Find out what to look out for when you work in the health sector.
Customer service is the first impression a patient has of your business, whether it's a shop, clinic, hospital, pharmacy or other establishment. And it's at this initial moment that some customers are lost. Work towards excellent customer service and the reputation of your business and your professionals will be recognised. To help you, we've put together 6 tips for good customer service.
6 tips for good customer service
- Hire good receptionists
To recruiting professionals For receptionists, look for qualities such as friendliness, organisation, good communication, agility and experience in the field. Remember that these professionals will be the face of your organisation and, as such, should mirror its values and essence.
To help them and to make the image of your space more uniform, you should have a customer service manual, with tips and rules for personal service, by phone, email or message, procedures, solutions to certain problems, among other information.
- Reduce waiting times
Waiting times are one of the main reasons why patients are dissatisfied and go elsewhere. Be agile, punctual and organised and you'll see that waiting times at reception will decrease.
You can also take longer breaks between appointments, scheduling them with a buffer period in case other appointments are delayed, letting professionals know that patients have arrived, and notifying clients in good time if an appointment is delayed or cancelled.
- Humanise and personalise service
Generally speaking, if a customer goes to a clinic or pharmacy, it means that they may be ill, more debilitated and in need of your help. If they feel they can't get your attention, they may become dissatisfied and switch establishments.
Get to know your patients well enough to provide them with more personalised and appropriate care. To do this, keep your clients' records up to date and be aware of their behaviour.
- Simplify payment methods
Allied to tip number 2, the payment process should be simple and quick to reduce waiting times, avoid queues and not make customers impatient, especially if they are ill.
How many times have you lost customers because you don't accept payments with certain cards? If you're a REDUNIQ customer, you have access to solutions that will make your business run faster.
The main advantages are to accept card payments - including international cards (for example, from tourists who need health services) -, accept Contactless payments - saving around half the time per transaction and avoiding the formation of payment queues - and installing POS, for example, regardless of your bank and, if you already have a TPA, you can join REDUNIQ without having to change it..
If you have foreign customers, make sure your POS has DCC - Dynamic Currency Conversion -a solution offered by REDUNIQ, which consists of paying with your customer's currency of origin. How does it work? Firstly, the POS automatically recognises whether the card is issued in one of the convertible currencies. Then, if the payment is eligible for DCCOn the TPA, the amount is displayed in the currency of origin and in euros, and the transaction is carried out in the currency of the customer's choice.
- Show concern after the sale
Everything contributes to whether or not a customer becomes loyal, so don't forget about them as soon as the consultation or sale is over. Be available to answer questions, inform them of news or promotions through newsletters or send them a message or an email wishing them a happy birthday. The customer will feel that they are special to the company and, even if they're not there in person, that you care about them.
- Use feedback to improve
Carry out customer satisfaction surveys to assess the quality of your service, appointments, professionals and other services. Based on this information, you can improve, eliminate or create new solutions.
What's more, the customer will feel that their opinion is important and taken into account.
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