The Importance of Suggestion Boxes
Customer feedback is the lifeblood of any service provider. A business ultimately exists to make money, sure, but it achieves profitability by providing excellent service that customers are happy to purchase. You don’t get there by ignoring your customers; even the smartest people take advice from others. Of course, it isn’t realistic to expect a patient to openly discuss their impressions of a doctor’s performance. There are no exit interviews at the doctor’s office, unfortunately, though a good, honest exit interview would do wonders for your practice. Besides, you’d never get a straight answer from most people in that situation. They’re quick to post a review on Yelp, though.
But Yelp, popular as it is, still ignores a significant demographic – that net-illiterate group which trends curmudgeonly. These older folks have more health issues, visit the doctor more often, and subsequently have more complaints. They also don’t have an effective outlet for their complaints, besides maybe grumbling at the receptionist. Grandma won’t be rushing home to blog about the hour wait, and even if she did, no one would read it. Nope, not even you. You wouldn’t read Grandma’s blog. Just admit it.
On a serious note, there are ways to get valuable customer feedback without putting people on the spot or assuming they’re net-literate. With the patient’s receipts and medical papers, include a small written survey and ask the patient to complete it before leaving (or take it home and return it on the next appointment). Put a few acrylic suggestion boxes out on the counter for the completed surveys, so the customers can respond at their leisure. Keep the survey short and sweet with questions that cut to the important issues. Be cautious about asking the right questions. Heck, consider asking what the customer considers to be an important issue, and then have them give a rating on that issue. After all, because you’re asking for feedback to understand what the customer wants, confirmation that your questions address relevant problems that matter is paramount. Give enough blank space for the written responses, and don’t let the suggestion box fill up before you read any of the surveys. If you respond to a customer’s suggestion, you validate the concept of the suggestion box. The more you communicate with your customers, the more they’ll feel inclined to give you helpful feedback.
And the most important rule: take the advice to heart. We can all learn from each other!
Tags: customer complaints, customer feedback, customer service, Plastic Products, suggestion boxes, surveys, Waiting Rooms
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