Hardwire Your Organization with a “Can Do” Attitude

A funny thing happened to me last week while traveling with one of my colleagues for an onsite client visit. The hotel we were staying in “lost” our rental car as well as the keys. While certainly inconvenient and at the same time humorous, the hotel staff did an exemplary job of service recovery. We never really had an opportunity to have a bad experience. Every need was anticipated in advance and from the moment we were confronted with the problem the staff worked tirelessly to resolve the issue.

There was never an “if we solve the problem” attitude; it was “when we solve the problem.” To make a long story short, our car was located as were the keys. We were treated to a lovely dinner in a terrific restaurant that evening. When I arrived in my room that evening I found fresh flowers waiting for me along with a note signed personally by each of the valet staff apologizing for the incident. Not only that, during the time we were without a car, the valet staff shuttled us to and from meetings with physicians for the entire day; always with a smile and never a complaint. It was obvious that our needs were their primary concern.

On the other hand, we had a mediocre customer experience with the car rental agency we were consulting during the course of the “rental car” adventure. There was little if any concern and very little compassion. The contrast in service delivery was as clear as the nose on my face. The result? Even though a mistake was made, I guarantee you I’m now a loyal customer, not only of that particular location but the hotel chain as a whole. It is obvious to me that they want me as a customer. On the other hand, I’m having second thoughts about renting from that particular rental car agency in the future. I’m not sure I matter to them.

The point of my story? In any service business, mistakes are going to happen. That’s a given. How you handle those mistakes and interact with the customer is paramount to service recovery and retaining the customer.

It’s all about attitude. When I did volunteer work in New Orleans, LA shortly after Katrina our motto was “whatever it takes.” This taught me that “no” wasn’t an excuse and never the answer. And it was empowering to experience this attitude of no limitations. The hotel staff demonstrated this 100%.

In the healthcare arena, how you manage the customer experience speaks volumes about the sincerity of your brand – a direct reflection of your attitude. It’s about taking the time to care about the customer and deliver service in a sincerely compassionate manner. Throughout the organization, look for ways from top to bottom to nurture and create opportunity for the “can do” attitude to express -- in every patient room, outpatient site, waiting room, treatment room, physician’s office, surgery suite, recovery room, ED, lab, with every call answered, meal that’s served, medication dispensed, heart that is mended, room that is vacuumed and floor that is cleaned.

Hardwire the collective consciousness of your organization with that “can do” attitude. When you do this you own the customer – you own the market.

Michele Bordelon