Customer Service

In his book entitled "If Disney Ran Your Hospital," Fred Lee states, "There is a profound difference between selling and marketing. Selling is trying to get people to want what you have. Marketing is trying to have what people want. When you have what people want, it makes selling unnecessary." Isn't this so true about hospitals--we need to ensure we have what people want during their hospital stay. This does not only pertain to a good medical outcome, but also that employees at Childrne's meet expectations regarding how staff treat patients and their families during their stay. Clinical outcomes can be measured--hospitals make these comparisons all the time, but most patients do not. Lee says, "They (patients) hold in their minds a mental picture of how a person should be treated, and that picture becomes the standard by which their experience is judged." Patient families compare us to everyone who was friendly, kind and compassionate regardless of profession. It is important to share this with your staff to ensure they understand the importance of courtesy and compassion, because these things are what we are judged on the most.