Two minutes – that’s how much time you’re in an elevator or sit at a traffic light. It’s also how much time you have to make a first impression on the phone for your business.
Your time starts now.
Now do it again. In fact, do it 180 more times.
OrthoCarolina patient service specialists go through this process each day handling close to 2 million calls per year. But the 180 calls fielded daily by each team member is not the number that matters. It is the one patient they’re on the phone with right now that is most important.
For most companies, the call center is the first point of contact for any customer relationship. In healthcare, the stakes are even higher with many callers reaching out because they are in pain or helping an injured loved one.
“Patient service specialists are the friendly voice to the elderly patient, they are the calming voice to the scared parent, and they are the peaceful voice to the frantic patient,” said OrthoCarolina’s Call Center Manager Tiffany Lindemann. “They often play the role of a psychiatrist as psychology is very important in the call center environment. If we can better understand the mindset of our patients, we can offer a higher level of intuitive support.”
In a competitive business marketplace, Lindemann said the way a company can truly stand out is through customer service. Here are four lessons from the healthcare environment that Lindemann has for any business looking to step up its customer service game.
- Hire the right fit
Hiring the right person for the job sounds like a no-brainer for any position but customer service requires a certain set of soft skills that are difficult to teach. There are no four-year degrees in empathy.
Even though OrthoCarolina’s recruiters speak with candidates on the phone, Lindemann requires a phone screening of her own before any candidate is seen in person, because that is how her staff interacts with patients day-in and day-out.
“Being on the phone as opposed to face-to-face is a different dynamic,” Lindemann said. “Our mindsets have to shift. These aren’t entry-level skills.”
She listens to how they answer the phone, the tone of the voice, and how they react to challenging situations and if they can remain even-keeled.
“I’m also looking for those who might be a little competitive in nature,” Lindemann said. “I like to instill the conviction of ‘I’m going to win you over.’ Having that mindset is important.”
Who is Team OC? Meet OrthoCarolina team members across the Carolinas.
- Make your voice your tool
Often customers reach out to a call center because they have an issue, so winning each call is an essential attitude. In healthcare, that issue can be physical pain and Lindemann believes by using the voice as a tool, she and her team members can physically make callers feel better.
Lindemann instills the attitude of “smiling with your voice” to each member of her team. “We are the first contact that the patient has with OC, so it is critical that we make a positive impression right out of the gate,” Lindemann said. “We are the voice of OrthoCarolina.”
- Take the service one step farther
On the other end of a phone call is someone else waiting to have their situation addressed. In the first 15 minutes OrthoCarolina was open the day after Memorial Day, the patient service specialists team received 800 calls. While the stress to get to the next caller can be real, the team focuses on one-to-one, taking their customer service seriously. “Is there anything else I can assist you with?” is always their next question.
If there are additional appointments to be made, prescriptions to be refilled or questions to be answered, they are ready to help. Transferring the call or a “that’s not my job” mentality? Those are non-starters.
Even those who have called the wrong business are not a quick hang-up. The OrthoCarolina team will look up the phone number the caller needs to point them in the right direction.
- Review the tape
For years, sports teams have utilized the review of game footage knowing athletes who see their performance can pick out opportunities to improve. Lindemann utilizes the same concept with her team.
“Sure we monitor calls, but it’s important for people to hear themselves and perform a self-evaluation,” Lindemann said. “It’s a wonderful teacher and leads us to important conversations about what went well and where we can improve.”
There is also a focus on building the internal team and creating a positive work environment that callers can feel when they speak to an OrthoCarolina team member. Lindemann is a wealth of words of positive encouragement with weekly themes and focuses, such as recently when the team spent time dedicated to the concept of empathy. They also play games and have contests.
Touching lives
Answering call after call seems daunting, but Lindemann said she and her team come to work every day for the patients.
“When we are ending the call and the patient is overly appreciative of our service, sometimes in tears of joy, we know we’ve made a positive impact on the individual’s life,” Lindemann said. “When patients tell us that we have physically made them feel better just by the way we spoke to them that reminds us how important our work is. We look at every call as a life that we have touched. We take a lot of calls so we touch a lot of lives.”
Have a passion for delivering remarkable customer service in your area of expertise? Learn more about joining the OrthoCarolina team.
OrthoCarolina. You. Improved. With expert physicians and care providers throughout our region, OrthoCarolina is your destination for comprehensive care. Our expertise and continuum of orthopedic care is unmatched in our region — and throughout the country.
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