Chapter 11
From ADA Wiki
ADA Cookbook Chapter 11, How To Handle The Unhappy Patient
Original Author: Claire Kilcoyne, MA, CCC-A
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION – WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG
RULE #1: THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.
RULE #2: IF THE CUSTOMER IS EVER WRONG, REREAD RULE #1.
The customer is your reason for being there. He is always the customer, not the problem, the enemy, or the bane of your existence. The goal of every service transaction is, and must be, to satisfy and delight customers in ways that will keep them coming back.
CONSUMER AFFAIRS STATISTICS
Studies have shown that 96% of your unhappy customers don’t complain to you, but they do tell 10 to 17 of their friends about their problem with your company. Those few that do complain to you, will remain your patients IF you resolve their problem to their satisfaction.
Researchers have determined that it costs 5 times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep one you already have. Always think about developing long-term customer relationships rather than just making the sale. If you make all of your current patients happy, you will not have to spend as much money to attract new patients. Repeat patients cut you marketing costs considerably. If your patient continues to but from you, they are not shopping your competitor. Hopefully, they are also referring other potential patients to you. Word of mouth advertising is the most powerful and least expensive way to get people in your office.
MISTAKES HAPPEN
As much as we strive to be error-free, it’s inevitable that problems will occur. Not everything that affects your customer’s experience with you is within your control. Admit that something has gone wrong, and then immediately find out what your customer needs NOW. Has the broken promise created another problem? Or can you use it as an opportunity for you to rescue your reputation for reliability?
TWELVE STEPS TO HANDLING A COMPLAINT
1. Offer a sincere apology.
2. Listen! Do NOT interrupt! Do NOT argue!
3. Be cool, calm, confident and collected. Remember an angry customer is rarely mad at you personally. They are mad at the situation. Smile. If you are nice to them, they’ll almost always be nice in return. It’s much harder to do a good job with the patient screaming at you.
4. Empathize. Let them know you understand how they feel.
5. Establish the exact reason why the customer is angry. Obtaining precise information is essential. Restate the complaint. Take control.
6. Diagnose before you prescribe. Put the situation into perspective.
7. Take action to resolve the problem immediately and fairly. Remember the problem is a big deal to your patient. You may satisfy 89% of your patients the first time you see them, but to this patient you erred 100% of the time.
8. Manage the conversation so that it will produce your desired results.
9. Offer atonement. "I want to make this up to you."
10. Be honest. Customers respect honesty. Be realistic about what you can and can’t deliver. Do not make promises that you can’t keep.
11. Give the customer your name and your commitment to resolve their problem.
12. Follow-up. Don’t assume you’ve fixed the person or the problem. Always check to be sure. Being a Fantastic Fixer, involves taking thoughtful, positive actions that will lead disappointed customers back to a state of satisfaction with your organization. Healing injured customer feelings requires sensitivity to their needs, wants and expectations. Use the problem to make them a more loyal customer.
TURNING COMPLAINTS INTO ORDERS
Criticism from your patients is more valuable than praise. You want your patients to complain, so that you can take care of the problem and take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again, - to them or to anybody else. If they don’t tell you, they’ll likely never come back. AND, they are very likely to tell several friends not to do business with you. You MUST use the opportunity to sell the benefits to the customer and to make everything right. Work with his objection to sell the benefits.
Six rules for turning complaints into orders:
1. Listen
2. Deal with particular complaint appropriately
3. Question customer to identify (a) the original needs that are being satisfied by the company product or service, and (b) current needs that may be different from the original
4. Present new sales offer with the additional benefits to the customer
5. Counter objections
6. Close new business
ANALYZE THE REASON FOR EVERY LOST SALE AND COMPLAINT
If you’re getting better, you’re getting worse. Getting CONTINUOUSLY better is absolutely essential of you’re going to survive in a competitive environment. If you want to keep their business, give patients exactly what they ask for – or even more – without hesitation. If you do anything less, you might as well offer them nothing, you’ll have lost their good will.
Always take the long term view of the value of a patient. How much could this person spend with you in the course of a lifetime? Realistically, a typical patient buys 3 pairs of hearing aids from you, batteries every month, annual hearing evaluations, possibly a phone amplifier or another Assistive Listening Device. This could add up to a potential of at least $20,000 over a lifetime for each of your patients. Obviously, your goal should always be to do whatever it takes to keep each patient coming back.
DEVELOP SYSTEMS THAT WORK
The best way to reduce complaints is to do it right the first time and to develop systems that keep patients happy and coming back. Make sure that all personnel are trained completely and properly. Make sure all phone calls are directed properly. Make sure all appointments are made properly. Insure accountability. Measure customer satisfaction. Develop internal communication systems among all personnel. Don’t spend too much time fighting fires.
Explain to patients how you do things. You may have the world’s best system for getting things done, but if the patients don’t understand it, they’re likely to be confused at best and angry at worst. Once they understand that you have systems – and you show them that your systems work to solve their problems – they are more likely to think better of you and want to come back.
Make it easy for your patients to complain. It’s unpleasant, but at least it gives you the chance to make things right.
Solicit feedback from your patients by developing comment cards, surveys, phone calls or focus groups. Share the results of customer satisfaction surveys. Some people like to complain face to face. Others may prefer to complain via a letter or questionnaire. Make a variety of ways easily available. Go out of your way to make them feel comfortable and coming back. If you can identify and fix the system, your problems will be eliminated.
EMPOWERMENT
Patients judge the service they receive by how well they’re treated by everybody they come in contact with. Empowerment means giving people at all levels the authority and the responsibility to solve problems and to provide service excellence. Each employee must be taught to use good judgment in all situations. Empowerment conveys trust and gives control.
Put every one of your staff on commission. This way of paying, makes everyone want to take care of the patient. It takes the work of everyone in your organization to achieve 100% patient satisfaction. If any one of your staff upsets your patient, they will not be satisfied. It is in everyone’s self-interest to do their jobs right and be nice to the patient, because they know it’s the patients who determine how much they’ll be paid.
SETTING – MEETING – DEADLINES
Deadlines are important. When you set a deadline you are creating an expectation for your customer and setting a deadline for yourself. Be realistic, because once created, deadlines become yardsticks by which your customers will measure your success or failure.
The best time for anything is the time that is best for the customer. But dissatisfaction isn’t measured in minutes. Rather, dissatisfaction is often the result of uncertainty. Research shows that the most frustrating aspect of waiting is not knowing how long the wait will be. Be aware of what your customers think is an appropriate wait. Acknowledge waiting customers and keep them informed about what is happening. Be as specific as you can.
FREQUENT BUYER PROGRAMS
Frequent buyer programs prove to your patients how important you think they are. These programs go beyond merely saying thank you, they actually reward your patients for doing business with you.
If you get your patient to come back, look what happens:
1. Sales go up. These patients are more likely to buy more from you.
2. It strengthens your position in the marketplace. If the patient is buying from you, they are not shopping your competitor
3. It cuts your marketing costs.
4. It insulates you from price competition. A loyal patient is much less likely to be lured away by a discount of a few dollars.
5. A satisfied patient is more likely to sample your other product lines. Maintaining a relationship with a patient, gives you another chance to do something nice for them.
6. Encourage all patients to refer friends to participate in your frequent buyer programs.
Always stay in touch. Once you have identified your best patients, communicate with them regularly. Send them a newsletter, get them on your battery program or invite them to an open house. Be sure that they are not forgotten in between purchases. Tell them whenever you have a new product that they could use or that you have extended you hours, or added a new staff member.
SUMMARY OF HOW TO KEEP PATIENTS SATISFIED
1. Do it right the first time.
2. Do whatever is necessary to fix it, if it fails.
3. Remember that an unhappy patient that you have made happy can be one of your best cheerleaders.
4. Strive for 100% patient satisfaction at all times.
