Depending on the type of service issues that surface with your patients, the following customer service strategies can be employed to resolve problem situations and maintain patient loyalty:
Apology / Empathy - Minor service problems or situations where the inconvenience or service problem cannot be corrected. i.e., Wrong address, wrong billing, being late.
Urgent Effort / Attention - Commit to look into the customer’s complaint or special situation and assure the customer of your intention to resolve the problem.
Problem Resolution - Resolving the problem, offering an acceptable solution to the problem, meeting the customer’s request or requirements, negotiating an acceptable counter offer to the customer’s request, providing the customer with pertinent information.
Compensation - Honoring guarantees and / or similar service commitments. Correcting the customer’s problem at the expense of the organization. In addition, compensating the customer for any inconvenience by offering a token of appreciation.
Going the Extra Mile - Be sure to follow up with the customer to ensure they are satisfied even once the problem is resolved. Is the customer is satisfied with the final outcome?