HSM E-briefing Series
on Customer Retention and Loyalty

"HOLDING ONTO YOUR CUSTOMERS"

The HSM Group, Ltd. provides the following information in the hopes that it will help you, our valued clients and friends, in your efforts to build better relationships with your customers.

December 2003

"It's a Dog's World"

Patients judge an organization based upon not only technical expertise, but on how they are treated. It's not just about providing quality care; it's also the simple things like seeing friendly faces, helpful service, and smooth-running operations that count when people decide on where to go for their health care needs. Patient satisfaction is key to acquiring and retaining patients in today's competitive, price-conscious market. And while everyone strives to provide quality health care and service, the challenges facing today's health care industry can make it difficult to always deliver the quality service patients expect.

It's a Dog's World, the award winning training video from The HSM Group and CRM Learning, provides a fun and entertaining tool to train employees on the importance of providing quality patient service. Any health care setting, whether health plan, hospital, pharmacy, or provider office, can benefit from the video and corresponding training workbook. Even those with excellent practices already in place will find the video useful in reinforcing important attitudes and processes. (The video can also be an excellent value-added program to offer clients.)

Driving Home the Point

"It drives home the point of how important patient satisfaction is," says Nancy Webber, education coordinator at Paradise Valley Hospital (Vanguard Health Systems). Paradise Valley Hospital has nearly 700 employees and 140 licensed beds. It's a Dog's World is used in clinical staff orientations on a weekly basis. "We talk about the state of affairs health care is in - everyone is rushed, rushed - you have to stand back and see yourself in this position. People are important. You can't forget that communication and the importance of a person."

After viewing the video employees often relate their own stories of how their pets were treated better than they had been by their health care providers. "Everyone enjoys the video and makes comments. I love the video," Nancy adds.

A Day in the Life: A Synopsis

Bob Peterson and his dog, Max, are out for a morning jog when both are injured in a fall. It's a Dog's World follows Bob and Max through their experiences with their respective health care systems. While Max is treated like royalty by the veterinarian and staff, Bob experiences one disaster after another with the physician, hospital staff, and pharmacy.

Max, immediately squeezed in to his busy doctor's schedule, is cuddled, x-rayed, splinted, medicated, fed, and quickly released with complete instructions to his owner. Bob, on the other hand, spends hours waiting for care, endures rudeness and apathy from the staff and doctor, is hassled about his insurance, has to sit through a second x-ray since the radiologist x-rayed the wrong body part, and is given a prescription with no explanation.

For every desperate moment Bob experienced, there's a shining example of quality patient service at the vet's.

For more information on It's a Dog's World, or to customize the program for your particular target audience, please contact Sheryl Bronkesh, President, The HSM Group at bronkesh@hsmgroup.com.

You may also be interested in The Call of the Mummy, the companion customer service training video for call center employees as well as any staff members who have primary telephone duties. It includes a Leaders Guide, training workbook, Seven Steps to Consistently Superior Customer Service, and is designed to ensure that video lessons are internalized and put to daily use.

"HOLDING ONTO YOUR CUSTOMERS" is an ongoing series of e-briefings developed by The HSM Group, Ltd., a longtime leader in health care marketing, to provide you with tips to help in your customer retention and loyalty efforts.

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