This blog post is part 4 of a 5 part series written by Megan O’Donnell of Research & Marketing Strategies (RMS) and RMS Healthcare. It is based on a HelpScout.net article titled “15 Customer Service Skills that Every Employee Needs”, authored by Gregory Ciotti. To obtain the full white paper from Megan, including all 15 training tips for healthcare employees, contact her at 1-866-567-5422 or email at MeganO@RMSresults.com. For more RMS Healthcare blog posts click here to view the blog.

Here are training tips 10 through 12 (of 15) for healthcare employees:

• Goal oriented focus – It’s important for any organization to set measurable goals and more importantly, track and monitor those goals periodically with staff. Goal setting and tracking can be relatively easy and can be aimed to optimize the organization’s overall performance.  Using the CAHPS® results is an easy way to identify an issue, set a goal, and measure the success of attempts to reach that goal. Because the CAHPS® tool is a national initiative, goals can be set based on national standards, rather than an arbitrary number which may or may not be attainable. The key to overall success in achieving goals is to have staff support, awareness, and understanding of the purpose of setting the goals. The entire team needs to understand how their contribution drives overall success.

• Ability to handle surprises – “Emergencies” go without saying in healthcare. It is extremely important that staff know what types of issues they are qualified and permitted to handle on their own and what things need to be addressed by someone else. A clear set of guidelines and a clear understanding that making assumptions is NEVER the best idea, will empower all staff to be able to immediately respond to a patient, even if it’s only to say, “Let me find out for you.”

• Persuasion skills – Every employee is and can be an advocate for your healthcare organization. Each time a potential new patient is making a decision about which healthcare provider to choose, they are looking for that good feeling they get when they call the office or encounter a staff member. At RMS we occasionally assess our “elevator speech”. What would you  tell someone about what you do or where you work if you only had 30 seconds, like a conversation in an elevator. All staff should know what makes your organization great and why patients would want to choose you over others. Of course, a cheerful and positive attitude put forth when making the pitch will help solidify that good feeling.

RMS Healthcare is a consulting and market research firm located outside of Syracuse, NY. If you would like to discuss any healthcare market research, survey, or consulting needs with RMS, contact our Business Development Director Sandy Baker at SandyB@RMSresults.com or by calling 1-866-567-5422.