Be An Intrepid Marketer

There are two life experiences that almost always result in me writing blog posts: interacting with airlines, and visits to the emergency room.

A recent visit to a local ER was no different. Here are some customer service observations from my recent experience:

1. Do something surprising. There was a new addition to the ER experience at this local hospital. Valet parking. And it was free for ER guests! This is probably sad, but this surprised me. In a good way. Always look to add something to the customer experience that leaves people pleasantly surprised!

2. Think about context. Every ER has one, the mean old lady who only cares about collecting your insurance documentation. I suppose as a business that likes to get paid, I understand their need to do this. But this old hag woman was as rude and as unpleasant as you could imagine. Recognize what your customer is going through, and adjust the context with which you behave.

3. Meet long-held expectations. This was a hospital. I have certain expectations of hospitals. Such as, clean rest rooms. There were not as clean as I would expect. I’ve certainly seen dirtier rest rooms, but these surprised me. Meet long-standing expectations of your customers. When you don’t, that leaves an impression.

4. Keep your customers posted. I think it was Tom Peters who wrote that we can deal with a two-hour flight delay, if the airline keeps us frequently informed as to what is going on. No different with an ER. I mean, getting information…ANY information…out of them was maddeningly frustrating. Just keep your customers in the loop. They can deal…

5. A smile works wonders. The ER nurse assigned to our room was most pleasant. She told a lot of jokes, and smiled and pretended to laugh at mine. Her smile left an impression. A smile and friendly attitude works, even during unpleasant experiences like ER visits…

6. Staff up. Of course, when we really needed the nurse, she was nowhere to be found. She had too many other patients and rooms to cover. Always have enough resources to deal with your customer’s needs.

7. Use the damn technology! The critical issue in question on this particular ER visit was alarmingly low blood pressure. The machine was set to check blood pressure every 15 minutes. When a reading came back under normal, an alarm was set. And of course, no one EVER responded to the REALLY LOUD alarm. If you have means to track and respond to data, DO IT! There was a reason you installed it in the first place, no?

8. Listen to your customers. We had to fully explain the reason for the ER visit no less than FIVE times. I don’t know, maybe there is a medical reason OR some legal reason that requires ER patients to do this, but this got very aggravating. Listen to your customers, because when you don’t, they get angry.

9. Be accessible. When help was needed, there was none to be found. Instead, help was attained when I stood outside the door and waited until I could spot someone in a position to help. This was most naturally followed by “I will find your nurse.” Which meant help came on average 37 minutes later. If you have a “Help Desk” to serve your customer’s needs, it is helpful to actually have people there to provide service!

10. Answer questions | Be informative. Sadly, I’ve visited one too many emergency rooms in my lifetime. But the ER Doc assigned yesterday was the best ever. Helpful, informative, patient, clear, pleasant, understandable… This Doc took extra time to relay what he had learned and understood, and answered questions clearly. Most ER Docs are quickly moving to the next patient. This guy was different. When your customer’s have questions, answer them carefully, clearly, and patiently.

What other ER experiences can you share?

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[cartoon by @gapingvoid]

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