Question of The Month
Answers to April’s Question: What customer experience changed the way you interact with your customers?
“How I am made to feel, when I am the patient rather than the provider, provides the best mirror for me to reflect on the customer service at my clinic. It is so easy to inspire (or lose) trust through eye contact, greeting the patient by name, introducing yourself and the role you will be playing in care, and a simple handshake. When done well, it takes only a little bit of time.”
Ingrid Sparrow, PT
Sound Physical Therapy
“On the first day of my new outpatient orthopedic job, I encountered a patient who was on her phone the entire session, which was not very productive as she barely tolerated my attempts to passively range her shoulder. The following week, she had written a letter to my boss stating how unfriendly and terrible I was to her and that I was not what was promised to her! Eventually she returned and we began a decent patient/therapist relationship and I learned that she was very introverted, which likely affected our initial interaction and how she perceived my extrovert personality. Since then, I pay more attention to “perceived” actions. There is value in not only providing good patient care, but also understanding that extroverted patients make it easy to interact while more introverted patients sit by, watching you talk and laugh with others and wondering why you aren’t that way with them. When it’s all said and done we are the professionals and we have to assume the responsibility and take control, as much as we reasonably can, for our patients’ overall experience.”