1. Signs

Walk into your lobby like a patient.  See it from their view. 

Do you have any signs that sound mean? 
Do you have any signs that sound rude? 
Do you have a sign that says, “Don’t tap on the window,” “Payment expected at time of service,” or “If you are more than X minutes late….”? 
Do you have more than two signs in your lobby?  

If you answered yes to any of these questions, take those signs down.  Have you ever seen a sign at a MedSpa that says payment is expected up front?  Nope.  Let’s treat your patients at least as good as a MedSpa.  Your office should be a safe place for patients; not one where they feel unwelcome.  Signage should be friendly and welcoming or not exist at all.  Promote new services, new providers, social media, or survey tools in your signage…not policies.  Patients are customers.  Treat them that way.  Don’t treat your patients like an inconvenience before they even get the opportunity to talk to your staff. 

2. Eye Contact, Smile, Greet

When a customer walks in the front door, the front desk person should make eye contact and smile.  When the customer gets about three feet from the front desk, they should greet them warmly.  “Hello, how are you?” is a great start.  If they are on the phone, they can still smile and mouth “I’ll be right with you” or make a hand gesture to indicate it.  Essentially, make sure the customer knows they’ve been seen and acknowledged. 

3. The Window

Oh, how I loathe the window.  If your practice is in a dangerous area and you see patients at night, okay, you can have a window.  And, thank you for loving humanity enough to practice somewhere that needs healthcare so desperately. 

Outside of actual dangerous situations, what is the deal with the window?  Are we hiding from patients or what?  And please don’t say it’s because of HIPAA.  You can absolutely be HIPAA compliant without being closed off to the lobby. 

I prefer no window.  If you have a window, keep it open all the time.  If the window is frosted, shame on you.  If it’s an overlay remove it.  If it’s built into the glass, keep it open all the time. 

Don’t build barriers between you and your patients.  Remove them.  And start with that window. 

4. Name Tags

Did you know it is a patient’s right to know the name of the person caring for them and what their credentials are?  Every member of your team should wear a name tag every single day, including doctors and administrators. 

Also, people behave better when they know someone knows their name…because patients can tell on them.  Using names also starts to build familiarity. 

If 100% of your office isn’t wearing name tags now, order them today.  High turnover? Fine.  Use a label maker for the name/credentials on blank name tags with your logo.  If you need help finding a vendor for name tags, we’re happy to share who we use.

5. Addressing Patients

When checking in a patient, script your staff’s language.  My preferred language is, “Hi, how are you? (Pause for answer.) What’s your name?”  Say hi before asking for name.  And, it’s “your” name, not “the” name.  I hate it when someone says, “What’s the name?”  Seems so impersonal to me. 

Want to step it up a notch?  Try to remember patient names.  Include a pic (even if is the driver’s license picture) in a patient’s medical record.  When it’s a repeat patient, look at the schedule and see if you can figure out their name.  How much better is it when staff can say, “Hi Mrs. Smith.  Welcome back.  I’ve got you checked in.”  Bam.  Service.  Or, even say, “Hi! Welcome back.  Can you remind me what your name is?”  Acknowledging that the person is recognized is HUGE!!

About the Author

Amanda Brummitt has worked in healthcare since 2001 in administration of both hospitals and medical practices.  She’s a customer service snob that thinks asking people to be nice isn’t asking too much.  She loves secret shopping physician practices, customer service training for clinical and non-clinical staff, and using customer service to improve the patient experience.