SECOND MILE SERVICE
Kristi Hudson
A 2018 article1 on customer experiences found that 86% of United States adults are willing to pay more for a better customer experience, and 73% said friendly customer service made them fall in love with a brand. It’s easy to forget the importance of outstanding customer service, but great businesses make it a priority. Excellent customer service is more than meeting the expectations of our patients; it’s going the extra mile to show our patients that we care. One of the most successful companies in the US prides itself on its outstanding customer service: Chick-fil-A. They call it “Second Mile Service.”
Today, I pulled up to my local Chick-fil-A, and Veronica, who is frequently standing in the drive-thru taking orders, greeted me by name. She simply asked what I wanted to drink. She knows my name and my order by heart. Not just mine—she knows most everyone that visits the location frequently. When I pulled up to the window to pick up my food, four familiar faces smiled and enthusiastically said, “Hi, Kristi!” as they handed over my order. I was on the phone with my mother, and she asked, “Where are you?”
In an interview2, COO Dan Cathy stated that employees at Chick-fil-A are taught a lesson we should all sit up and pay attention to: “Every life has a story, and often our customers and our employees need a little grace and a little space when you deal with them because they are either experiencing a problem, just finished having a problem, or are about to have one.” As a big fan of outstanding customer service, here are a few things that I have taken from my experience as a customer that can be beneficial in setting your practice apart from others in the community.
Get to know your patients. Remember their names and details from previous conversations so you can refer to them the next time they visit the practice. Greeting Mrs. Smith by name and asking about her new grandbaby will go miles in showing that your clinic cares about her. Even if you can’t remember, a few notes written in the patient’s chart can go a long way.
“Go the second mile. ”
Respond as quickly as possible. We live in a time where we all expect instant answers. If a patient requests an appointment the same day, try to get them in as quickly as possible. If they need a referral to a different provider, develop contacts with those clinics to get appointments as soon as possible. When it comes time to see the doctor, get them into a room as quickly as possible. The goal of our clinic is to never have a patient wait more than five minutes.
Go the second mile. Our patients sometimes come in with small children. As a mom of three, I know taking kids anywhere can be stressful.
Have toys and games available to occupy children while mom or dad gets an adjustment. Have coloring sheets and a board to display their “art” in the waiting room. Open the door for patients walking in with small children or using a walker. Walk patients to their vehicles and hold the umbrella as they leave the practice if it is raining. These small gestures and can mean the world to your patients.
Think of the future. Happy patients are the best referral source for the practice. When you empower everyone on the team to go the second mile for your patients, they will tell everyone they know about their experience. Loyal patients become patients for life. There is no better advertising for your clinic than word of mouth. Don’t believe me? Just jump on social media. You could spend days reading about how Chick-fil-a goes the second mile for their customers.
Outstanding customer service is so rare and valuable today that businesses that go the extra mile to serve their customers are more successful than their competitors. Great businesses make customer service a top priority, and it is the responsibility of every employee to ensure that patients have an outstanding experience every time they visit your practice.
References:
1. https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/customerexperience-stats
2. https://www.sas.com/en_us/insights/articles/ marketing/a-lesson-in-customer-servicefrom-chick-fil-a.html
Kristi Hudson is a certified professional compliJH ance officer (CPCO). She serves as the Director of Business Relationships for ChiroHealthUSA I where she has helped to educate DCs and CAs on establishing simple and compliant financial policies. She also works with state and national organizations to provide educational awareness on changes within the profession. You can contact Kristi at 888-719-9990 or [email protected], or you can visit the ChiroHealthUSA website at www.chirohealthusa.com.
