Providing customer support at a critical time: Hospital customer service

Hospital customer service refers to the customer support and care given to people by a hospital. Though not often seen as customers, patients using hospital services require the same level, if not greater, of customer service skills they receive elsewhere. The unique nature of these interactions and the sensitivity required make hospital customer service training imperative. Doing so will improve the quality of service customers receive during difficult times.

Zendesk help center software lets hospitals build robust self-service options for customers to quickly find important information and stay up to date with the status of open requests for support.

Hospital staff are not typically thought of as customer service providers. But in reality, there are many similarities between them and other, more traditional customer service agents. People visiting hospitals require fair treatment, effective communication, and quick responses, just like in other customer service situations. The difference is that people who require hospital customer service are often in the midst of a health crisis, either personally or on behalf of a loved one, and are dealing with intense, emotional scenarios. That’s why it’s so important to provide customer service that is both efficient and empathetic.

Hospitals must provide customer service in a variety of scenarios, such as delivering lab results, answering billing questions, or providing status updates for patients. Each scenario presents an opportunity for hospitals to support and care for people during difficult times. Here are some ways hospitals can improve customer service:

• Every second counts. Whether it’s waiting for results or scheduling a procedure, hospitals need to consider the fact that wait times can be agonizing. Communicating often, providing regular updates, and setting expectations are all ways to mitigate the drop in customer satisfaction associated with long wait times.
• Hospital customer service training. Everyone who works for a hospital should have some basic training on how to properly speak to people and should know the correct staff members to send people with questions to.
• Hire people and build systems that align with customer expectations. Staff members should be hired for traits that people visiting hospitals value, like warmth and empathy. Likewise, systems should be built to accommodate quick, efficient service.
• Providing self-service options like FAQs about billing will empower customers to find relevant information without straining hospital support staff.

Hospitals that put a strong emphasis on customer service are more likely to be a person’s hospital of choice if the need should arise. So all hospitals should invest in providing the best support and care possible. As more and more healthcare options arise, hospital customer service will work as a differentiator, so providing a better experience will not only help people during difficult times, it will also help the success of the hospital.