Service Culture

Dear Healthcare Leader,

Here are some vital stats you need to consider:

💡 60% of customer interactions take place online (Statista)

💡 Almost 80% of customers still prefer to engage an organization through the phone (Calabrio)

💡 57% of customers still prefer to engage through digital channels (Salesforce)

These, and a lot more stats, imply one thing: you need to have a functioning contact centre in place to manage your customer interactions. Without this in place, you are neglecting a huge chunk of interactions and engagement from your customers.

With more patients seeking information through digital channels, it is crucial to provide a means for both your patients and enquirers to engage with you on at least the most common ones. This is not about being trendy; your patient experience depends on it. Your growth and the sustainability of your business beyond 2024 also requires it.

A contact centre is also a vital tool for effectively smoothening your operations, especially through management of appointments and information.

So, how are you implementing this for your facility?

For further guidance, please feel free to reach out to me.

As we wrap up another work week, it is helpful to ponder: What exactly is your purpose?

Is it about making money?
Is it about building a career?
Is it about making a name for yourself?

While there are valid points to all the above, they are inadequate as one's ultimate purpose.

That is because they all focus on YOU.

The ultimate purpose of work—any work—is to gladly be of service to others. Without this, you will not find fulfillment.

So, take a moment to reflect:

• Whom do I serve?
• How well am I serving them?
• How can I do better?

This is what a customer orientation is about, whether your customers are internal (colleagues in other departments) or external (patients and customers).

Review your approach. Read something over the weekend. Have a discussion with another professional, and see what you can learn to become better at what you do.

Have a fruitful day ahead.

A sense of ownership is a pre-requisite for problem-solving in customer service. What I mean is this: if your representatives do not have a sense of ownership in their roles, they will not be moved to go all out to solve a customer's problem. And you won't be making your team as formidable as they could be.

Great customer service is not produced through a rule book. For years, employees at Nordstrom, the legendary American retailer well respected for its customer service culture, were expected to follow only one central rule in all they did:

❗ "Use good judgment in all situations" ❗

Exceptional customer service is the result of a thousand little initiatives taken by representatives in serving customers, many of which may not be by the books. These corporate servants make these moves because they feel responsible. A sense of ownership has been nurtured in them.

What can your business do to cultivate this? How can you nurture a sense of ownership in your customer service team?

I will offer 3 non-negotiables.

✳ Set a clear organizational ethos (purpose, mission, vision, values, etc.). Your staff need to know what the organization is about. It needs to be clear and we need to believe you. Don't tell us you value integrity when we don't trust the CFO.

✳ Have clear job descriptions. Your agents need to know EXACTLY what is expected of them. What does their job entail? Are they in sales or in customer service? Or, like many organizations do, are they performing sales, account management, and customer service functions, yet are being paid as customer service representatives? At the end of the day, what are the metrics that really matter to the business?

✳ Empower them. Give them the freedom to use their heads. One of the tragedies of the modern work world is that people are hired for their abilities but are prevented from engaging them. The only reason you need people on the frontlines is for them to fight with the enemy! How then would a business have a set of frontline agents who have to escalate 80% of complaints? Your CS team should be empowered (with a budget, tools, access to information) to resolve at least 90% of complaints, including refunds, without escalating to anyone. It's simple: if you don't trust them, don't hire them.

When these are in place, then we can resume the discussion.

Thank God it's Monday!

Dear Leader,

Love your people.

What normally comes to mind when you hear the word 'leader'?

Results. Targets. Process. Policy.

We often think of as getting people to deliver results. We imagine that the leader is one who achieves results through his team of employees. And yes, there is a place for results. No leader can or should be satisfied if his team is not meeting their KPIs or achieving their targets.

But it does not end with that.

People thrive when they sense they are valued and loved. As children, we desire this in our relations with our parents. Every child develops well in an atmosphere of love, respect and appreciation. And it does not go away when we become working adults. We generally perform better in an environment where tolerance, care, respect and dignity are valued.

As the leadership expert Dr. Emmanuel Toye Sobande wrote in his BusinessDay opinion piece of 23rd August, 2024:

"People are wired to respond positively to care and empathy. When leaders demonstrate love through actions that show they genuinely care about their team members' wellbeing, it triggers a sense of safety and trust. This emotional security is crucial for creativity, collaboration and sustained effort."

And this is simply at work.

So, dear leader, love your people. They need it to flourish. And your business needs it to thrive.