Customer Service, One Event at a Time: Part 2

Related Column: Customer Service, One Event at a Time: Part 1

In an industry filled with “life-saving” stories and expectations, the little things that our dispatch, EMTs, paramedics and support staff do for our patients are often overlooked. EMS is steeped in algorithmic responses and performance measurements, to the degree that our personnel are often hindered from interjecting anything extra into the equation for fear of repercussions.

When an extraordinary customer service event does happen in EMS, it needs to be recognized and encouraged.

Even though there are times when our responsibilities are life-and-death in nature, the vast majority of our patients have needs that are not critical and immediate. Thus, the need to provide extraordinary customer service is no less important than the training to handle critical patients. When we talk about “customer service” in EMS, some have a difficult time determining who the customer is. Common definitions state:

One that purchases a commodity or service and customer service as a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction — that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation.

EMS providers focus primarily on the life-saving aspect of the business, and they are often constrained by the power and urgency of that assignment. However, there are plenty of opportunities to go beyond the required minimum and provide exceptional customer service that patients will remember.

In my opinion, customer service is just another way of caring for our patients. Managers and leaders in the EMS industry should find ways to encourage such special service and celebrate it when employees provide it.

I sent an email to many of my friends and clients asking for examples of “extraordinary customer service” in their own organizations. I was overwhelmed by the responses and noticed several common threads:

• The responding organizations were big and small; rural and urban; private, third-city service and fire-based. This clearly shows there is no limitation to where good customer service can occur.
• Most of the organizations who responded had multiple examples, identifying an environment that encouraged extraordinary customer service as part of their core mission.
• Many of the examples sent to me also came with letters of praise and thanks from patients, customers, first-responders and governmental entities.
• When identified, the personnel providing the exceptional service acted as if their actions were nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, many of the actions would have not been even identified if it weren’t for a “thank you” call or note. This suggests a certain quality of employee that understands the impact of their actions.
• Many of the employees had been positively recognized for their behavior, showing an environment of encouragement within the organization.

The Power of a Single Employee

How does your service provide that little extra something that differentiates it from the crowd? With performance requirements and competitive obligations in place, how can a company be special? The simple answer is that companies can’t — they can only provide an environment that will allow and encourage individual employees to provide a higher level of service.

Here are some examples of extraordinary customer service I have received (I apologize for not being able to publish all of them in detail):

Admittedly, some of these examples are not major events, but they exemplify how great customer service occurs one small event at a time. Whether it is buying firewood for a patient who cannot afford to heat their house, or making sure a patient’s family has a place to stay in a strange town, caring for our patients is alive and well in EMS.

As I write this column, I am reminded of a major event in my life. About this time seven years ago, I awoke with a headache that wouldn’t go away; throughout the day the headache worsened. While driving in the afternoon it became clear that I wasn’t seeing very well, so I drove myself to the emergency department (what else would an ex-paramedic do — call 911?). After convincing the triage nurse that it wasn’t a vision problem, I saw the emergency room physician. He stated, “I think you are having a stroke.” I was devastated and kept thinking of the worst case scenarios that could happen.

The doctor and nurse left me alone in the exam room and, being lousy at waiting, I pulled back the curtain and watched the activity of the busy ED. I thought about the number of people over the years that I have watched undergo life-changing events in ambulances and EDs; now it looked like I was one of them. It is difficult to explain that feeling and I guess it showed on my face. A nurse who I didn’t know, and whom I had never seen before, walked by, stopped and then did the most incredible thing. She hugged me, and then just walked away.

Following that day, I had weeks of excellent care and dozens of sophisticated tests provided by competent medical personnel, but all of that paled in comparison to that hug. I will always be thankful for that extra interaction, an extraordinary sign of caring that meant a lot to me at that moment. In fact, I have based all my feelings about that healthcare facility based on the power of that single employee.