meet certain criteria. Beginning in 1992, the Ritz benchmarked staff leaders in 100 different positions in the chain. "We took 10 or so of our best concierges and asked them questions about their jobs and how they did them," says Bruns. "We did that with sales people, with housekeeping staff, with stewards. We created a profile of the successful person."
That group was compared to a control group who weren't the best, but were good. "Now we have two talent lines. Every applicant is asked the same questions and put into the mix to see if they have the best chance of being successful in that position." If the person matches the success group, management has found the new hire has an 85% chance of success. "But if we hire below that line, 85% of the new hires will fail."
Along with matching the person to the job, Bruns says daily drilling of staff in the hotel "gold standards" is key to creating a quality service atmosphere. There are 20 standards - the "basics" - which are the same in all the hotels. On a given day, every Ritz Carlton hotel is emphasizing a particular "basic." (For a list of the basics, see box, p. 136.)
For example, the day Bruns spoke to Practice Marketing and Management was day 15 in every hotel. "In every department, before the team starts that shift, the manager will review the basic of the day. Today is to know all hotel information and to recommend our internal services first. It sounds simple, but does your concierge know the gift shop hours of operation? Do they know when the harpist plays in the lobby? That information is gone over in all of our 34 hotels. The manager will have daily line-ups with the executive committee, the executive committee will meet with department heads, and the department heads will meet with each shift."
Training in customer service doesn't completely eliminate problems, but Bruns says how you deal with an error is another aspect of providing superior customer care. At the Ritz-Carlton, dealing with problems is regulated by basics numbers eight, nine, and 10. " First, if you ate it, you own it," he says, explaining that whoever hears a complaint is responsible for it - not in terms of being blamed, but in terms of seeing it through to resolution. Then, the customer is placated, and the whole event is documented.
One Sunday evening recently, the chairman of the board of a major company checked in very late. He called the operator and asked for a 9 a.m. wake-up call and a do-not-disturb (DND) on his phone. The operator was on a break when the call came in, and because it was 1 a.m., the call went to the front desk, which forgot to record it.
At 9:50 a.m. the guest awoke, 10 minutes before an important meeting. He called the operator to complain, venting his anger. The operator called the manager who began an investigation. "We had just figured out what happened when the man gets a call from the operator at noon, asking if he wanted his DND to remain on, since he was getting many calls which were being forwarded to his in-room voice mail. He thought it was off three hours before. Now he was mad all over again."
The problems continued when the guest discovered that he couldn't retrieve his voice mail. It took all day to resolve all the problems. Finally, when all was resolved, an incident form was filled out - not only to communicate to all in the hotel about the problem, but to make sure that the staff worked together to get to the heart of the problem. The core of this one: that there was no proper recording tool at the front desk to make sure that operators on break late at night get all their wake-up call instructions. Bruns is working on a new process.
"The rule is to take responsibility and fix the problem. And remember that speed counts. Don't question the customer; just fix the problem, and fix it fast," says Bruns.
There are three steps to service at the Ritz, two of which Bruns thinks are very applicable to the physician practice.
1. Extend a warm welcome.
"You know who is coming to visit. If you know they have children, ask about them. If you always see them doing a crossword, keep one on hand. Find out about them and about what they like to do while they wait." The Ritz has a computer program with profiles of all repeat visitors. While that may be inappropriate for most practices, a good receptionist can learn enough over time to make the visit more welcoming.
2. Anticipate needs.
That is harder to do since a physician may not know the needs of a patient prior to examination.
3. Offer a fond farewell.
"Make it as good an experience as you can in the circumstances, and focus your team on that. Then give them a fond farewell. Thank them for coming in today. How many doctors say thanks? But these are customers, and they will talk to other people. You have to do all you can to create a good image."
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